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THE EARLY YEARS

Frank Lloyd Wright

- Born in 1867 in Richland Center, Wisconsin

- Father, William Wright

- Orator, Minister, Music Teacher, Lawyer

- Mother, Anna Lloyd Jones

- School Teacher

Education:

- University of Wisconsin, Madison (never graduated)

- Member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity

FINDING HIS FIRE- Wright first developed his love and passion for

architecture when he was a college student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

- In 1887, Wright left the University before acquiring his degree and moved to Chicago, IL.

- Wright first described the big city as having “grimy neighborhoods, crowded streets, and disappointing architecture” (Wikipedia).

- After arriving in Chicago, Wright bounced around between a few architectural firms before settling at the then prestigious firm, Adler and Sullivan.

- Wright’s mentor Louis Sullivan, of Adler and Sullivan, had taught Wright the simple mantra of, “form follows function,”

- After being taught that simple adage, Wright coined the term, “Organic Architecture”

- Definition: Organic- characteristic of, pertaining to, or derived from living organisms (Dictionary.com)

- Wright was not talking about nature or living organisms when he said “Organic Architecture”. He was talking about it being an organic thought. One that nobody else had thought of, he talked about embracing the materials for what they were and not making them do anything that they didn’t naturally do

“FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION”

THE NATURAL FLOW

- Wright believed that the buildings and homes should flow with the landscape and appears natural within the environment, not intrusive .

- Architecture had a direct relationship between the site it was being built on and the time, in which it was built, there was a harmony that connected the buildings with the natural world around them.

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT, A TRUE OPTIMIST

In 1939, Wright was asked if any of his clients had bad taste, and if so, how did he try and steer them clear of

it. His response was a testament to his character and his beliefs, he said “Even if he wanted bad ones he could

find only good ones because in an organic architecture, that is to say an architecture based upon organic ideals,

bad design would be unthinkable” (pbs.org)

This quote could be used to sum up his entire career. He was always able to find take the bad, find the good, and make it beautiful.

THE LEGACY LIVES ON

Wright’s legacy lives on today as several of his works are still

around and used everyday. Some of them have even been preserved

as National Landmarks.

Here’s a look at some of his more famous accomplishments…

FALLING WATER- commissioned to build for the Kaufmann

family somewhere between 1936-1939

- Wright felt as though the waterfall was something that the family should become one with and deal with everyday, not something that they would occasionally look out the window and see.

- The house was lived in by members of the Kaufmann family up until 1963 when Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. entrusted the site to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

- Since opening their doors as a museum 4.5 million people have gone through their doors to experience the history of the home.

- It is still equipped with all of the original furnishings, art, and household objects that the Kaufmann family left when they entrusted the home.

- The home was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in January 1938

- Fun Facts: - - Total cost: $155,000- - 5330 Square Feet- - Guest house constructed in 1939

FALLING WATER

THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM- Wright passed away before the construction

of the building was completed

- Commissioned in 1943 by Solomon R. Guggenheim to house his “Four Year Old Museum of Non-Objective Painting”

- Wright had a specific idea for how he wanted visitors to experience the museum. He designed the Guggenheim for visitors to walk in, take an elevator to the top floor, the walk, at their own pace, down the spiral ramp all the while viewing the displayed artwork. The galleries would be separated but the rotunda, in the middle, would afford the visitors the opportunity to see the different sections simultaneously.

- The building was completed in 1959

THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

THE SPRING HOUSEThe Spring House is the only house Frank

Lloyd Wright built in the state of Florida.

- Location: Tallahassee, FL

- Contractor: Jack culpepper

- Style: Hemicycle

- Completed in 1954

- The house was number 349 of 400 completed projects by Frank Lloyd Wright

- The house was lived in by the family until 2010

- Construction of the home was done in 10 months by only 6 people

- Primary building materials: limestone, concrete (Ocala Red), wood

- Listed as 1 of 11 endangered historic places in America

THE SPRING HOUSE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Elman, Kimberly. "Frank Lloyd Wright and the Principles of Organic Architecture." Pbs.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

"Frank Lloyd Wright." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

"Guggenheim." The Frank Lloyd Wright Building. Guggenheim.org, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

"What Is Fallingwater?" Fallingwater. Fallingwater.org, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.