Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator who designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, Wright studied civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin before apprenticing in Chicago with Joseph Lyman Silsbee and later Louis Sullivan at Adler & Sullivan. He opened his own successful Chicago practice in 1893 and established a studio in his Oak Park, Illinois home in 1898. Wright's personal life was often tumultuous, including leaving his first wife Catherine for Mamah Cheney in 1909, and subsequent marriages to Miriam Noel (1923-1927) and Olgivanna Lazović (1928-1959).
In 1914, Wright’s then partner Mamah, her two children, and four Taliesin employees were murdered when a recently hired servant, Julian Carlton, set fire to the residence and attacked those that fled. The event destroyed Taliesin and became one of the most traumatic moments of Wright’s life. In its aftermath, his architecture grew more inward-focused and protective, emphasizing controlled entries, sheltered domestic cores, and a sense of refuge. The Taliesin was rebuilt multiple times, transforming the site into a lifelong experiment in resilience and renewal. In 1932, he established the Taliesin Fellowship, mentoring hundreds of apprentices. Wright died in Phoenix, Arizona at age 91.
Wright believed in designing in harmony with humanity and the environment, a philosophy he called 'organic architecture.' He was a pioneer of the Prairie School movement and developed the concept of the Usonian home within his vision of Broadacre City for American urban planning. His designs emphasized open floor plans, integration with natural surroundings, horizontal lines, and the use of natural materials like stone and wood. Wright designed original interior elements including leaded glass windows, floors, furniture, and even tableware that were integrated into his structures. He was influenced by nature, music (particularly Beethoven), Japanese art and architecture, Louis Sullivan, and Froebel gifts from his childhood.
AWARDS
RIBA Gold Medal (1941)
AIA Gold Medal (1949)
Twenty-five Year Award (4 times)
Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, Franklin Institute's Frank P. Brown Medal (1953)
Recognized in 1991 by the American Institute of Architects as 'the greatest American architect of all time'
NOTABLE WORKS
Hollyhock House (1918-1921) Los Angeles – NHL, NRHP, LAHCM #12, UNESCO WHS
Ennis House (1924), Los Feliz – NRHP, CHL #1011, LAHCM #149
Storer House (1923-1924), Hollywood Hills – NRHP, CHL #1011, LAHCM
Freeman House (1924-1925), Hollywood Hills – NRHP, CHL #1011, LAHCM
Millard House/La Miniatura (1923), Pasadena – NRH, CHL #1011
Residence A Barnsdall Park (1921), Los Angeles – LAHCM #33
Unity Temple (1906-1909) Oak Park, IL – NHL, NRHP, UNESCO WHS
Robie House (1908-1910) Chicago, IL – NHL, NRHP, UNESCO WHS
Fallingwater (1936-1939) Mill Run, PA – NHL, NRHP, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Treasure, UNESCO WHS
Jacobs First House (1936-1937), Madison, WI – NHL, NRHP, UNESCO WHS
Taliesin West (1938), Scottsdale, AZ – NHL, NRHP, UNESCO WHS
Guggenheim Museum (1956-1959), New York, NY – NHL, NRHP, UNESCO WHS
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio (1889-1899), Oak Park, IL – NHL
Charnley House (1891-1892), Chicago IL – NHL with Louis Sullivan
Dana House (1902-1904), Springfield, IL – NHL
Heurtley House (1902,) Oak Park, IL – NHL
Martin House (1903-1906), Buffalo, NY – NHL
Tomek House (1905-1907), Riverside, IL – NHL
Coonley House (1906-1909,) Riverside, IL – NHL
Heller House (1896,) Chicago, IL – NHL
Taliesin East (1911-), Spring Green, WI – NHL, UNESCO WHS
Hanna-Honeycomb House (1936), Palo Alto, CA – NHL
S.C. Johnson Building and Tower (1936-1944), Racine, WI – NHL
Johnson House/Wingspread (1937), Wind Point, WI – NHL
Florida Southern College Historic District (1938), Lakeland, FL – NHL
Jacobs Second House/Solar Hemicycle (1945), Middleton, WI – NHL
First Unitarian Society Meeting House (1947), Shorewood Hills, WI – NHL
I.N. and Bernardine Hagan House(1956), Fayette County, PA – NHL
Christian House (1956), West Lafayette, IN – NHL
Price Tower (1952-1956), Bartlesville, OK – NHL
Beth Sholom Synagogue (1954-1959), Elkins Park, PA – NHL
Marin County Civic Center (1957-1960), San Rafael, CA – NHL
Kalil House (1957), Manchester, NH – NRHP
