Frank Lloyd Wright

The Early Years:

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) is so synonymous with American architecture that even the architecturally uneducated tend recognize his name easily. Wright was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin to William and Anna Wright. Frank's parents were strong catalysts in the eventual development of their son’s love for design and art thanks to their strong-willed nature and artistic interests. Unfortunately, in 1881, William and Anna split due to financial struggles.

After moving a few times between Wisconsin, Illinois, and Massachusetts, Frank Lloyd Wright returned to high school in Madison but left early and entered into the engineering department at the University of Wisconsin as a “special student.” He eventually left the school to take up a job with Joseph LymanSilsbee and then again, Wright quickly left his job there to take up another at the office of Adler & Sullivan. Wright, the chief draftsman and a favored employee by Louis Sullivan, eventually left the firm in 1893 due to a dispute dealing with Wright's acceptance of commissions without Sullivan's knowing. Wright then started his own independent practice that would undoubtedly shape American architecture from that defining point forward.

The Architecture:

Wright created and developed a new era of architectural form and space, and around the turn of the century the concept of Wright's Prairie House had evolved. Wright derived his inspirations from the landscapes around him, and his architectural techniques included houses and buildings that seemed as if they sprouted from the surrounding scenery; they were "organic" buildings. The Prairie House had low proportions, horizontal bands of windows, very gradual roofing, and an openness about them, which all seemed to fit the dimensions of the open Midwest landscapes within which they were built. Rooms in the house included very large living areas with furnishings acting more as natural dividers of space rather than walls that seem to isolate and confine.

After building several Prairie Houses in the Midwest and beyond (Illinois, Ohio, New York), Wright accomplished several notable designs including "Graycliff" (1929) in Buffalo, New York and "Fallingwater" (1937) in Bear Run, Pennsylvania. Each house embraced its surroundings; "Graycliff" utilized terraces and balconies atop a bluff overlooking Lake Erie, and "Fallingwater" was built from "organic" limestone over a gentle river and waterfall deep in the woods of Pennsylvania. Along with and following these feats, Wright worked on several for-hire projects across the U.S. and abroad.

The Future:

Frank Lloyd Wright had some architectural ideas that were never fully realized. One such idea that lives on in books and institutions was his concept of "Broadacre City," a futuristic suburbia that was completely decentralized. Using his Usonian Houses (an affordable middle class house design) as models, Wright envisioned a place where "rural" and "urban" were no longer separate entities, where each family owned one acre, where schools, factories, laboratories, and farms coexisted side-by-side, and where "smaller was beautiful." Wright believed that monopolies and big cities were corrupted with greed and thanks to the addition to automobiles, no public transportation would ever be necessary. He sawBroadacre City reaching into the horizon where physical structures melded into the scenery, furthering his idea of "organic architecture."

Wright's legacy in American architecture lives on in the houses, churches, and buildings he has designed over the past 130 years, but they also live on in The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The foundation's headquarters is located in Wright's one-time residence and studio, Taliesin West, located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation shares Wright's principles through the embodiment of his work as well as the importance of architecture in society.

References

"Broadacre City Project." 1/30/2010. .

Carter, Amanda. "Broadacre City Project." Carter, Amanda. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. 1/30/2010. .

Hofmann, Werner and Kultermann, Udo. _Modern Architecture in Color_. Usborne, Peter. New York: The Viking Press, 1970.

Spencer, Brian A. _The Prairie School Tradition_. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1979.