It’s not every day you get to make history with when providing oil tank removal services in Bethesda. That’s exactly what happened for the GreenTRAX team the other week, though!
We were honored to have the opportunity to do an oil tank removal at a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home. This isn’t just any old Frank Lloyd Wright home, however – it’s one of just two Wright-designed buildings in Maryland.
And your humble oil tank removal experts at GreenTRAX got to take it on!
Whether you’re a fan of architecture, history, or what makes Maryland tick, then read on because we’ve got the whole story about the house and the oil tank removal for you today.
“The Only Building Of Its Type In Maryland” – What Makes This House So Special
Maryland may not be the biggest state, but it’s no Rhode Island. I say that because any time you hear about a building being one-of-a-kind, you know you’re in for a special day.
Before you say I’m just getting too excited about this, you should know the Maryland Historical Trust, which oversees Maryland’s National Register Properties, said this themselves about the house:
“The Wright house is exceptionally significant in representing the last stylistic phase of the architect’s career; Wright designed only a dozen hemicyclical houses between 1941 and 1957. Furthermore, this is the only building of its type in Maryland, and one of only two Wright-designed structures in the state.”
In other words, the Robert Llewellyn Wright House is a special one. This two-story concrete-block home was first designed in 1953 then built between 1957 and 1958.
In what seems like a nod to Maryland’s coast, the house actually looks a little bit like a ship’s hull. From there, the design gets really interesting with a bunch of intersecting arcs and concentric circles.
The property’s pretty great, too. The house overlooks a beautiful stream and has great views from both its north entrance facade and the south side.
While the oil tank removal we did was outside, everything I’ve read about the home’s inside sounds great. The home’s got large casement windows and plate-glass doors which lead to a terrace and two balconies on the second floor. It’s even got furnishings were thoughtfully designed by Wright himself.
For more on the house itself, the Society of Architectural Historians has a pretty interesting write-up!
The house also holds a bit of history for the family, too, as Lloyd Wright, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s sons, did the landscape design.
Now that we’ve got all the details of the home out of the way, let’s get into the good stuff: how we were able to remove the oil tank while still respecting all of the home’s historical value.
The Oil Tank Removal Process
We’ll start with the details of the job. We were called about removing a 550 gallon heating oil tank that was no longer in use.
Even though the driveway was very long and narrow and the working space was tight we were able to get in without any troubles or damage to surrounding asphalt or landscaping.
Since that landscaping has some pretty notable historical value, you might think it was even more important, but we treated it with the same respect and professionalism we do for all of our oil tank removal jobs.
Now, the tank itself was under the asphalt of the driveway. We sawcut the driveway asphalt and removed it. Once we got to the tank, we cut it open and cleaned out the remaining oil and sludge.
From there, we removed the tank from the ground and checked for holes. Fortunately, it didn’t have any, which is a good sign that the removal process is going to be a smooth one.
We checked the soil with our field meter and found it was clean. So far so good. To confirm what we find in the field, we also take soil samples that get sent to and tested at a lab.
We then backfilled the excavation with stone.
The owner got a closure report from me that has pictures of the job, lab test results and a write up of what we did to show everything is done properly and legally.
We were able to complete the job from start to finish in under three hours. Plus we were able to do it all without disrupting any of the landscaping or surrounding nature, which we think Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright himself would’ve been proud of!
Are There Other Frank Lloyd Wright Houses In Bethesda?
With an architect as influential and prolific as Frank Lloyd Wright, you might be asking yourself if there are other Frank Lloyd Wright-designed houses in Bethesda. If so, where are they?
Unfortunately, the Robert Llewellyn Wright House is the only Wright-designed property in Bethesda, Maryland.
However, you won’t have to drive far to find a few other stand out properties in the DMV area. Here are three you can find within a short distance:
- The Pope-Leighey House – 9000 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, Virginia
- The Marden House – 300 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, Virginia
- The Andrew B. Cooke House – 320 51st Street, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Let GreenTRAX Help With Your Oil Tank Removal
The 550-gallon underground storage heating oil tank we removed is actually a typical size we see in Bethesda. Though we were excited to have the chance to spend a few hours at this historic property, you don’t have to be the grandson of an iconic architect to take advantage of our services.
For more information about heating oil tank removal services in Bethesda, MD, contact GreenTRAX today. You’ll get fast, same-day estimates and proposals. Call us at (410) 439-1085 or send us a message here to get started.
