20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright
Eight U.S. buildings exemplifying Wright's organic architecture philosophy.
The American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) designed eight buildings across six U.S. states that together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site called the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. The sites were chosen because they represent his concept of organic architecture, where structures were meant to blend with both people and their surroundings. Wright’s work shaped architecture worldwide during the 1900s.
These eight buildings were built over a span of 50 years. The earliest, Unity Temple, was finished in 1908, and the last, the Guggenheim Museum, was completed in 1959 (though its design started in the 1940s). All eight are also U.S. National Historic Landmarks. They were nominated for the World Heritage list because experts considered them Wright’s masterpieces with the highest levels of integrity, because they already held National Historic Landmark status, and because each had a preservation plan in place.
Wright was born in Wisconsin and first studied with prominent architects of the Chicago school, especially Louis Sullivan, before opening his own firm in 1893. Over his career, he worked from three studios: his Oak Park studio in Illinois (1889–1910), Taliesin in Wisconsin (1911–1959), and Taliesin West in Arizona (1937–1959). His early independent works, such as the Robie House and Unity Temple in Illinois, were in the Prairie style, known for interconnected interiors and horizontal exterior details. In the 1910s and 1920s, he designed buildings in California influenced by Mayan Revival architecture, including the Hollyhock House. From the late 1920s to the mid-1930s, Wright received few commissions, but then he was hired to design Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. In 1936, he began experimenting with Usonian architecture for middle-class Americans, starting with the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House in Wisconsin. In his final years, he increasingly used non-rectilinear shapes like triangles, hexagons, and spirals, incorporating a spiral into the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.
The push for World Heritage status began in the late 1980s, led by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, a nonprofit. Taliesin and Taliesin West were nominated jointly, and the U.S. government backed the nomination, but UNESCO declined, wanting a larger group of Wright properties.
Quick Facts
- Includes
- Eight locations in the United States
- Criteria
- (ii)ii
- Year
- 2019
- Area
- 26.369 ha
- Buffer Zone
- 710.103 ha
- Hide Interactive Map
- yes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Wright, a native of Wisconsin, initially studied with noted architects in the Chicago school of architecture (particularly Louis Sullivan) before opening his own practice in 1893. His architectural practice occupied three studios throughout his lifetime: his Oak Park studio in Illinois (1889–1910), Taliesin in Wisconsin (1911–1959), and Taliesin West in Arizona (1937–1959). Some of his earliest independent works were in the Prairie style, characterized by interconnected interiors and horizontal exterior design details, including the Robie House and Unity Temple, both in Illinois. In the 1910s and 1920s, Wright designed several buildings in California influenced by Mayan Revival architecture, including the Hollyhock House. He began experimenting with Usonian architecture for middle-class Americans in 1936, when he designed the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House in Wisconsin. Wright increasingly used non-rectilinear motifs—such as triangles, hexagons, and spirals—in his final years, incorporating spiral shapes into the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Reader's Guide
The eight Wright buildings in the World Heritage Site are located in six U.S. states and were designed over a 50-year period. The first building included, Unity Temple, was completed in 1908. The last, the Guggenheim Museum, was completed in 1959, although its design had begun in the 1940s. All eight buildings are also listed as U.S. National Historic Landmarks. These structures were nominated because they were deemed 'his masterpieces with the highest levels of integrity', because of their National Historic Landmark statuses, and because there were preservation plans in place for each building. The World Heritage listing was the 24th in the United States to be designated, and it was the first time that modern American architecture had been recognized by UNESCO. The buildings were deemed to meet criterion 2 (exhibiting an important development in architecture) of the selection criteria for cultural sites.
Did You Know?
- Unity Temple, completed in 1908, is the earliest building in the site; the Guggenheim Museum, completed in 1959, is the latest.
- This was the first time modern American architecture was recognized by UNESCO.
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