"In this sticky web that we're all in, behaving decently is no small task." -- Novelist Stacey D'Erasmo

Sunday, July 10, 2022

One of a Kind

     While we were visiting family in Wisconsin we took a side trip to the small town of Spring Green, site of Taliesin, home of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Why is his home out in the middle-of-nowhere Wisconsin? Because that's where he grew up.

     He went off to the University of Wisconsin in Madison for a year or so, then moved to Chicago where he established his architectural practice. In 1911, when he was in his 40s, he purchased land near his mother's home and built the rambling house that epitomized his style of integrating a building into the landscape and promoting harmony between humans and the natural world.

Front entrance to Taliesin

     As we found out on our two-hour tour, Wright led a dramatic and controversial life. He had six children with first wife Kitty, before launching an affair with Mamah, wife of one of his clients. They went off to Europe together, and eventually she moved into Taliesin with her two children. 

     In 1914, while Wright was working in Chicago, a disgruntled worker at Taliesin set the house on fire and murdered seven people, including Mamah and her children. A large part of the house was destroyed and later rebuilt.

Where he worked

     In 1922 wife Kitty granted Wright a divorce, and he married another woman. She was addicted to morphine. The marriage lasted less than a year.

     In 1925 there was another fire at Taliesin, though no one was hurt. Then in 1927, at age 60, Wright married for the third time -- a marriage that lasted until his death in 1959 at age 91.

Low ceiling, large windows

     Through it all, Wright kept working, designing and building more than a thousand structures. One of his most famous is called Fallingwater, built in Mill Run, PA, as a private weekend retreat for a wealthy Pittsburgh department store owner. Wright also built Taliesin West outside of Phoenix, AZ, which is where he spent winters starting in 1937.

     Wright started a school of architecture at Taliesin, with 20 to 30 students per year. He was notoriously difficult to work with, but many thought, as one student said, "a year in his studio would be worth any sacrifice." 

The skyscraper he never built

    He designed a couple of modest skyscrapers, but his proposal for a more ambitious skyscraper in San Francisco was not accepted. He kept a model of the bulding in his office for the rest of his life.

     Perhaps his most famous work is the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, which occupied him in his later years. The museum was just as controversial as the rest of his life, with open architecture featuring a central spiral ramp -- a design unlike any other museum in the world. Apparently, while all of his designs were original, not all were practical from an engineering standpoint. Several aspects of the Guggenheim had to be reworked before it could be built, and while we were on our Taliesin tour we were told that his house now needs some major reconstruction since he insisted on putting a second story above an area that couldn't bear the weight.

Where apprentices learn the trade

     Honestly, after spending some time at Taliesin -- and ducking my head under some of his low ceilings (Wright himself was 5 feet, 7 inches) -- I don't think I would want to live in one of his homes. But what do I know? It was the American Institute of Architects that in 1991 called him, "the greatest American architect of all time."

19 comments:

gigi-hawaii said...

Very interesting post. His buildings look great, even though they might not be functional. I visited the Guggenheim Museum when I lived in NYC (1970-1975) and thought it was really unique, one of a kind. Very enjoyable experience for me. But Wright's life was so shabby and immoral. Ewww.

Jennifer (UnfoldAndBegin) said...

I didn't know all of this information about his life. Two fires in the same house. One set on purpose. Wow.

Arkansas Patti said...

Holy moly. I had no idea what a bizarre life he led. There are enough plot lines there for several books. Quite a few jaw dropping moments in your post. Shocking but interesting.

Olga said...

I remember reading a book about Taliesin and the fire and the wives.

ApacheDug said...

His name has always been well known here (in Pittsburgh) because of Fallingwater. It's only an hour from here, but I haven't been there in 25 years. Geez I'm surprised how much here I didn't know!

BonnieB said...

Great book on him Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

Anonymous said...

The fiction book "Loving Frank" is about his marriage and his wife who died in the arson fire. Now that you are living in Pennsylvania, maybe you will take a trip to Fallingwater. I think it is worth seeing, although from the photos I see similarities to Fallingwater (low ceilings there, too!) But it is a lovely setting and near Ohiopyle State Park which could be another interesting stop in the area. Fall is a great time for both of these spots, but be sure to make a reservation for Fallingwater if you go.
Nina

Ed said...

I’ve visited several FLW houses and a motel. Though his designs tickle my engineering design sense, I’m in agreement with you. I wouldn’t want to live in one on a daily basis.

Meryl Baer said...

Great, interesting post. Never knew about Wright's personal life. Many of his homes require a lot of expensive work to keep them from falling - literally.

Miss Merry said...

There is a FLW home near Oberlin, Ohio. I learned a lot about his personal life that I had never heard!

Tom said...

Thanks! "Loving Frank" is definitely going on my reading list. It's gotta be an engrossing read.

Diane Stringam Tolley said...

Absolutely fascinating! I’ve recently been doing some research on this hugely notable architect.
I loved this, Tom!

Laurie Stone said...

He was incredibly talented as an architect. As a husband... not so sure. Still, his work has stood the test of time.

Dick Klade said...

My son and I visited the Wright home several years ago. You did an excellent job of hitting the highlights of the place and his life in this post.

Rebecca Olkowski said...

Wright designed several homes here in Los Angeles and lived in one on Hollywood Boulevard. They have an interesting concrete feel to them.

gigi-hawaii said...

Hey, Tom, I mentioned this post in my blog today. Go take a look. Thanks for inspiring me.

Hope Springs said...

We are big FLW fans and also visited Taliesin on our wanderings through Wisconsin and northern Michigan. We loved it. At the time we were fighting chipmunks and groundhogs in our front gardens, and the groundkeepers there told us keeping their stone patio level is an annual challenge and to expect to never win that battle. LOL.

Also, another vote for "Loving Frank". I bought it in the gift shop at Taliesin. It's quite a read...especially after seeing the burn marks on the property and the graves nearby.

Kay said...

Thank you for this post, Tom. It was very, very interesting. I'm sure I must have read about Wright a long time ago, but have totally forgotten. What a colorful, tragic, made for a movie life he led. I wouldn't have wanted to live in one of his houses either even though my husband is 5'7" too.

Snowbrush said...

There's a state-owned Wright house up the road in Albany, Oregon that I've toured a couple of times over the years.

Tom, I would have emailed had I had your address. I just want to mention that your comments on my blog often inspire responses that I put a lot of time into. Yet, I have no idea if you ever read them, although I doubt that you do given that you don't answer direct questions. If I knew you didn't read them, I wouldn't write them, so it would be helpful to me to know. I would still welcome your visits, of course, but it's no fun putting a lot of time and thought into writing things that aren't going to be read.