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Tn Gatlinburg House By Allen Lape Davison 1

Structure: Bill Davison Cabin
Location: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Architect: Allen Lape “Davy” Davison
Date: 1968
Story: Before Frank Lloyd Wright passed away (in 1959), he founded Taliesin Associated Architects, an architectural firm comprised of his apprentices. Led by architect William Wesley Peters, the firm’s goal was to advance Wright’s vision and complete any in-process projects that FLLW left when he passed.

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Beaver Meadows Visitor Center by Taliesin Associated Architects

William Wesley Peters’ right hand man was a gentleman named Allen Lape Davison (Davy to his friends). Although Davy was never actually licensed as an architect, he was a skilled architect nonetheless.

Oh and he was also a helluva painter.

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Pastel (by Davy) of the Arizona desert (courtesy of Celeste Davison)

Davy had a brother named Bill who lived in Knoxville, Tennessee. When Davy and Bill were kids, they built many a happy memory at their family’s mountain house in Lake Mohonk, New York. Now that he was grown, Bill wanted to create mountain memories for him and his family. And for that, he would need a mountain home. So around 1969, Bill asked Davy to design him that mountain house, and Davy readily agreed.

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Davy’s rendering via Celeste Davison (© Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation)

The brothers selected a spot high on a mountain in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, one with views of Cove Mountain on one side and Mt. Leconte on the other. Using the 4’4″ square unit system that Taliesin was known for, Davy designed a 1,338 sq. ft. mountain cabin complete with a winged roof (painted Taliesin red), orange shag carpet (offset by blue leather chair coverings), and built-in furniture throughout.

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The soul of the house, as the local newspaper put it, was the “mammoth fireplace wall that [rose] from the conversation area to the rooftop.” It was both “prominent” and “hospitable.” Looking out towards the view, the glass came to a peak, almost seeming to float (due to the lack of structural support near the glass). Bill and his family dubbed the house “Piney Woods”, which was what their childhood cabin in New York had been called.

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Southwestern pattern in the conversation pit? But why??

The house is currently a vacation rental, and the property management company has taken great care of it (despite a few changes in the fabrics).

PS (do blogs have PS’s?): A special thanks to the magnificent mid-century detective Tim Hills (of Trystcraft) for re-discovering this place. This house sat under the radar for ~50 years before I unearthed the old newspaper article about it which then prompted Tim to go hunting for (and find) it. Also, another thanks to Bill Scott for putting me in touch with Davy’s daughter Celeste Davison. Oh, and a very humble thank you to Celeste Davison for sharing her father’s work.

March 2021 update: while perusing some old local magazines for sale, a friend found this local publication (called Gatlinburg Lives). It featured the following black & white photos of the house

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