FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin on June 8, 1867 to William and Anna Wright. While attending college at the University of Wisconsin, he took a job in the engineering department but left two years later to follow his dream to design buildings, finding work as an architect in Chicago. Wright married Catherine Tobin when he was twenty-two and was determined to design and build his own home in the suburb of Oak Park. As his family grew to six children, and Wright was compelled to expand his home, he accepted residential commissions to support his family. His designs showed Wright’s keen awareness of complimentary surroundings, and the ability to create spaces unique to American style, Wright’s designs became standouts in their communities. The Robie House, built in 1908 in Chicago is one of the best examples of his work at that time. By 1909, Wright left the U.S.A. for Europe where he worked on publications of his architecture that was influential to aspiring architects. His time in Japan in the 1920s yielded the creation of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Eventually, deciding to escape the cold winters of Wisconsin, he and his second wife Olga, established themselves in Scottsdale and inspired up-and-coming architects with Taliesin Fellowships in both Wisconsin and Arizona through the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. Through his prolific seventy-year architectural career, Frank Lloyd Wright created over 1100 designs. About half of those were executed. His over 500 creations worldwide included museums, residences, apartment buildings, furniture, textiles, and more. With his sense of space in concert with embracing natural and spiritual environments, he created extraordinary masterpieces. The American Institute of Architects proclaimed Wright as the “greatest American architect of all time.” Considering the breadth of his creations from the Guggenheim Museum, to Fallingwater to the Johnson Administration Building, and the Robie House, it’s understandable why Frank Lloyd Wright’s timeless legacy still stands so prominently.