FLW logo (1)

You’re in the Wright Place!

V. C. Morris Gift Store (1948)

VC Morris exterior

“Xanadu Gallery is housed in San Francisco’s only Frank Lloyd Wright building. Officially designed as the V.C Morris Gift Store, the building was designed in 1948, and incorporates the now legendary spiral ramp theme which Wright had already designed for the Guggenheim Museum, though that project wasn’t finished until 1959, shortly after his death. The controversy around the Guggenheim stemmed partly from the spiral ramp, though in the smaller, more intimate scale of the V.C. Morris Gift Store it seems to have won over the public at once. This is by no means, however, its only distinctive feature.”

ELEGANTLY INVITING

“The street entrance is an updated Romanesque arch, which according to Wright beckons the passerby in rather than vulgarly displaying its merchandise on the sidewalk. This is an interesting connotation considering that the building is situated on Maiden Lane, which while now known as one of San Francisco’s most elegant shopping promenades, was a street of ill repute during the notorious heyday of the Barbary Coast. The brickwork itself, a rare enough sight in San Francisco architecture, is beautifully laid, and draws attention quietly rather than competing with the surrounding street. A delicate line of translucent panels with a raised geometric motif that is classic Wright lights the outside wall.” Xanadu Gallery website
The Xanadu Gallery closed permanently on August 8th, 2015.

ISAIA is the current tenant of the building. ISAIA is a Neapolitan high-end menswear firm that was founded in Naples in the 1920’s.

Share This FLW Site

Related Articles

la miniatura

La Miniatura (1923)

La Miniatura, also known as the Millard House, is a textile block house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1923 in Pasadena, California.

Read More
Search this Site
Recently Added
Explore
Sponsor

For Your Home

About Me

Yvonne Carpenter-Ross

FLW Enthusiast & Webmaster

Architecture and home design have always fascinated me. As a young girl I enjoyed drawing floor plans, rearranging my parent’s furniture and playing with Lincoln Logs and Legos.  My passion has always been the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Since I have been old enough to drive a car, I have visited Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the Chicagoland area and attended the Wright Plus house walks. Now, as co-owners of Northern Sky Designs, my husband & I are able to combine our website design skills and FLW travels to bring you this website! Enjoy!

Yvonne Carpenter-Ross