Join SAH/SCC for a special look at the home of industrial designers Russel and Mary Wright. Although best known for American Modern dinnerware, the Wrights rejected rigid modernism for a life that invited ambiguity. Their home, Dragon Rock at Manitoga, is situated on forested woodlands, sited at an abandoned quarry locatedin Hudson Valley, about an hour north of New York City. It is now part of the Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
From her new book, Russel and Mary Wright: Dragon Rock at Manitoga (Princeton Architectural Press, 2022), author Jennifer Golub includes for the first time Mary’s role as a partner, designer, and entrepreneur. This lavish volume is filled with personal histories and more than 100 stunning photographs, synthesizing multiple archives and charting the innovation of the Wrights’ design practice, their lives, and the development of their Dragon Rock home and the Woodland Paths of Manitoga.
Golub, author of Albert Frey Houses 1 and 2 (Princeton Architectural Press, 1998), argues that Dragon Rock should be included in the pantheon of iconic mid-century modern houses. The book opens new doors about these industrial designers as architectural designers.
