by Marga Rose Hancock

In a 20-month project that culminated in October 2000, Seattle architect Grant Gustafson, AIA took responsibility for the disposition of the remains of the late Bruce Goff — eighteen years after the death of the unique teacher and self-taught, iconoclastic architect.

Gustafson designed a marker, secured funding for it and a burial plot, and brought together Goff aficionados to pay a tribute to the master as he was laid among other greats of 20th century architecture.

Goff is known for wildly creative residential projects, especially in the 1950s when he chaired the University of Oklahoma School of Architecture. He was often associated with Frank Lloyd Wright because of their close friendship.

In The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Architects and Architecture, Dennis Sharp wrote: "With very strong convictions about the importance of individuality, Goff created isolated one-family houses in tree-enshrouded pockets of the Great Plains.

"Although Goff's buildings relied on a combination of structural clarity and spatial complexity, they also used a form of decorative detailing that contrasted with the typical simplicity of twentieth century buildings."

Some of these buildings are the Bavinger and Price houses in Oklahoma, and the Japanese Art wing at the Los Angeles County Art Museum.

The Bavinger House. Photo: credit unknown Bruce Goff. Photo: Robert Alan Bowlby   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.