Frank Lloyd Wright

Happy Birthday Frank Lloyd Wright!! American architect, born in 1867 to a clergyman, Frank Lloyd Wright was a country boy. He wanted to study architecture (there were no classes as such) so he went to Chicago to study engineering, then worked for Thomas Sullivan (creator of the skyscraper) until he managed to begin his own company. Rather than reaching for the sky with his creations, Wright desired to integrate with the landscape and developed his Prairie style. He married and settled in Oak Park, Chicago where he designed and built several homes. My husband and I were fortunate to do a walking tour of most of these in 2006. The homes are low slung, Japanese inspired, with flat rectangular shapes and overhangs; meant to blend in to the prairie landscape. Accompanying his rise to success was a personal life in turmoil and Wright went through several marriages and divorces. A great example, however, of his mature artistic style is Falling Water located in Bear Run, Pennsylvania.