Harmony with Humanity: Celebrating Frank Lloyd Wright

There is one architect whose celebrity has risen beyond the subgroup of architecture aficionados and into the hearts of those who can't name the distinct style of a building. The man? Frank Lloyd Wright. On the anniversary of what would have been his 150th birthday, we celebrate and thank the creativity of a visionary who gave the industry so much.

Wright was more than an architect, he was an artist who also wore the title of writer, interior designer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures in his 91 years of life, with 532 of them coming to completion. His fervor for the environment was the heart and soul of his work and pushed him to establish the Organic Architecture philosophy, which holds supreme focus on blending designs with humanity and their environment.

Frank Lloyd Wright's style is distinctly recognizable to even those without a keen eye for architecture. Known for the Prairie Style which he pioneered his work coexists with surrounding landscape and is identifiable for horizontal lines, flat roofs, and a clear restraint in the use of decoration.

While Frank Lloyd Wright passed away in 1959, his legacy and impact on the field have never faded. Join us in celebrating his birthday by admiring some of Wright's most meritorious works.

Fallingwater

It's not every day that a home is featured on the cover of Time Magazine, especially at the height of the publication's success in 1938. One of Wright's most famous works, Fallingwater, is a home built between 1936 and 1939 in the mountains of southwest Pennsylvania. The home was constructed as a summer retreat for a family who admired Wright's focus on building structures in tune with nature. The family's plot of land was along a striking waterfall, which the owners hoped to have a nice view of from the home. Instead, Wright built the home on top of the falls, so that the residents could be a part of nature, rather than admire it every now and then. Fallingwater is now a National Historic Landmark visited by thousands of visitors annually.

See more photos of Fallingwater.

Taliesin West

Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Wisconsin, but much of the latter part of his life was centered around the Arizona desert, where he was eventually laid to rest. One of his most famous works is Taliesin West, home to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Taliesin, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. Established in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1937, the National Historic Monument was once his family's beloved winter home. Taliesin West is viewed as a pristine example of Wright's Organic Architecture style, with a deep connection to the surrounding desert landscape. The structure's walls are made of local desert rocks and perfectly aligned to allow for optimal natural light, which Wright preferred when working.

See more photos of Taliesin West.

Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House

Frank Lloyd Wright was a sought after architect for much of his life, but he was also up for a challenge. When a friend dared him to build a home for $5,000 ($83,299 in 2016), he created this downtown Madison home. The L-shaped structure boasts an open floor plan and houses just two bedrooms, structured by an affordable 2 1/4-inch-thick plywood sandwich wall. Wright was able to keep construction costs just above the limit, with the price totalling $5,500. After a change in ownership, the home underwent a multi-year renovation in the 1980s, restoring it to its 1937 appearance.

See more photos of Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House.

Ennis House

Located in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, is the Ennis House, the fourth and largest of Wright's designs based on ancient Maya temples. The style of the home, often referred to as Mayan Revival Architecture, consists of interlocked textile blocks. Frank Lloyd Wright designed the home for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1923, although construction was supervised by his son, Lloyd Wright. The structure's exotic appearance has made it a prominent feature in many Hollywood productions, including Blade Runner and House on Haunted Hill.

See more photos of Ennis House.

The Guggenheim

One of Wright's most notable designs is the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum - often referred to as The Guggenheim - in Manhattan, New York. The art museum was established in 1937 but relocated to its current location in 1959, when Wright was commissioned to design the building. Known for its cylindrical structure, the museum's ramp gallery runs from the ground level into a spiral that wraps around the outer edges of the building. The Guggenheim provided Wright the opportunity to test his organic style in an urban setting, which he completed over 15 years, 700 sketches, and six sets of working drawings. 

See more photos of The Guggenheim.

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