It’s his to sell. Seems a shame, though. I predict he’ll regret it.

Real loss for Oklahoma and mankind. It was an irreplaceable piece of design and was destroyed by greed.

Indeed it is shameful that so many people jump on-board the hate wagon without any knowledge of the true facts. This quote says it best: Jeff has excerpted the most critical part of the This Land Press article. If we can learn anything from the Bavinger house destruction it is how poorly this situation was handled by those – “in the know.”
The President of Friends of Kebyar, Nelson Brackin, was warned time and again about the mental attitude of the Bavinger Family as pertains to the University of Oklahoma. He did little or nothing in his position as therepresentative of the major Goff organization.
The University and Friends of Kebyar were asked on numerous occassions to help the Bavingers, raise money to preserve the house. Neither organization wanted to work with Bob Bavinger, even to the degree of trying to coax him into a more workable foundation to share responsibility and ownership. Bob Bavinger took the attitude, correctly or not, that these organizations were working against or in competition with his established Bavinger House Conservancy.
In fact, true or not, Bob Bavinger sincerely believed the University was even responsible for his mother’s death – which he stated often. He did not TRUST the OU administration.
The University of Oklahoma bolstred this mistrust by attempting to fund raise in secret to make an offer to the Bavinger Family. Senior members of the OU Faculty, as well as others – “in the know,” seemingly did absolutely nothing to warn those more recent Faculty members interested in obtaining the house, about what a sensative situation existed between OU and the Bavingers. Eventually word got back to the Bavingers, that OU was making some plans to obtain the house – pretty much reinforcing the Bavinger family mistrust of OU.
The result was that in a mistaken act of desperation, Bob tore the house down. Had OU or FOK tried to work with the Bavingers, the destruction of the house, would likely have not happened.
It is fairly obvious that there is plenty of blame to go around. But unfortunately none of this will bring back the Bavinger house.

http://brucegoff-castle-bandb.com.  In a neighboring state I have three fake educational departments on various levels of probation. Make that four if including another State University likely involved in acts of terrorism in the dark of night. One department is only on minimal probation for disturbing by guests via no reading skills(times 2) leading to a trespass violation account a child asks the darn-est things to a head of department wanting to know if he could get his students to build her a castle too these days sadly nixed due to rulings the students now have rights when and trapped by custodial slave-owner relationships to fake educational systems and would end owning  their fair share.

From an architect that loves the house and the hospitality I received when I visited it in 81, and had know idea what was going on behind the scene; it appears that something really messed up has evolved into a truly sad self destructive act. Not sure what Bruce would think about this….  Ouch. It really hurts.

I wonder too regards what Bruce would think about this. And am suspicious that he would we proud of the family members doing the right thing when facing off the well known suspected fascist, criminal, actions of the University folks long ago, mid-nineties (arson), and the recent vulture like games played for a fake art for arts sake. Bruce would likely be more ashamed for some the vulture like games of some his students even more. Bruce was friends of the family and built the place for the family and likely would give a hats off to them. After all the actual owners did let the structure blossom again. I am thinking they may well have played the various bastards of the fake arts off very well. Bruce could be smiling over the one piece at a time battle cry letting the ignorant vultures whine to the end of time. There was a general statement/challenge of Frank and I think Bruce too that each generation ought tear down the old and begin anew.  Radical and horrid the events may be. Sincerely, http://brucegoff=castle-bandb.com as always keeping the vultures at bay. 

This is a horrible loss.  What is wrong with these people? So sad for Oklahomans, the world and all lovers of creativity and vision in architecture.

People who place so-called property rights above all else as an excuse for destroying a work of art are beyond my comprehension.  Civilization is losing so much to ignorance and stupidity these days.

or maybe it was righteous response to vaster amount of fakes in the arts for personal gain and fake claims of fame. Perhaps its the national culture   at work of ‘their oil is our oil’ while fools never learn it was all for the banksters, stocksters, as folks who have no right to being at the wrong that end of someone elses spout grabbing for  the ‘On/off ‘ control for greed  unwilling to wait at whatever proper placement in line with all others and the price for others would be better- you would have to kidding yourself.
 Maybe those you deride are the rightful OWS types, whilst your argument is what or misses what? That those that built a great art, lived in the art as their family home, shared it with others as they could, maybe didn’t like folks taking from their family, degrading their own parents requests of giving them dignity, who don’t deal with their direct  previous loss of great art for arsons sake, who think the bully in them is not apparent for what is quite apparently the end stroke to further bullying and degrading a great art.

You make no sense whatsoever and it’s a real tragedy for the rest of this world and those who loved Mr. Goff’s works.  I get the feeling that no one, no matter how sincere their interest, would be OK with you if they were supporting preservation of Bavinger House instead of it’s wholesale destruction.

Looks like Nelson Bracket is contacting everyone that he can to tell people not to buy, much in the same way that he told people not to support the the house to begin with. What a Loser!

I just bought an item from the Bavinger House. I think it helps a very worthy cause by preserving the memory of Bruce Goff. I think we need to support the Bavingers after all they have been through. We as fans of architecture really dropped the ball by not supporting them when the house was open.

Bruce Goff, like Frank Lloyd Wright, designed buildings and houses as a complete package.  To remove an art glass window or door and display it elsewhere misses the point of the total environment he was trying to create.  Everything in the house relates to something else in the house.  Without these references, your missing part of the art.  Goff’s Bavinger front door hanging somewhere else but THAT house… Yes, it’s fortunate that it was saved but, no, I don’t think Goff would approve.  Ideally, he would want his work to be seen in its entirety.  Unfortunately, we don’t live in an world that respects, above all else, magnificent creative works of art.

you can still preserve the Bavinger house by buying it a piece at a time from the rightful owners or collectors. Hell, you still can preserve Shin en Kan  too, equally a masterpiece that was destroyed, all you have to do is rebuild  one from scratch. In either case that ought to keep a bunch of fakes in the arts happy with themselves for very a long time. I fail to see the logic in why the university was even allowed on the premise to preserve the second structure after its suspected involvement in the arson in the 90′s which has never been cleared up. I was indeed glad to see the Bavinger House open to the public and looking quite sweet. What really occurred from my perspective was vultures were dancing on someones grave before and after the death of Mrs. Bavinger a pursuit by too many folks into what you call preserving. ‘Sincere interest’ towards Bruce Goff’s or simplr respect for the Bavingers (deceased or living)  doesn’t seem  a likely description I would afford your idea of what the preservers were up to. Seems to me your preservers though assuredly highly educated failed passing sufficient finishing school skill levels and couldn’t play nice if they had to, thus provoking the football being taken away. Game over. Seems an educational point folks best learn. 

Their home is not your-our home.  It was their work of art and their home.Perhaps this event may seem radical to you but maybe its also justifiable. I suspect most the fault is with the university crowd but I also suspect the Keybar group has some who shouldn’t be proud of themselves too. The lesson is keep an eye out for vultures in the arts.

I can say that Nelson Brackin is not calling anyone to tell them
not to buy any items from Bob Bavinger.
Friends of Kebyar (FOK) do not have any power, legal or othewise
to tell Bob Bavinger what he can and cannot do with his property.
No one in the FOK has undermined any effort of Bavingers to
raise funds. We as a group were allowed to visit the house
by paying the Bavingers for that visit. That is our way of helping as we could.I personally offered to return to the Bavingers to help with repairs to the house at know charge. Other people of FOK
would do the same. I know that Bob Bavinger is hard to negociate with because “thinks” that everyone is out to get him.
He told me that he had proof that the neighbors were trying to take over.