Price Tower, the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed skyscraper, has been put up for auction. Bids for the Bartlesville, Oklahoma, landmark start at $600,000 in a sale scheduled to run from October 7 to 9.

The listing on Ten-X, a digital commercial real estate auction platform, represents a swift development following the announcement in mid-August that the building would close and that its tenants, which include a hotel, restaurant, and local magazine would have to relocate by the end of the month.

In 2023, blockchain evangelists Cynthia and Anthem Blanchard bought Price Tower for $10 from the nonprofit Price Tower Arts Center via a company called Green Copper Holdings. They promised to pay off the property’s $600,000 debt and put forward $10 million as part of a commitment to “responsible stewardship.” Neither investment has taken place. In a statement confirming the listing, the couple claimed preserving Price Tower’s legacy was at the heart of their decision.

“This move allows us to reach a broader audience of potential buyers who can appreciate the property’s unique architectural significance,” the Blanchards said. “Our goal is to ensure Price Tower’s legacy is preserved by finding the right steward to continue its care and vision.”

Built in 1956 based on a design originally intended for Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the tower was first owned by the H.C. Price Company, an oil and gas company, with Ten-X’s listing describing it as “a rare opportunity to invest in an irreplaceable architectural gem,” one with “endless potential for future business ventures.”

A model of the Price Tower apartment building, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1953. Photo: FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images.

One factor unmentioned in the description is the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy’s preservation easement that prevents the sale of heritage items including furniture and building components without the Conservancy’s permission.

Earlier this year, the Blanchards breached the easement by selling off some of the building’s furnishings to 20C Design, a mid-century design dealer in Dallas, Texas. The items included a rolling directory board, architectural copper relief panels, an armchair, and copper tables and stools. All of the furnishings were specifically designed by Wright for Price Tower. The Blanchards claimed the easement was no longer applicable following the Price Tower Arts Center’s transfer of the property, a point the Conservancy refutes.

A spokesperson for the Conservancy said they would review the listing thoroughly adding that “the terms of our easement on Price Tower require that we have the opportunity to inform potential purchasers about the terms of the easement, and to work with them to ensure that it continues to be upheld even after the property changes ownership.”

It is the second time in recent months that the Blanchards have listed historic buildings in Bartlesville. In April, Anthem Blanchard declared that HeraSoft, a blockchain solutions company that had been relocated to Bartlesville in 2021, was insolvent and would be selling the Washington County Courthouse in which it was housed.