Frank Lloyd Wright

                                   Frank Lloyd Wright

                                       (1867- 1959)

        Deemed one of the greatest architects of the 20th century, and Greatest American Architect of all time by the American Institute of Architects, was Frank Lloyd Wright.  He was internationally known for his non-traditional approach to designing buildings and houses.  He liked to emphasize the simplicity and natural beauty in more then 1,000 of his structures and 532 of his works.  In addition to his skills as an architect, he was also incredibly gifted with designing and innovating many interior aspects of houses such as stained-glass windows and furniture. He also published many books and articles about his works and was a famous lecturer around the world.

        Wright was born in 1876 in a small farming town in Wisconsin.  From a young age, his father left home, so Wright was forced to assume financial responsibility for his mother and two sisters.  Later in life, Wright really started his career and began his interest in architecture when he became an apprentice under Louis Sullivan.  Sullivan was commonly known the “father of the skyscrapers,” and he influence Lloyd greatly.  He taught him to reject the classic and common styles of European architecture that was popular during that time.  Despite his other apprentices, Sullivan took Wright under his wing and gave him special attention.  Sullivan provided Wright with a house loan of $5,000 for him and his wife.  Shortly after, he was provided his own office next to Sullivan’s and was promoted to head draftsman.  Eventually, Wright started to work on outside work to receive outside commissions.  He did not realize that this was a breech of his five-year contract with Sullivan, and Sullivan was extremely angered.  Wright thought that his anger was unjust, and he quit Sullivan’s firm.  They did not talk again for 12 years.  Wright continued to carry out Sullivan’s dream of recreating an individual style of American architecture.

 Organic architecture was a philosophy that Wright created and a term that he coined.  It is the idea of creating everything in a simplistic way so that they all relate to each other.  It rejects the common ornate styles as he describes in his writing:

"So here I stand before you preaching organic architecture: declaring organic architecture to be the modern ideal and the teaching so much needed if we are to see the whole of life, and to now serve the whole of life, holding no traditions essential to the great TRADITION. Nor cherishing any preconceived form fixing upon us either past, present or future, but instead exalting the simple laws of common sense or of super-sense if you prefer determining form by way of the nature of materials...”

      Wright preached this idea and used it to create the Prairie School Movement.

Wright established his own office where he continued his success in creating some of his most famous works.  One of his first independent commissions and attempt at redesigning the average[pic 1]

 house was his Winslow House in River Forest, Illinois.  It is a Prairie style house and it is designed to enhance the horizontal aspects of the design.

A limestone base anchors the house to the ground.  This feature is seen many times in the future works of Frank Lloyd Wright.

            In 1898, Wright continued his success with designing one of his own houses, the Wright Studio in Chicago.  This house was very important because it would be the intellectual hub for all of Wright’s designs for the next 10 years.  It was also one of the first houses that were experimental and unique structures.  With a two-story drafting room and hanging balcony, it was a unique approach.  He continued his work with more than 50 projects in Oak Park, many of which were “Prairie Style.”  This style was the modern approach to architecture, with emphasis on the horizontal lines and flat roofs with overhangs.  It was thought to reflect the broad flat land of the prairie, hence the name. They reflect the example of an open plan and include long windows whenever possible. The Prairie School houses were related to the Arts and Crafts Movement in America. This was the idea that minimalist architecture was better and more simplistic then the common ornate European architecture.  Although the movement and idea originated in Chicago, the idea spread all over the world from Europe to Australia to India.  Some of the most famous Prairie structures included the Robie House in Chicago and Unity Temple in Oak Park.  He was well known in Europe by this point, but not as established in American just yet.  One of these houses that Wright was deeply connected to that embodied this style was the Taliesin East House.  This house was completed in 1911 and had a controversial story within his life.  It was located in Spring Green, Wisconsin, on a 600-acre property that was part of Wright’s family.  In 1914, the house was set ablaze by a disgruntled employee who proceeded to murder people close to Wright.  Wright loved the Taliesin East House, which caused him to immediately set out to rebuild and recreate it.  This was the Taliesin II; however, a fire destroyed the living quarters once again the following April.  This led Wright to once again rebuild it and make a Taliesin III.  This house was the home of Wright for the rest of his life.  Although he created a Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona, he created many of his famous works here in this house.  His efforts to rebuild Taliesin multiple times show his devotion to the house and how much he was connected to it.