S.324 – Dr. Richard & Madelyn Davis Residence, 1119 Overlook Road, Marion, Indiana S.324A – North bedroom wing addition Marion, Indiana, is home to actor James Dean, cartoonist Jim Davis, and this unique Frank Lloyd Wright design completed in 1950. DrAccording to an excellent interview by Alex Lester for the WikiMarion, Davis was working for Dr. Charles Mayo at the Mayo Clinic when Wright was considering gallbladder surgery. Wright inquired about Davis’s future plans; he said he was planning to return to his native Marion to join a medical office with his father and his brother. Wright offered to design a house, and Davis readily accepted. Wright told Davis to find the least suitable piece of land. The building contractor was convinced the “teepee” roof would not stand on its own, and quit the project. Undeterred, Wright nominated Davis to manage the construction, and gave him weekly instructions. Despite eliminating the middleman, the house went $5000 over its original $7000 budget (average houses in the area had cost $6000, according to Davis). Wright designed a wing (S.324A) added in 1954 (per Storrer), although Davis said it was added after Wright’s death. In addition, there is an outbuilding with some design elements reminiscent of Wright, but I am not sure he designed it. When Wright designed garages and other attendant structures, they tended to mimic the principal residence’s lines. I am also not sure whether Wright designed the mailbox, but its design is stunning. Photographed on July 28, 2013.

Outbuilding of unknown heritage; residence wall on left

Mailbox

New 08/05/2013 Revised 10/15/2014