Architecture is that great living creative spirit which from generation to generation, from
age to age, proceeds, persists, creates, according to the nature of man, and his
circumstances as they change. That is architecture - Frank Lloyd Wright, 1937
Frank Lloyd Wright: Innovator in American Architecture
"...having a good start, not only do I fully intend to be the greatest architect who has yet lived, but fully
intend to be the greatest architect who will ever live. Yes, I intend to be the greatest architect of all time."
- Frank Lloyd Wright 1867-1959
It appears that from the very beginning, Frank Lloyd Wright was destined by fate or determination to be
one of the most celebrated architects of the twentieth century. Not only did Wright possess genius skills
in the spatial cognition, his approach to architecture through geometric manipulation demonstrates one
aspect of his creativeness. Forever a great businessman, Wright seemed to know how to please his clients
and still produce some of the most innovative and ridiculed buildings of the early century. While the
United States appeared to be caught up in the Victorian style, Frank Lloyd Wright stepped out in front to
face the challenge of creating "American architecture" which would reflect the lives of the rapidly
growing population of the Midwest United States. Howard Gardner in his book "Creating Minds" does
not make any mention of Frank Lloyd Wright, an innovator who drastically influenced architecture of the
twentieth century around the world.
CHILDHOOD
Born in 1867 Wisconsin, Frank Lincoln Wright grew up in the comfort and influence of a Welsh heritage.
The Lloyd-Jones clan, his mother's side of the family, would have great influence on Frank throughout his
life. Unitarian in faith, the extended family lived within close proximity to each other thus enabling a
strong support system for those born or married into the clan. Great themes within the Lloyd-Jones clan
included education, religion, and nature. Wright's family spent many evening listening to William Lincoln
Wright read out loud the works of Emerson, Thoreau, and Blake. Uncle Jenkins was the family minister
while Aunts Nell and Jane would open a school of their own which following the philosophies of,
German educator, Froebel. With truth and unity stressed, Wright was brought up in a comfortable, but
certainly not warm household. His father, William, moved from job to job, dragging his family across the
United States. Financial troubles plagued the William Wright family and eventually they would return to
the support of the Lloyd-Jones clan in the hills of Wisconsin. Despite reluctance from the clan, his parents
divorced when Frank was still young. Wright would change his middle name to Lloyd. His mother, Anna
(Lloyd-Jones) Wright, relied heavily upon her many brothers and sisters to help raise her children. Frank
spent many hours working in the fields with his uncles, and was intellectually guided by the Aunts and
his mother. Before her son was born, Anna had decided that her son was going to be a great architect.
Using Froebel's geometric blocks to entertain and educate her son, Anna appears to have struck on a
genius her son possessed. Use of the imagination was encouraged and Wright was given free run of the
playroom filled with paste, paper, and cardboard. On that door were the words, SANCTUM
SANCTORUM. Wright would have his self-promotion (demonstrated by the opening quote), along with
his mother's support, pushing him to achieve great things in the field of Architecture for decades to come.
Frank was seen as a dreamy and sensitive child, and cases of him running away while working on the
farmlands with some uncles are recorded. This pattern of running away appears to continue throughout
his lifetime.
FIRST BREAK: CHICAGO
In 1887, at the age of twenty, Frank Lloyd Wright, broke from the comfort of his childhood in Wisconsin
and moved to Chicago. Chicago during the late nineteenth century was an exciting place. The fire of 1871
destroyed most of the old city allowing for it to be rebuilt in the new industrial age. Skyscrapers were the
all the rage in architecture, using steel and glass to create "shrines" piercing the sky. This complimented
the trend in residential homes where Victorian influence created pointed gables, lace-like ornamentation,
plaster walls, and wooden structures. With education in Engineering from the University of Wisconsin,
Wright found a job as a draftsman in a Chicago architectural firm. It is rumored that Uncle Jenkins (the
family minister), now in Chicago guiding a growing Unitarian community, helped his nephew Frank to
find the position. During his short time with Silsbee, Frank began his first project, the Hillside Home for
his Aunts Nell and Jane. Maybe because he wanted to break away from the Lloyd-Jones clan's aid, or
because he was impatiently moving forward, Frank left his first job within a year and found a position
with one of the best known firms in Chicago at the turn of the century, Alder & Sullivan . Sullivan was to
become Wright's greatest mentor. With the new industrial age, came a growing suburban population, and
a division between home and work. While the firm of Alder & Sullivan concentrated on the demand for
downtown commercial buildings, Wright was assigned the residential contracts. His work soon expanded
as he accepted jobs outside the firms assigning. Sullivan discovered this in 1893 and called Frank on a
breach of contract. Rather than drop the "night jobs", Wright walked out of the firm. Once again, Wright
would leave the confines of comfort to strike out for himself.
THE ARCHITECT ON HIS OWN
Using the Lloyd-Jones' philosophies of unity, truth, harmony, and simplicity; and Sullivan's approach of
"form follows function", Wright quickly built up a practice in residential architecture. At one point in his
career, Wright would produce 135 buildings in ten years. Patience, concentration, attention to detail, and
constant revision marked Frank Lloyd Wright's work in the studio; things that would be lacking in his
personal relationships. Many stated that Wright had a great amount of nervous energy, and allowed no
interference or suggestions from his clients. Wright took an integral approach to architecture by designing
the interior furnishings of the building as well as the structure. He seemed to possess a skill of site
memorization, and would visit the grounds sometimes only once before creating a building which blended
with and complimented the site. His own houses were continuing experiments, especially the first one in
Oak Park to which his studio was attached. Using nature as inspiration and geometric abstraction, both
obvious influences from his childhood in Wisconsin, Wright created a unique type of architecture which
would become known to the general public as the Prairie style. Marked by horizontal lines, this form
would dominate his work from 1900-1913. Wright included the technology of the cities into the suburban
residences of his design. Wright would continue to pass through at least two more recognizable stages in
his architectural design, the textile block (1917-1924), and the Usonian (1936-1959).
In 1909 Wright took off for Europe, once again walking out of a comfortable home life including a wife
and six children and a well established business. His European travels brought him fame across the sea at
a greater level than that he had received in his native homeland. Wright did not stay long in Europe,
returning in 1910 to Chicago and Wisconsin where he began construction on his second home, Taliesin in
1911. The year 1913 brought Frank a contract for Midway Gardens in downtown Chicago, an
entertainment park on the south side of Chicago which exists today only in the original plans and
drawings. In 1914 disaster struck Wright's personal life and work on one fateful day, when Taliesin,
completed by this time, burned and his present mistress, her two children, and four of Wright's leading
workmen, were murdered by a raging servant. Wright again ran away. This time it was across the Pacific
to Japan.
THE SECOND ERA
The Imperial Hotel project provided Wright with an engineering problem as well as an architectural
challenge. Finished in 1922, the Imperial hotel was criticized for its aesthetic design, but when it survived
a 1923 earthquake, which left the majority of Tokyo in rubble, it found praise. Wright had managed to
design a "floating foundation" for the building which combined oriental simplicity, in modern world
comfort. This was one of the few periods in Wright's life were his financial situation was at a positive
level. Returning to the United States in 1922, Wright pursued the use of a new material in residential
homes, concrete. Most of these "textile block" houses were built in California with a Mayan and Japanese
influence. Though some claimed that Wright had peaked in 1910, with the Prairie houses, others claimed
that in 1924 Wright's development was only just beginning.
RESURRECTION
A 1932 autobiography sparked new interest in the architect and pulled Wright out of a plateau in his work
with two of his most famous buildings: Fallingwater, Edgar J. Kaufmann's home in Bear Run,
Pennsylvania, and the Johnson Wax Company Administration Building in Racine,Wisconsin. Wright's
last "style", Usonian, was caused by a shift in society in the 1930's. Adapting architecture to the simple
and economically tight lives of families in the 1930's, Wright used down scaling to bring the house to a
more appropriate human level and reflect the informal and comfortable lives of the average American
family. The Wright Fellowship was opened in 1932, welcoming apprentices to live, learn, and work at
Taliesin, an idea comparable to that of a medieval manorial estate, and reflective of Aunt Nell's and Aunt
Jane's Hillside House. Wright taught principles and philosophies of architecture, not a style. Many
apprentices came out of the large, caring, and often chaotic community to complete successful career's in
the world of architecture. During the thirties, Wright formed a social vision, associating the evils of
society with the modern city. This was expressed through his design of Broadacre City, a section of an
idealistic decentralized and restructured nation resembling not a city and not an agrarian community, but
something in between. Wright continued to produce work into the forties and fifties including houses,
churches, theaters, and stores. The Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan is said by some to be his last great
work, as he passed away in April 1959, six months before the museum opened. Wright left behind
hundreds of plans that are being pursued today. Ground breaking for Monona Terrace in Madison,
Wisconsin occurred not three months ago. This Wright design, conceived fifty years ago, includes
government offices, an auditorium, and rail terminal all in one mammoth civic center.
THE CREATIVE GENIUS
By the time of his death in 1959, Frank Lloyd Wright had produced architecture for more than seventy
years. What is even more remarkable is that Wright had redesigned American architecture for at least a
century and created an area of the domain which America could claim as it's own. As early as 1894,
Wright was defining his philosophy of architecture. In a 1927 essay entitled "In the Cause of
Architecture" Wright presented an outline stressing architectural design as truthful and obedient to
purpose, site, occupants, and materials. He believed that buildings should be integral units, simple,
unique, serving civilization and eliminating the "box" effect of the past. Space in Wright's design was
fluid, free, and informal. His scales were brought down to create comfort for the occupants and a feeling
of oneness with the house and the natural settings. Wright used materials which would blend the house
into the setting, and limited the variety of materials within a project. Stone, brick, wood, stucco, concrete,
copper, and glass were all manipulated by Wright in a distinct way, that had never been done before. His
exteriors and interiors of a buildings varied little, as he philosophized that one should move naturally into
a shelter, feeling a certain flow rather than an abrupt transition. Wright often used the colors of autumn in
the Midwest, however red was his signature especially in 1930's. For light he relied heavily upon the sun's
power, and many of his building included skylights or subtle electrical lighting. The ornamentation
should compliment all this, not distract from it . Treating the building as a integral unit, Wright often
designed down to the littlest detail including all dining ware, furniture, and statues. His geometric designs
were interpretations of nature. In furniture, textiles, and accessories, all designed by Wright, simplicity,
respect for nature, and dignity if the individual was considered. His was an architecture of democracy for
an era of political freedom. It is apparent Wright felt no constraints from the popular culture and faced
harsh criticism many times for his works.
RELATIONSHIPS OF WRIGHT
Like many of Howard Gardner's choices in his book "Creating Minds", Frank Lloyd Wright's personal
life, proved to be chaotic in comparison to his professional one. Although Frank's father failed to
contribute much stability to his childhood, he did provide Frank with exposure to a wide musical
background which later fed Frank's interest and appreciation of classical composers. Later on Wright
would make comparisons to music and architecture in relation to the mathematical aspects of both.
Women appeared to be both blessings and curses throughout Wright's life. Anna Wright's support and
devotion to her son made up for the instability caused by the continuous financial problems and
uprooting. This love of Anna's proved troublesome for Frank later in life as she saw any other woman to
be a rival and treated them so. Anna followed Frank to Chicago after he had become established in his
Oak Park house with his wife Catherine Tobin, or Kitty. Kitty and Frank had married in 1889 despite
protest from both families saying they were to young. Kitty was described as practical and mature for her
eight-teen years. For 20 years they lead a quite life in Oak Park along with their six children. It was hard
for Kitty to admit that the marriage was over when Frank left for Europe in 1909 with his new mistress,
Mamah Cheney. Kitty would not grant Frank a divorce until 1923.
Mamah Cheney ushered in not only a new personal life for Wright, but a change in his architectural work.
Mamah Cheney was the wife of one of Wright's former clients. Some say the affair started while Wright
was working on a home for the Cheney's. Intellectual, individualistic, and eccentric, Mamah proved to be
quite a contrast to Kitty's personality. It was discovered that while in Europe, Wright and Mamah had
registered as Mr. and Mrs. Wright. Expectedly this caused a scandal in the States. Mamah officially
moved into Taliesin in 1913. On August 15th, 1914 Wright received a call in his office at Midway
Garden's sight. Taliesin was burning and Mamah had been murdered.
Wright received many letters of condolence as his love and his home lay in ashes. One letter he received
was of particular importance. Maude (Miriam) Noel had written Frank around Christmas of 1914 offering
sympathy for his disaster by relating them to hers. They met in person soon after and a summer at
Taliesin in 1915, was followed by Miriam escorting Frank to Japan for his work on the Imperial Hotel.
When the Hotel was completed they returned to the States and in 1923, after being officially granted a
divorce, Wright married Miriam. She was his second wife. Their time together was not blissful by any
means. Miriam's addiction to morphine is often thought to be the cause of bouts of maniac fantasy. She
left Wright in 1924, less than one year after their marriage.
Olgivanna Hinzenburg came into Frank Lloyd's life in November of 1924 when they met at a ballet.
Olgivanna was a member of the Gurdjieff movement and was born in Montenegro, Yugoslavia. It is
speculated that Wright was attracted to the exotically alien background of Olgivanna and her cultural
elegance. In 1925 she moved into Taliesin and proved devoted to Wright. The peace and happiness found
in their married life did not come easily. They fought for many years against suits wrought upon Wright
by the now rejected Miriam. Immigration officers pursued the Olgivanna and her daughter from a
previous marriage, Sveltana, claiming the two had broken immigration laws. The situation concluded in
1928 with Wright's marriage to his third and final wife, Olgivanna Milanoff Hinzenburg. Together they
had one daughter, Iovanna, who proved to be the apple of her father's eye, and built a home, Taliesin
West, in Arizona where they lived out their last days together.
SUPPORT WITHIN THE DOMAIN
Wright's relationships outside of the home differed greatly. When arriving in Chicago in 1887, Wright
was not alone in innovative thinking. Social reformer, Jane Addams (Hull House); John Dewey, reformer
of education; the historian Frederick Turner, William Jennings Bryan, and Carl Sandburg had all
congregated in the Midwestern States, specifically Chicago, by the turn of the century. It was a mecca for
independent thinkers and reformers of the times. Wright had contact with many of these leaders and had
been a known visitor at Hull House.
Throughout his life Frank Lloyd Wright depended on many individuals to help through his economic
troubles. Fortunately Wright had a gift of interpersonal relations. Despite his arrogance and unpredictable
ways, Wright had many acquaintances and former customers which would support him even when he
proved unable to manage finances. Many of these people would retain friendships with Wright during
good times and bad times. Wright loved to entertain.
Louis Sullivan: Lieber Meister
However it was Wright's second employer that influenced the young architect in a way that would change
the course of American architecture forever. Wright referred to him as his "Lieber Meister" and admired
Louis Sullivan's talent for ornamentation, and his skill of drawing intricate plans and designs. Wright
picked up on the philosophy of Sullivan and was so loyally devoted to his employer that he soon moved
ahead of Alder in importance within the firm. Sullivan was extremely critical of classicism which was
appearing across the USA during the 1990's in reaction the 1893 Chicago World's Fair exhibits. Wright's
relationship with his employer caused great amounts of tension between Wright and fellow draftsmen,
and well as in-between Sullivan and Alder. When Wright left the company, Sullivan's quantity of
contracts declined quickly. Sullivan had reached his peak of innovation, and without a young prodigy to
carry it on into the new century, many potential clients turned away. Wright would call on his "Lieber
Meister" when Sullivan ran into economic and personal troubles. His international reputation had
dwindled by 1920 and Wright found him rejected, ignored, penniless, and dealing with alcoholism.
Sullivan died in 1924 without regaining the glory of that the firm held when during Wright's early years
in Chicago.
WRIGHT IN RELATION TO GARDNER'S MODEL
It surprises me that Howard Gardner in his book "Creating Minds" did not choose Frank Lloyd Wright as
a subject, let alone mention him. When you compare the life trends of Gardner's choices and that
belonging to Frank Lloyd Wright, it is rather obvious that by Gardner's standards Wright is a creating
mind of the modern era. Beginning in the early stages of childhood, Wright, like others Gardner choices,
showed prodigious tendencies which were nourished, later developing from mastery into creative
innovation. The development of Wright's skill and creative output continued throughout his life, which is
a rather extraordinary occurrence, since he lived for ninety-two years and produced for over seventy
years. This length of time and the rate at which Wright produced buildings, addresses a question raised
during the class discussion time of whether a prolific individual has a better chance of hitting on a product
considered creative.
Certain trends which I picked up on from Gardner's model relate directly to Wright's childhood of
comfort rather than warmth including a touch of estrangement, distance from society but not ignorance, a
value of learning and achievement, and high expectations for oneself or from another. In reference to the
retention of childlike qualities, it could be argued that Wright's lack of concern in financial situations and
his habit of running away from comfortable situation represents this in a negative sense. In a positive
light, Wright rejoiced in the creative essence of daily life through his productions. Often his inspirational
breakthroughs would not come at night, rather he would be in the fields working or awake in the middle
of the night. The concept of marginality also applies to Wright's case and is best explained by the Lloyd-
Jones motto "Truth Against the World" which he placed above the fireplace of his houses. Many of
Gardner's choices went through a period of both religiosity and despondency . Wright's Unitarian
background and his marital behavior are examples of contradictory manners throughout his lifetime.
Wright exhibits the pattern of stubbornness, pride, and self-confidence in Gardner's choices. He often saw
himself as a misunderstood and persecuted genius. Wright's move to Chicago directly coincides with the
migration to a metropolis in adolescence where the creative individual found a support group of peers.
Often times of Gardner's choices became isolated from the supportive peers after discovering a problem
in the domain, which for Wright could be seen as the popularity of classicism, and his falling out with
fellow draftsmen.
It is difficult to pin-point Wright's creative "breakthroughs" for reasons relating to the field of architecture
and to Wright's personal philosophy that all houses should be site appropriate and unique. Time often
passed from the creation of a building on paper and the actuality of it in stone, brick, etc. Also, many of
Wright's designs were created and not built for years or decades. An example of this is a civic center
currently under construction in Madison, Wisconsin of Wright design, although the creator passed away
three decades ago. Though many of his buildings can be fit into a period of his production, such as the
previously mentioned Prairie houses, textile block houses, and the Usonian houses, the period's (Frank
Lloyd Wright refuted that his architecture was about a certain style, rather it reflected a philosophy) edges
are gray, and many projects overlapped on creation and production. The trend I recognize in Wright's
development may be comparable to a series of waves. There tends to be a peak where one of Wright's
buildings "defines" the period of architecture that he used as a base, and could be (and sometimes is)
considered as the model .
From perusing his personal life I would have to agree that the financial difficulties that continuously
faced Wright, and the disasters of his personal relations could be seen as his Faustian bargain. The
destruction of Taliesin twice by fire and constant revisions were major burdens placed on Wright's
financial situation because of his creative lifestyle. There appears to be only one period when Wright was
financially stable. This was after completing the 4.5 million dollar Imperial Hotel in 1921. It is
remarkable that the sometimes devastating financial situations troubled Wright little. Like other creators,
he welcomed challenges. Creative life was not supposed to be comfortable for Frank Lloyd Wright.
Wright was a fighter in relation to his work. Boulton marks Wright's toleration of disorder at the core of
his creative lifestyle.
So again I address the question, why not Wright? The only deviance from Gardner's model is Wright's
geographic location. While all the other members of Gardner's model were greatly influenced on the
European continent, Wright defied this by creating an American architecture based on the environment
surrounding and the lifestyles affecting the people of the United States during the first half of the century.
The time frame is right, the geographical position is wrong.
To conclude my study of Howard Gardner's creative mind model and Frank Lloyd Wright in reference to
Howard Gardner's model, I ask a series of questions. Why did Gardner choose creative geniuses of
Europe during this time when it appears that Chicago had the same draw for reformers during the modern
era? Specifically in reference to Wright, I wonder what his production would be if he was still alive
today. Would Wright's work have continued to evolve as the lifestyle of the US citizen and the
environment surrounding their habitats had changed? What would Wright think about computers roles in
the field of architecture and how would he incorporate this new technology into the home? Is it ethical to
build a Wright design from the 1930's in the society of the 1990's? Would Wright have wanted this?
Should those now owning Wright designed homes maintain the decor and at all costs or discomforts
should the integration be maintained? The is a question which could be addressed to the work of various
creative individuals thorughout time. It is a question of respecting the creative work versus the natural
evolution of the domain and deterioration of materials. Would Wright have wanted the houses to be
revised with the changing lifestyle ? Did Wright change architecture forever? Most of these questions are
being addressed by those in architecture today, and will be for as long as the name of Frank Lloyd Wright
is associated with the title of Greatest American Architect.
Why is Frank Lloyd Wright important?
Do you have a living room in your house? or a carport? Does your house have an "open" floor plan? If so,
then the way you live is being directly influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's innovations in residential
architecture. "Drawing inspiration from his native midwestern prairie, he coaxed Americans out of their
boxlike houses and into wide-open living spaces that suited the American lifestyle" (Carla Lind, The
Wright Style) Mr. Wright's "organic architecture" was a radical departure from the traditional architecture
of his day, which was dominated by European styles that dated back hundreds of years or even millenia.
He contributed the Prairie and Usonian houses to the vernacular of American residential design, and
elements of his designs can be found (at least to some small degree) in a large proportion of homes today.
While most of his designs were single-family homes (ranging from small homes for families of modest
incomes, to mansions like his unbuilt design for Henry Ford), his varied output also includes houses of
worship, skyscrapers, resorts, museums, government offices, gas stations, bridges, and other masterpieces
showing the diversity of Frank Lloyd Wright's talent.
Frank Lloyd Wright's views on architectural space, ornamentation, and relationship to site, and
concerning the place of architecture in art, life and philosophy have inspired generations of architects and
artists all over the world.
Frank Lloyd Wright's career was notable in several areas:
Practicing Architect. He designed several hundred buildings, of which around 500 were built .
Architectural Theoretician/Academic. He wrote several books on architecture, and founded and ran a
successful school in the field, training many architects.
Artist (Draftsman). His drawings of his buildings and other plans were beautiful and notable in
themselves. The L.A.Times said he was a "productive artist whose imagination continued to outpace even
his long lifetime of work".
Interior Design and Furniture. Mr. Wright's design went beyond the building to the finest details of the
interior space, including furniture, art glass, and other aspects of interior design.
Frank Lloyd Wright's views on architectural space, ornamentation, and relationship to site, and
concerning the place of architecture in art, life and philosophy have inspired generations of architects and
artists all over the world. Explore "All-Wright Site" (and the other sites linked from it) to find out about
different aspects of the life and work of a man considered by many to be the greatest architect who ever
lived .
Seventeen works:
1.Frank Lloyd Wright Residence (1889), Oak Park, Illinois.
Wright constructed this house for himself and his family while working for the Chicago firm of
Adler and Sullivan. Surfaced with wood shingles, it is the oldest extant building attributed wholly
to Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Home, 428 Forest Ave., was constructed in 1889 and is
surfaced with wood shingles. Adjacent to the house on the north, at 951
Chicago Ave., is Wright's shingles-and-brick studio, constructed in 1898. The
Wright Home is the oldest house constructed by the architect that still exists
today and was built for himself and his bride-to-be with money borrowed from
his employer, Louis Sullivan.
Frank Lloyd Wright lived and worked here from 1889 until 1909. He and his first
wife, Catherine, raised six children in this home which received several
additions and modifications, including the barrel-vaulted playroom on the
second floor which served as a gymnasium, kindergarten, concert hall and
theater. In the adjacent studio, Wright developed the Prairie style and
formulated the principles of an organic architecture that he would continue to
develop during the rest of his career.
The Frank Lloyd Wright home has been designated by the American Institute of
Architects as one of seventeen buildings designed by Wright to be retained as
an example of his architectural contribution to American culture.
west facade
west facade of Wright Home with Studio in north yard
diamond paned window detail, west facade
north facade of Studio, Wright Home behind
Studio drafting room is on left with reception hall connecting
drafting room to library on right; Wright Home is behind Studio
detail of entrance to Studio reception hall
south facade of Wright Home
2.William H. Winslow House (1893), River Forest, Illinois
The Winslow House was Wright's first independent commission after leaving the offices of Adler
& Sullivan. Although the design is related to his work with Adler & Sullivan, some scholars think
the Winslow House is his first "mature and original" building.
The William H. Winslow Residence, 515 Auvergne Place, was built in 1893.
Designed for the publisher of House Beautiful, the Winslow Residence was
Wright's first independent commission after leaving the employment of Adler &
Sullivan and is constructed of brick with stone and plaster. This house has been
designated by the American Institute of Architects as one of seventeen
buildings designed by Wright to be retained as an example of his architectural
contribution to American culture.
3. Ward W. Willets House (1901), Highland Park, Illinois
The Willits House was the first house to embody all the classic elements of the Prairie style.
Wright believed that the "space within the building was more important than its enclosure," and,
with this house, he "opened the box."
The Ward H. Willits Residence, 1445 Sheridan Rd., was constructed in 1901
and is the first house in true Prairie style. This house has been designated by
the American Institute of Architects as one of seventeen buildings designed by
Wright to be retained as an example of his architectural contribution to
American culture.
4. Unity Church (1904), Oak Park, Illinois
Unity Church was the "first significant American architectural statement in poured concrete."
Wright's use of concrete was truly original, and Unity Church introduced this type of construction
on a grand scale.
Unity Temple (1905) is one of the earliest public buildings to be constructed of
reinforced concrete poured in place into wooden molds. Wright's design was
constructed between 1906 and 1908 at a cost of approximately $60,000. The
structure is composed of two basic cubes of concrete --the larger one, for
religious services, is separated by an entrance foyer from the smaller Unity
House, for secular activities of the congregation. In designing this great public
space, Wright allowed the needs of the congregation to shape the structure,
letting "the room inside be the architecture outside." This structure has been
designated by the American Institute of Architects as one of seventeen
buildings designed by Wright to be retained as an example of his architectural
contribution to American culture.
Unity Temple, west view
west view
window detail, west view
corner detail, west view
entry area
window area, Unity House
view of lectern and oak grille, from lower balcony
view of lectern and oak grille, from lower balcony
view from lower balcony
view from lower balcony
view from upper balcony
view from upper balcony
detail of lectern from floor
view from floor
5. Frederick C. Robie House (1906), Chicago, Illinois
The Robie House is considered Wright's masterpiece of the Prairie Style. Concealed,
cantilevered steel beams create long, uninterrupted spaces that extend through windows onto
porches and balconies, making walls disappear.
Construction of the Frederick C. Robie House began in 1908 and was
completed the following year. The house was built on a narrow corner lot in
Chicago and is considered Wright's best expression of the Prairie style masonry
structure. Built at a cost of sixty thousand dollars, the house was commissioned
by a successful young inventor who asked Wright to incorporate the newest
technology in his design for a contemporary house that had everything in it,
from furnishings to modern utilities. Robie House is a national landmark and
has been designated by the American Institute of Architects as one of
seventeen buildings designed by Wright to be retained as an example of his
architectural contribution to American culture. Called "the house of the century"
by House and Home magazine in 1958, Robie House is now owned by the
University of Chicago.
looking northeast
west end
west end
south front
entrance court with garage area on right
living room, looking west toward "prow" or bay of art glass windows;
art glass doors on each side of prow open onto porch
view of west end living room windows from porch
detail of window on south wall of living room
east end of dining room
6. Hollyhock House (1917), Los Angeles, California
The Aline Barnsdall "Hollyhock House", built about 1920, was named for its ornamental forms.
The structure's monumentality and decorative elements evoke the architecture of the Maya
which Wright admired as "mighty, primitive abstractions of man's nature."
7. Taliesin III (1925ff), Spring Green, Wisconsin
The residence of Wright and his family and, later, the summer home of the Taliesin Fellowship,
Taliesin rests on the brow of a hill overlooking a valley of the Wisconsin River. Taliesin has
been described as the architect's "autobiography in wood and stone."
"I knew well that no house should ever be put on a hill or on
anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house
should live together each the happier for the other."
~ Frank Lloyd Wright
8. Fallingwater (1935), Bear Run, Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania
In Fallingwater, which was built as a weekend retreat for Edgar J. Kaufmann, we see Wright's
greatest expression of "organic architecture" --the union of the structure and the land upon
which it is built. Fallingwater is considered Wright's masterwork.
The Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr. Residence, better known as "Fallingwater," was
built in 1936 over a waterfall on Bear Run near Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania.
Considered by some to be the most famous non-royal private home in the
history of the world, Fallingwater is one of the seventeen buildings designated
by the American Institute of Architects to be retained as an example of Wright's
architectural contribution to American culture. The house, its contents and its
surrounding nature reserve were presented to the Western Pennsylvania
Conservancy by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. in 1963. The only remaining great Wright
house with its setting, original furnishings, and art work intact, Fallingwater is
open to the public for guided tours during most of the year.
the classic view of Fallingwater
"Fallingwater is a great blessing --one of the great
blessings to be experienced here on earth. I think nothing
yet ever equaled the coordination, sympathetic expression
of the great principle of repose where forest and stream
and rock and all the elements of structure are combined
so quietly that really you listen not to any noise
whatsoever athough the music of the stream is there. But
you listen to Fallingwater the way you listen to the quiet of
the country."
~Frank LLoyd Wright
"It has served well as a house, yet has always been more
than that, a work of art beyond any ordinary measure of
excellence. Itself an ever-flowing source of exhilaration, it
is set on the waterfall of Bear Run, spouting nature's
endless energy and grace. House and site together form
the very image of man's desire to be at one with nature,
equal and wedded to nature."
~Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.
approaching down the trail from the Visitor's Center
nearing the bridge over the stream and the entry to the house
The Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr. Residence, better known as "Fallingwater," was built
in 1936 over a waterfall on Bear Run near Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania.
Considered by some to be the most famous non-royal private home in the history
of the world, Fallingwater is one of the seventeen buildings designated by the
American Institute of Architects to be retained as an example of Wright's
architectural contribution to American culture. The house, its contents and its
surrounding nature reserve were presented to the Western Pennsylvania
Conservancy by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. in 1963. The only remaining great Wright
house with its setting, original furnishings, and art work intact, Fallingwater is open
to the public for guided tours during most of the year.
the classic view of Fallingwater
"Fallingwater is a great blessing --one of the great
blessings to be experienced here on earth. I think nothing
yet ever equaled the coordination, sympathetic expression
of the great principle of repose where forest and stream
and rock and all the elements of structure are combined
so quietly that really you listen not to any noise
whatsoever athough the music of the stream is there. But
you listen to Fallingwater the way you listen to the quiet of
the country."
~Frank LLoyd Wright
"It has served well as a house, yet has always been more
than that, a work of art beyond any ordinary measure of
excellence. Itself an ever-flowing source of exhilaration, it
is set on the waterfall of Bear Run, spouting nature's
endless energy and grace. House and site together form
the very image of man's desire to be at one with nature,
equal and wedded to nature."
~Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.
approaching down the trail from the Visitor's Center
nearing the bridge over the stream and the entry to the house
9. Honeycomb House (1936), Stanford, California
This Usonian house built for Paul R. Hanna is planned on a hexagonal grid system with most
walls meeting at 120-degree angles. Many interior walls are wood and can be easily assembled
or disassembled for reconfiguration of living space.
Copyright © 1998 The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ.
The plan of the Hanna Residence
is a variation of the L-shaped
Usonian plan and is based on a
hexagonal grid system which
results in more flexible interior
space than a system based on
the square or rectangle.
The hexagons upon which the system is based prompted the name "Honeycomb House". The
house is not a hexagon, but has a free-flowing plan that curves around the hillside it rests upon.
Walls are set at 120-degree angles which are much more open than the 90-degree angles found
in typical residential structures.
The non-masonry walls of
the house could be easily
assembled or
disassembled, allowing
for flexible alteration of
interior space.
The Hanna Residence is
located in Stanford CA
and is maintained by
Stanford University.
10. S. C. Johnson Administration Building (1936), Racine, Wisconsin
The "great workroom" of the Johnson Building has been called one of Wright's most
"astonishing" spaces. The slender, hollow concrete columns are each capable of supporting six
times the weight imposed on them.