Toomey & Co. Auctioneers

We are proud to feature works from Thomas S. Monaghan, Domino's Private Collection, highlighting the groundbreaking impact that Frank Lloyd Wright had on 20th century architecture and design. Starting in late 2023, we have offered a range of historic windows, decorative items, textiles, books, photographic negatives, architectural drawings, and a rare tea set from this esteemed source.

After discovering Wright through a book in the public library in Traverse City, Michigan when he was just twelve years old, Monaghan began a lifelong quest to learn as much as possible about the renowned figure and eventually committed himself to preserving Wright's prodigious legacy. From initially just viewing illustrations of the famed Robie House, Fallingwater, and the Johnson Wax Building, Monaghan was able to observe Wright design commissions directly once he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, at age seventeen, in particular, the William Palmer House, designed in 1950. During his time stationed in Japan, Monaghan explored Wright's grandly conceived Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, although he was never able to see the rooms since he was not a guest. In the early 1970s, Monaghan toured a great many Wright-designed houses in Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota, coming away more convinced than ever that Wright's organic architecture was an essential aspect of modernity.

I am exhilarated, yet overwhelmed, by the awesome task of preserving the works of Frank Lloyd Wright in the hope that future generations of his admirers will learn about his architecture and develop a deeper appreciation of his contributions to our American heritage. — Thomas S. Monaghan, from the Preface to Frank Lloyd Wright: Preserving an Architectural Heritage, Decorative Designs from the Domino's Pizza Collection (1989)

Since Monaghan was the Founder and President of Domino's Pizza, he chose to let his passion for Wright influence the structure of the company's World Headquarters in Ann Arbor. With a Prairie Style-design by architect Gunnar Birkerts, the first phase of the facility was completed in 1985. Subsequently, Monaghan established The National Center for the Study of Frank Lloyd Wright as well. Today, the Domino's Farms Office Park has grown considerably to a six-tenths of a mile long and is nearly one million square feet. Yet the Wright-inspired buildings that comprise the development blend seamlessly with the surrounding natural environment and the site has become an architectural landmark in its own right.

Some of the Wright examples included in our auctions from Monaghan are discussed or illustrated in the highly informative book, Frank Lloyd Wright: Preserving an Architectural Heritage, Decorative Designs from the Domino's Pizza Collection (1989), written by David A. Hanks and with a preface by Thomas S. Monaghan.