Steve Sikora and Lynette Erickson-Sikora, owners of the Willey House noticed that in the recently restored, Taliesin bedroom of Olgivanna Lloyd Wright a placeholder desk made of particle board stood in as a placeholder for a piece of furniture that would complete the picture of the room. When a year later a suitable replacement desk was still in need, they offered to donate one and commissioned Stafford Norris III to construct it.

Stafford worked with Ryan Hewson at Taliesin Preservation, Inc to determine the final dimensions, construction details and features of the lost desk based on historical photographs. On April 21st 2017 the replica writing desk made of old-growth tidewater cypress was delivered to Olgivanna’s bedroom at Taliesin. The completed bedroom is but one of the numerous preservation victories recently completed at Taliesin, Spring Green.

During the process of recreating Olgivanna’s writing desk a full-scale prototype of cherry wood was built to test fit into her Taliesin bedroom and compare with photographic evidence. The prototype of this one-of-a-kind desk will be auctioned off in fall 2017 to support the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.