When and where was Frank
Lloyd Wright born?
Frank
Lloyd Wright (born Frank Lincoln Wright) was born in Wisconsin in 1867,
and lived there most of his life.
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How did his career begin?
Wright
studied engineering in Wisconsin, and then moved to Chicago. Wright first
worked for J. Lyman Silsbee and Louis Sullivan when in Chicago. While working
for Louis Sullivan, he began designing and building on his own.
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What made his style unique?
Wright's
view of architecture was beautifully simple. Wright's houses had low, sweeping
rooflines hanging over walls with many windows. He had massive brick or
stone fireplaces at the center of the house. His rooms were very open,
one leading to another. His houses seemed to be reaching out toward some
real or imagined prairie horizon. On the other hand, Wright's urban buildings
tended to be walled in, but lit through skylights.
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Why is Wright important?
Do you
have a living room in your house? Or a carport? Does your house have an
"open" floor plan? If so, then your surroundings were influenced by the
designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. While most of his designs were single-family
homes, he also designed houses of worship, skyscrapers, resorts, museums,
government offices, gas stations, and bridges.
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What did he design in his
late years?
During
most of his life, Frank Lloyd Wright was a pioneer in the modern style
of architecture. He designed houses, hotels, and buildings. Some of the
most influential buildings of his late period included Tokyo's Imperial
Hotel, Fallingwater (Mill Run, Pa.) the S.C. Johnson and Son West, and
New York City's Guggenheim Museum.
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Can I read a quote about
Frank Lloyd Wright?
"The
greatest artist this country has ever produced seems at last to be coming
into his own. America's other great artists--our painters, sculptors, composers
- don't really rank with the tops of all time. They're not Rembrandt or
Michelangelo or Beethoven. Wright alone has that standing." --From
the Taliesin Architects web site.
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What style of architecture
was Wright most famous for?
Wright
is most famous for the prairie style of architecture. One night at a party,
Daniel Burnham took Wright aside and asked Wright to join his architectural
firm. Frank Lloyd Wright knew that Burnham only used the classical style
of architecture. Wright turned down the offer and said that prairie style
homes had special meaning to him. Prairie style was a symbol of peace and
freedom. He wanted the prairie style homes to give security to their owners.
Prairie
style homes were quite unique. The main living room opened up into a large
space. The outside walls went beyond the home to the open outdoors. The
homes also didn't have attics or basements. The materials that were used
to design the homes were plain and simple. The roofs hung further away
from the house than most normal homes.
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What are some of his famous
buildings in the Chicago area?
Wright
has designed many buildings in the Chicago area. He designed the F.W. Thomas
House, the Willits House, his home and studio, the Robie House, and many
other famous buildings.
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