Issue 449  February 5th 2025

12 Must-See Houses Designed By Architect Frank Lloyd Wright

Take a closer look at some of Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous homes that showcase his innovative architectural style. Wright was known for creating homes that blended seamlessly with nature, using natural materials and open, flowing designs. His homes are not just places to live—they're artistic statements, with unique features like cantilevered roofs and large windows that bring the outdoors inside.

Many iconic houses, such as Fallingwater in Pennsylvania and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, show how Wright's work was ahead of its time. Whether you're a fan of architecture or simply curious about his creative genius, dive into the details of his groundbreaking designs and how they’ve influenced modern architecture.

Click for more details: travelandleisure.com  

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House Is a Prairie-Style Masterpiece

Sitting in a library at the University at Buffalo are pages upon pages of letters about Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House, a historic home in the Queen City that is celebrating its 120th anniversary of completion this year. Written by Wright and Darwin D. Martin, a businessman and commissioner of the home, the pair discussed the minutia of the design of the property—the size of the structure, yes, but also the particular kind of trim, the material for the dining chairs, and many more details. “We like to refer to this house as the best documented house in America,” Martin House executive director Jessie Fisher says. “Some days there would be three letters back and forth between them on a detail as small as where to put a light fixture, and they refer to telegrams and telephone calls too. We’re lucky that we have so much of that correspondence and all of Martin’s diaries.”

The reams of detailed notes were crucial to a recent restoration and recreation of the Martin House complex. Officially completed in 2019, the nearly 30-year process included completely rebuilding the estate’s pergola, carriage house, and conservatory, which had been demolished in the ’50s. Additionally, the conservation team restored a number of the other structures on the complex. Historical upkeep alone can be a process full of pitfalls—the question of how to best maintain a historical space is a knotty one—and completely remaking a home even more so.

Standing on Jewett Parkway, across the street from the Darwin Martin House, the property looks, at first glance, quite like another of Wright’s famous designs, the Robie House in Chicago. The location of its front door isn’t readily apparent and the building is low-slung and built of Roman brick, just like the home located in the Windy City’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Once you step onto the property and get a glimpse of its many other structures, though, it’s clear that the Martin House complex is in a league of its own. Between six Wright-designed structures, there’s nearly 30,000 square feet of interior space in total at the complex.

Those six Prairie style structures are the George Barton House, the Gardener’s Cottage, the main house, the conservatory, the pergola, and the carriage house (where the museum store is now located). At the west side of the property, the visitor center, named the Eleanor and Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion, is the only building on the property not designed by Wright. Instead, it was designed by Toshiko Mori and opened in 2009.

Thanks to this major restoration effort, much of its original beauty has been brought back to life. Today, visitors can experience both the stunning design and the detailed craftsmanship that made Wright a legend in architecture.

Click for more details: architecturaldigest.com  

How Frank Lloyd Wright Became Frank Lloyd Wright: A Video Introduction

Architecture YouTuber Stewart Hicks dives into the history of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the most famous architects in American history. The video highlights Wright's early life, showing how his unconventional upbringing and personal experiences shaped his creative vision. Wright started out in the Midwest, influenced by nature and the arts, and became known for designing buildings that blended seamlessly with their surroundings, like the iconic Fallingwater.

Hicks explains how Wright's innovative ideas revolutionized architecture, especially with his development of the "prairie style" and open-floor plans. His boldness and unique approach sometimes clashed with traditionalists, but his impact on architecture remains lasting. If you're curious about Wright's journey from a young, unknown architect to a world-renowned designer, this story gives an insightful glimpse into how he became the legend we know today.

Click for more details: openculture.com  

Schwartz And Architecture Updates Home By Frank Lloyd Wright Protégé

US studio Schwartz and Architecture has completed a sensitive renovation and expansion of the Green House, which was built in 1966 and designed by Aaron Green, an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Located in the Silicon Valley city of Palo Alto, the house was revamped for a couple with three kids. When the clients bought the house, it was "virtually untouched by the original owners", said San Francisco-based Schwartz and Architecture, or S^A.

The house is named after its original architect – Aaron Green, who served as Wright's West Coast representative starting in 1951. In addition to working on dozens of Wright's projects, Green also ran his own practice.

For this house, Green conceived a low-lying structure with a footprint that was roughly triangular in shape.

Walls were made of concrete masonry, and the home was topped with a sculptural roof with exposed wooden beams. Long drainage scuppers folded down toward the ground.

In addition to its designer, the house is also notable for its developer. It sits within the Palo Verde neighbourhood, which was developed starting in the 1950s by Joseph Eichler, who is credited for introducing modern-style tract housing to America following the Second World War.

The remodelling of the Green House – much of which took place during the Covid pandemic – involved a full overhaul of the 1960s dwelling, along with the addition of an attached volume and two detached outbuildings.

The architects approached the project with the attitude, "First, do no harm". The original house totalled 1,590 square feet (148 square metres) and contained three bedrooms and two bathrooms, along with public areas. Figuring out how to enlarge the home was a challenge, according to the studio.

"Our first design move was to head off the existing downward sloping roof beams mid-span and add a small rear addition along the entire length of the house, under a new upward-sloping roof."

Lifting up the roof brought more light into the existing kitchen and bedrooms, which formerly had very low ceilings, and allowed for hidden cove lighting.

The team also raised the roofline and scupper in the front of the house, forming a new carport. The original carport – which was low and no longer met local code requirements – was transformed into a family room with a sunken conversation pit, drawing upon the home's "mid-century vibe".

In total, the firm added 1,512 square feet (140 square metres) to the house. It now encompasses 3,102 square feet (288 square metres) and contains four bedrooms and three and a half baths.

Throughout the overall project, the team was guided by the notion of letting the "modern interventions shine" while always asking: "What would Aaron do?"

Click for more details: dezeen.com