Historic Fabric vs. Design Intent Authenticity and Preservation of Modern Architecture at Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum

This paper attempts to address the dichotomy between preservation of historic fabric and the original design intent, which may arise during interventions on buildings from the Modern period. It presents intervention principles developed for recent preservation work at Frank Lloyd Wright's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and outlines how these principles were used to address four specific design challenges posed by Wright's masterpiece. By addressing structural repairs, rain protection, fenestration upgrade and exterior colour issues, the paper shows how, during the Guggenheim project, priority was assigned to the design intent in some cases, to the historic building fabric in others, or indeed to neither factor. It explores the concept of authenticity and expands its application in the context of the preservation of Modern architecture by considering issues of craftsmanship and mass production, integrity and durability, systems performance and conservation state, original expression and contributing changes.