Banff's Frank Lloyd Wright pavilion could be rebuilt
Project was 1 of only 2 Lloyd Wright designs built in Canada
An historic building in the Town of Banff is still sparking debate decades after it was torn down, as a new projects aims to rebuild Frank Lloyd Wright's Banff pavilion.
The building is one of only two Lloyd Wright designs built in Canada but it was destroyed after suffering extensive flood and frost damage over the course of two and a half decades. The pavilion sat directly on a Banff floodplain but now, three people are hoping to see it reconstructed.
"I think it was one of the best things Wright had done," said Doug Gilmour, one of the two Canadian architects at the heart of the bid to rebuild the pavilion.
The project is also led by a Florida filmmaker and together, the trio are hoping to raise millions of dollars in private donations to rebuild the pavilion in Banff.
But raising the money is only part of the challenge — they would still need to get the town's approval.
Officials say while they are intrigued by the history, they have a lot of questions about cost and responsibility, and are also still waiting for a formal request to be submitted by the trio.
"Is this the right thing to do, to try and rebuild a building that's long been demolished?" asked Randall McKay, Banff's planning and development manager. "Would you ever be able to re-create it in its original form?"
Pavilion showed Lloyd Wright's style
Some say the pavilion was a classic demonstration of Lloyd Wright's style.
He's credited with creating North America's first distinct architectural style, and his designs have been included in the Guggenheim Museum in New York and Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.
The Banff pavilion was to serve as a picnic shelter, dance hall and meeting place, but it was also controversial at the time.
"My sense is that it was really more for the tourist population than for the local residents," said Anne Ewan with the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.
Staff at the museum say old newspaper clippings suggest the community was divided by the pavilion.
Many had wanted a sports arena for the winters and were disappointed to see a tourist attraction.
While the pavilion is long gone, that's not the case for opinions about it.
But some say that's not a bad thing — in fact, it could be classic Lloyd Wright, says Gilmour.
"He had a very firm belief system on what architecture ought to be."