FLW born in 1867 in Richland Center, Wisconsin -- then lived in Madison from 12-18.
At 18 (high school left unfinished) he starts working with a civil engineer at U Wisconsin, then moves to Chicago in 1887 (age 20).
In the Windy City, he works for Joseph Lyman Silsbee, and then Louis Sullivan--and the latter is hugely important, because it's from Sullivan that Wright gets the "form and function are one" philosophy.
During this time he meets Wife One, Catherine Tobin--they raise 5 children in Oak Park, IL.He doesn't exactly found the Prairie School of architecture ("Craftsman"--after a magazine of that name--or "Arts and Crafts." BTW: this is my favorite architectural style for homes and someday Andrew and I dream of returning to the mountain west and living in a lovely bungalow)...but he becomes permanently associated with it and its other practioners (such as George W. Maher, Hugh M. G. Garden, and Robert C. Spencer, Jr).
Ok. Then the first big scandal. In 1909 he moves to Germany with Mamah Borthwick Cheney (image on the right),
after 18 years in Oak Park with Catherine and the kids. He and Mamah return in 1911 and move to Spring Green (inherited), where he builds Taliesin. In 1914 an employee murders Mamah and six others--and burns the house.
In 1915 he designs Japan's Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. He continues to develop design philosophy. In 1932 he opens the Taliesin Fellowship at the house--which becomes residence to a group of design apprentices. The Fellowship is responsible for some famous houses, including Fallingwater in Mill Run, PA.
Oh...and during this time he marries a second time--Miriam Noel (image to left). And then they separate.
And then he gets married a third time--this time to Olgivanna Milanoff (picture below), a Russian dancer. They live at Taliesin together, where they raise a child.
In 1937 Wright moves himself, Olgivanna, (the child), and the Fellowship to Phoenix. He lives out the remaining years of his life there at Taliesin West. He died in 1959.Sorry...that's FLW-centered...because, of course, I found it at an FLW site. I have yet to seek out any details about the women.
that's really helpful, Susanna. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOK, so I am about 50 pages in, and the contrivances of the book are really starting to wear on me. I really enjoyed the introduction "by" Tadashi, but using him as the lens through which we see the women is starting to bug me. Although I respect and admire the fact that Boyle is able to do this, I'm just not grabbed by it. This is surprising to me, so I am going to keep reading and hope that I start to feel more a part of this book.