What happens when America’s most famous architect clashes with the federal government? Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story behind Frank Lloyd Wright’s unrealized vision for Yosemite National Park.
The year was 1954 and Degnan’s Kitchen needed more space. The Degnan family had owned the Yosemite Valley bakery and café since the 1800’s. With post-war crowds flocking to Yosemite Valley, they hired America’s greatest architect to design a new home for their business – Frank Lloyd Wright. On paper it sounded like a good fit. Wright was famous for designing his buildings to complement the natural beauty of a site – think of his famous house Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.
In Yosemite, Wright’s plans called for a low-slung building with a central dome housing a main dining room. Semi-circle outcroppings housed the entrance and kitchen. Wright’s sketches look a lot like his later design for the Marin County Civic Center.
But Wright’s vision clashed with the federal bureaucracy. Park Service director Conrad Wirth rejected the design, calling it a "mushroom dome type of thing. Degnan’s instead hired Fresno architect Walter Wagner to design a modern A-frame building, which still houses Degnan’s Deli today.
