- Frank Lloyd Wright, photograph by Arnold Newman, 1947.
(1867–1959). U.S. architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes, office buildings, churches, a famous museum, and many other structures. Today, Wright is considered a creative genius. However, in his own day Wright's ideas were so bold that they were sometimes not accepted. Nevertheless, Wright had a great influence on the architecture of the 20th century and of today. Early lifeBorn on June 8, 1867, in Richland Center, Wisconsin, Frank Lloyd Wright was the son of a kindergarten teacher and a preacher. While he was growing up, his family moved several times, living in Iowa, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, before returning to Wisconsin. At age 15 Wright entered the University of Wisconsin as a special student. The school did not offer a course in architecture, so he studied engineering. In 1887, after a short time at college, Wright moved to Chicago, Illinois. He found a job making detailed drawings of buildings. Later he was hired by one of the city's leading architectural firms. There he worked as an assistant to Louis Sullivan, called the “father of the skyscraper.” In 1893, after six years of hands-on training, Wright opened his own architectural office. CareerAt first specializing in home design, Wright became the leader of a style known as the Prairie school. The main features of the style are a low-pitched (or nearly flat) roof, strong horizontal structural lines, and the use of earth-colored building materials. Wright's idea was that the finished house would blend into its surroundings, the Illinois prairie. Many architects saw that Wright's designs had merits. They featured roomy living areas, plenty of wide windows, and plain walls. Wright designed and built about 50 Prairie houses, but his followers built many more. Wright's buildings are functional, meaning they are easy to live or work in. The designs are also clever. For example, in 1916 he built the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan, on a bed of mud. When a strong earthquake struck the city in 1923, the hotel was spared serious damage because it floated. In Pennsylvania, Wright planned a luxurious weekend house for a client. Called Fallingwater, the home is built over a waterfall, offering inhabitants breathtaking views and a closeness to nature. The Guggenheim Museum stands out even among New York City's many architectural gems. The modern art museum was designed by Wright as a spiral ramp. Resembling a corkscrew, it does not have separate floors, but consists of one continuous space. The building was completed in 1959, after Wright's death on April 9 of that year. Of the 800 or so buildings that Wright designed, about 380 were built and about 280 are still standing. Many have been designated as historical sites and are preserved for the public. |