BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — The owner of Bartlesville’s Price Tower is suing the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, claiming they are interfering with her efforts to sell the skyscraper.
The auction of the historic building had been put on hold in early October after the company of Price Tower owner Cynthia Blanchard was sued by The McFarlin Building Company. McFarlin claimed Blanchard was in contract to sell the tower to them and broke that contract by putting it up for auction instead.
Now, a different lawsuit has been filed where Blanchard claims the Conservancy is interfering with her ability to sell the Price Tower.
In 2011, the owners of the 19-story tower entered into an agreement, often called an easement, with the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy that set out rules on the preservation of the building.
Cynthia Blanchard, who bought the tower in 2023, stated that the agreement is no longer in effect.
If a judge ruled in her favor, they would agree that the easement is over. Blanchard also wants the Conservancy to pay more than $75,000 in damages.
In response to the filed lawsuit, the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy released the following statement:
“On October 21, the owner of the Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma — Green Copper Holdings, LLC — along with Copper Tree, Inc. and Cynthia Blanchard (collectively, “Green Copper”), filed a lawsuit against the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and Price Tower Arts Center, Inc., claiming that the easement held by the Conservancy on Price Tower and certain items within its collection is null and void. The Conservancy strongly objects to the baseless claims of the lawsuit and stands by the terms of its easement.
Indeed, the Conservancy has been in communication with Green Copper since mid-August, when we notified Green Copper that the Conservancy intended to file its own lawsuit to enforce its preservation easement and prevent Green Copper from continuing to sell easement-protected collection items. The Conservancy decided not to file a suit at that time, because Green Copper asked to settle our differences outside of court. They assured us that they would not sell additional items from the collection in contravention of the easement, and would permit the Conservancy to discuss the easement with potential buyers of the Price Tower, which is currently slated for auction in November. The Conservancy continued good faith discussions in the interest of preserving the Price Tower and its collection, while Green Copper was apparently preparing a suit instead.
The Conservancy will respond to the allegations in the lawsuit filed by Green Copper and intends to seek enforcement of the legally binding easement. The Conservancy remains committed to preserving the Price Tower and the easement-protected items from the collection and ensuring that the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright and his creation in Bartlesville endures.
Given the ongoing nature of this legal matter, this is the only statement the Conservancy is prepared to make at this time.”
For now, the auction is set for mid-November.