Some called him Frank Lloyd Wrong. Pioneers generally do have to overcome obstacles and this genius never looked back.
He identified with Beethoven and like the great composer, Frank Lloyd Wright created his own symphonies in the form of architecture.
“Mankind needs both shelter on the humble level, keeping the rain off oneself~also having somewhere to go and offer up a kind of worship and every mystery that exists beyond our lives” – FLW
The concept of a building which has great significance to an individual, in effect, extends the normal limits of one’s life. Photo above: Falling Waters
His were temples; monuments which characterized a place where a man and his family could expand their own creativity within the design features of the building. In Frank Lloyd Wright’s case, attention to every detail was put in place so that if one were attached to a memento, there just wasn’t any place for it. You would have to surrender to the master.
Initially, only wealthy people could be a part of his world but eventually in the mid-30’s he designed 60 houses he called “Usonian”, for $5000. It was a single story built on a monolithic concrete slab and joined to a carport – not a garage. He believed he would pull the masses above themselves by enlightening them and lifting them up.
During troubled times he conceived of the Fellowship program and invited apprentices to learn his ways.
In 1937, he made his annual pilgrimage to Arizona and built Taliesin West for an expansion of his Fellowship program.
John Lautner, the man who but the house I am living in, was one of his apprentices.
Living in a Lautner brings forth an energy that gives me inspiration every day. So it is true! And everyone can make their home a temple with awareness. A simple gesture of a freshly cut rose in a vase or a house plant that speaks to you every time a new leaf appears. A mood change such as adding color to a wall can and will affect your attitude.
This mortal experienced devastation when his mistress and her children were murdered at his first Taliesin in Wisconsin. Horrific story of he being gone while an ex employee burned the house down. What did Frank do? Rebuild it!!! He never looked back, even with a broken heart. When he was laid to rest he chose to be next to her grave.
When interviewed by Mike Wallace at age 88 he said, “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind”
Frank Lloyd Wright’s final accomplishment is designing and overseeing the construction of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. He achieved his dream of incorporating a spiral design juxtaposition to the ‘law abiding’ buildings all along 5th Ave in 1956. He died 6 months at age 92 before the Guggenheim triumph opened its doors. And so his life is extended through his legacy!