Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator who designed more than 1,000 structures. He strongly believed in designing structures that were in harmony with humanity and its environment. He called this philosophy “organic architecture”. He was the pioneer of the Praire School movement of architecture and likewise developed the concept of the Usonian home in Broadacre City. Aside from his designed houses, Wright also designed original and innovative offices, churches, schools, hotels, museums and others. In addition to these, Wright also wrote 20 books and articles. He also was a known lecturer in the United States and Europe.
Life of Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was born in 1867, in the farming town of Richland Center, Wisconsin, United States. His parents were William Cary Wright and Anna Lloyd Jones. William had been a baptist minister and later joined his wife’s family in the Unitarian faith. Anna was a member of the popular Lloyd Jones family of Unitarians who emigrated from Wales.
Early Years
Have you once heard that the physical environment of babies, even at their very early age, can already affect their mental growth? That is why parents should be very particular on the wallpapers or posters they put in their kid's room. In the case of Frank Lloyed Wright, even before he was born, his mother declared that her first child would grow up to build beautiful buildings. She then decorated the nursery with engravings of English cathedrals torn from a periodical to encourage the infant’s ambition. While Frank Lloyd Wright was growing, his mother bought a set of educational blocks which were created by Friedrich Wilhelm August Frobel. These blocks were known as Froebel Gifts and were the foundation of innovative kindergarten curriculum. The blocks were geometrically shaped and could be assembled in various combinations to form three dimensional compositions. These blocks greatly influenced the approach to design of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Frank Lloyd Wright went to Madison High School, however there is no evidence of his graduation. He was then accepted in the university of Wisconsin-Madison as a special student. There he joined Phi Delta Theta fraternity, attended part time classes for 2 semesters and worked with a professor of civil engineering. He then left the school without receiving any degree, but surprisingly was granted an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the said university in 1955.
Career as a designer
Chicago 1887, Wright arrived to search for employment. Due to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and a population boom, new development was a lot in the city. Chicago then was grimy, crowded, and disappointing architecture. He was first hired as a draftsman with the architectural firm of Joseph Lyman Silsbee. While in the firm, Wright worked with family projects: Unity Chapel, All Souls Church, and the Hillside Home School I.
Later on he quit his work as a draftsman and found a work as a designer at the firm of Beers, Clay, and Dutton, but eventually went back to Silsbee since he felt that he cannot yet handle building design by himself.
He also became an apprentice in the Chicago firm of Adler and Sullivan, wherein Sullivan granted Wright a $5,000 loan for him to build a house when he got married.
When Wright left the Sullivan’s firm, he then established his own practice on the top floor of the Schiller Building in Chicago.
Some projects of Frank Lloyd Wright
Here are some of the works of Frank Lloyd Wright that have inspired the construction and design industries:
1. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, 1956-1961
2. Beth Sholom Synagogue, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 1954
3. Child of the Sun, Florida Southern College, Lakeland, Florida, 1941-1958
4. Dana-thomas House, Springfield, Illinois, 1902
5. Darwin D. martin house, buffalo, New York, 1903-1905
6. Dr. G.C. Stockman House, Mason City, Iowa, 1908
7. Fallingwater, Bear Run, Pennsylvania, 1935-1937
8. First Unitarian Society of Madison, Shorewood Hills, Wisconsin, 1947
9. Frank Thomas House, Oak park, Illinois, 1901
10. Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Japan, 1923
11. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City USA, 2009