Issue 491 November 19th 2025

The Headlines

If You Know Frank Lloyd Wright, You Should Know Marion Mahony Griffin

Marion Mahony was a pioneering architect whose influence on Frank Lloyd Wright’s early work and the Prairie School style was profound yet long overlooked. Born in Chicago in 1871, she became one of the first licensed female architects in the U.S. and the first woman in Illinois to earn an architecture license. After joining Wright’s Oak Park studio in the 1890s, Mahony served as his chief designer, producing the elegant renderings and designs that helped define his aesthetic and introduce his work to Europe through the 1910 Wasmuth Portfolio.

In 1911, after parting ways with Wright, she married architect Walter Burley Griffin, and together they designed Canberra, Australia’s capital city, as well as projects in India that reflected Prairie School ideals. Despite facing sexism, Mahony Griffin was recognized by peers as a creative force and visionary. After her husband’s death, she returned to Chicago and wrote The Magic of America, a sweeping 1,400-page memoir that defends her legacy and reveals her pivotal role in shaping modern architecture. Historians now credit her as a foundational figure in the Prairie School and one of the most talented architectural illustrators of her generation.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Great-Granddaughter To Speak At Westcott Gala

The Westcott House Foundation in Springfield, Ohio will host its first Westcott Gala in several years on Friday, Nov. 21, from 6–9:30 p.m. at the Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center. The event celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Westcott House’s restoration and reopening and will feature Melissa Galt, great-granddaughter of Frank Lloyd Wright, as the keynote speaker.

Executive Director Marta Wojcik said the gala—held every five years—feels especially meaningful after the 2020 event was canceled due to the pandemic. Galt, an interior design strategist and business consultant, will speak about her great-grandfather’s enduring influence and his philosophy of creativity, courage, and authenticity.

The evening will include cocktails, dinner, and a program, along with an architecture student exhibit from Miami University and a performance by the Gary Geis Dance Company. The event reflects on two decades of the Westcott House as a hub for art, architecture, and community engagement.

Tickets are $185 per person or $1,500 for a VIP table (up to eight guests), available through Sunday, Nov. 16 at westcotthouse.org

Bruce Goff — Rolls and Reimaginations

Grammy Award-winning quartet Third Coast Percussion re-imagines the iconoclastic player piano compositions of architect and self-taught composer Bruce Goff in this special performance inspired by Bruce Goff: Material Worlds.

Third Coast Percussion first debuted a performance of these pieces in 2014. This year, they completed arrangements for all Goff’s works for the player piano and are presenting the full suite in live performance for the very first time at the Art Institute. The performance combines direct transcriptions of Goff’s quirky, beautiful, and at times fiendishly difficult musical works with the ensemble’s expansion and re-imagination of the musical fragments and experiments that Goff left behind.

Roof Restoration Underway At Wright's Kraus House

After many months of research, design and planning, the restoration of the roof at The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park in Kirkwood, Missouri is underway.

This historic restoration project will return the roof to Wright’s original cedar shingle design, preserving the architectural integrity of one of Missouri’s five Wright-designed structures. The work will also include replacing the flat roof membrane and ballast, restoring chimney masonry and wood fascia and installing six new custom skylights. The project is expected to be complete by March 2026.

Completed in 1955 for Ruth and Russell Kraus, the house serves as a model of Wright’s Usonian design philosophy. The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park has operated the site as a house museum since 2001, preserving Wright’s revolutionary organic architecture that harmonizes buildings with their natural surroundings.

“This restoration goes beyond replacing a roof — it’s about preserving the integrity of Frank Lloyd Wright’s design intent,” said Kathryn Feldt, executive director of the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park. “This project reflects our careful stewardship and allows us to preserve and add to Kirkwood’s already rich architectural legacy.”

Harboe Architects are overseeing the project with McMillan Construction Group as general contractor.

The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park received a $100,000 matching grant so donations received will be matched dollar for dollar through the end of the year. Donations also are 100% tax deductible.

To make a matching gift donation and follow the progress of the roof restoration, visit www.ebsworthpark.org/support/roof-restoration.

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