Frank Lloyd Wright is unlikeÂly to be disÂplaced as the archeÂtype of the genius archiÂtect anyÂtime soon, at least in AmerÂiÂca, but even he had to start someÂwhere. At nine years old, as archiÂtecÂture YouTuÂber StewÂart Hicks explains in the video above, Wright received a set of blocks from his mothÂer, who hoped that “her son would grow up to become a great archiÂtect, and she thought the creÂativÂiÂty unlocked and pracÂticed with these blocks could kick-start his jourÂney.” EviÂdentÂly, she wasÂn’t wrong: “by the time Wright attemptÂed to design his first buildÂing years latÂer, he spent countÂless hours arrangÂing the blocks,” familÂiar as he was with “proÂporÂtion, symÂmeÂtry, balÂance, and othÂer prinÂciÂples of design well before he ever picked up a penÂcil.”
Of course, most of us played with blocks in childÂhood, and few of us now bear much comÂparÂiÂson to the man who designed FallingÂwaÂter and the GuggenÂheim. But his mothÂer’s toy selecÂtion was just one of many facÂtors that influÂenced the archiÂtecÂturÂal develÂopÂment that conÂtinÂued throughÂout Wright’s long life.
In fifÂteen minÂutes, Hicks explains as many of them as posÂsiÂble: his earÂly opporÂtuÂniÂty to work on “shinÂgle-style” homes, whose cruÂciÂform layÂout he would adapt into his own designs; his arrival in a ChicaÂgo that was still rebuildÂing after its great fire of 1871, when there were vast skyÂscraper inteÂriÂors to be creÂatÂed; the new MidÂwestÂern manÂuÂfacÂturÂing monÂey preÂpared to comÂmisÂsion homes from him; and his inspirÂing encounÂters with JapanÂese aesÂthetÂics, both at home and in Japan itself.
After returnÂing from a 1905 Japan trip, Wright got to work on UniÂty TemÂple in Oak Park, IlliÂnois. He had it built with the relÂaÂtiveÂly new mateÂrÂiÂal of reinÂforced conÂcrete, thus getÂting “in on the ground floor of a techÂnolÂoÂgy that could comÂpleteÂly transÂform what buildÂings could do,” makÂing posÂsiÂble “soarÂing canÂtilevers, graceÂful curves,” and othÂer eleÂments that would become part of his archiÂtecÂturÂal sigÂnaÂture. A few decades latÂer, the UnitÂed States’ subÂurb-buildÂing boom made Wright’s rurÂal-urban “UsonÂian” homes and “BroadÂacre City” plan look preÂscient; indeed, “almost every sinÂgle house inside of a postÂwar subÂurb bears his trace.” His willÂingÂness to appear in print and on film, radio, and teleÂviÂsion kept him in the AmerÂiÂcan pubÂlic conÂsciousÂness, and he made sure to instill his prinÂciÂples into genÂerÂaÂtions of stuÂdents. Frank Lloyd Wright may be long gone, but he made sure that his vision of AmerÂiÂca would live on.
RelatÂed conÂtent:
What Frank Lloyd Wright’s UnusuÂal WinÂdows Tell Us About His ArchiÂtecÂturÂal Genius
What It’s Like to Work in Frank Lloyd Wright’s IconÂic Office BuildÂing
Frank Lloyd Wright Reflects on CreÂativÂiÂty, Nature and ReliÂgion in Rare 1957 Audio
Frank Lloyd Wright CreÂates a List of the 10 Traits Every AspirÂing Artist Needs
How Frank Lloyd Wright’s Son InventÂed LinÂcoln Logs, “America’s NationÂal Toy” (1916)
Based in Seoul, ColÂin Marshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the SubÂstack newsletÂter Books on Cities and the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles. FolÂlow him on the social netÂwork forÂmerÂly known as TwitÂter at @colinmarshall.
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