Frank Lloyd Wright 1867-1959
Architect Who Appreciated Nature
As a boy, Frank Lloyd Wright spent summers working on his relatives' farms in Wisconsin. On the open farmland, he developed an appreciation of nature.
Wright became an architect when he grew up. An architect is someone who designs buildings. He designed long, low buildings that reminded him of the flat midwest prairies. Because of this similarity, this time in Wright's career is called the Prairie period.
Frank Lloyd Wright used the ideas of organic architecture. Organic architecture is a style of building something so that it fits in with the nature around it. He designed his home in Spring Green, Wisconsin, this way.
He also created Fallingwater, another house that blends well with nature. Fallingwater, in western Pennsylvania, sits over a real waterfall. Its walls are made of the same stone as the surrounding rock ledges. Sunlight shines into many parts of the house.
Wright designed many buildings, including houses, office buildings, churches, a synagogue, and a famous art museum in New York City, the Guggenheim. Four hundred of his designs were actually built. Today, he is considered one of the greatest architects in history.
Critical Thinking
What does nature have to do with Frank Lloyd Wright's work?