Frank (Lincoln) Lloyd Wright was a foundational basis in the creation of what became known as the (Chicago) Prairie School of architecture. He was born in Richland Center, WI near the Wyoming Valley of his mother’s family (a.k.a. the land of the God-Almighty Jones).  The family moved a lot in his youth because his father was a itinerant preacher & music teacher. After living out east, they eventually settled in Madison, WI.

 

When his parents divorced, Wright quit school and went to work and took classes at the local university. His early mentor, Professor Conover, gave him instruction in engineering and doing engineer drawing work. After < 2 years of courses in 1887, Wright decided to seek his fortunes in Chicago (against his mother’s wishes). He found work doing delineation/drawings for architect Joseph Silsbee for about 1 year; as Silsbee had done recent architecture work with Wright’s uncle, Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones. While in Silsbee’s employment, he worked with George W. Maher and George Grant Elmslie. These two eventually took separate paths through Prairie architecture.

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Wright took his learnings from this firm and yearned for more challenging projects. He then applied and was hired by the renowned firm of Adler & Sullivan. It was an exciting time as this firm had gained multiple large commissions, mostly in Chicago at this time. In Wright’s 5 years working for the firm, Sullivan took him under his wing and Wright eventually became Sullivan’s chief draftsman. Wright came to call Sullivan his "Lieber Meister" (German for “Beloved Master”).

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Early in his employment, Wright received a loan from Adler & Sullivan, so he could purchase land & his family’s home in Oak Park. In the loan contract, Wright agreed to pay back the loans and not take on external side architecture commissions. Over time as Wright’s family grew and his personal tastes increased, Wright fell into debt (this would become a theme throughout his life). So, within a couple of years, Wright started to take on outside commissions to keep up with his new lifestyle. These eventually became known as his “bootleg” projects. This ultimately led to a split between the two architects (not to reconnect for around 20 years).

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While employed by Adler & Sullivan, Wright worked on such commissions as the Auditorium in Chicago, World’s Fair Transportation and the Wainwright Buildings. When the firm received house commissions, many were assigned to Wright, and he would work on them after hours in his upstairs home studio in Oak Park. These projects included the Charnley House in Chicago and summer cottages down Mississippi Gulf Coastway for Charnley & Sullivan.

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After Wright left the firm’s employ in 1893, he set out on his own. Many of his early commissions came from Oak Park neighbors and his Uncle Lloyd-Jones Unitarian church on Chicago’s southside. From his learnings with Sullivan, Wright was determined to set his own course in some kind of a new, organic American architecture. In the next 7 years or so, Wright designed commissions in some historical styles while adding his own organic touches. The commission considered the most groundbreaking was the William Winslow House in River Forest, IL (one of his first independent designs). It has been described as a quiet and restful design with its simplicity and horizontal feel.

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By 1900, Wright’s designs evolved into what would later be called a new American style called Prairie. The style has been described in many ways, including:

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• low-lying

• in the Midwest

• usually 2-stories with single-story wings

• utilized horizontal lines

• ribbon windows

• gently sloping roofs

• suppressed, heavy-set chimneys

• natural finishes

• deep overhangs

• sequestered gardens

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Over the next 10+ years, Wright designed dozens of commissions in this type. Some of his most known houses include Dana, Martin, Coonley and Robie. Two of his most prominent non-house Prairie commissions were Unity Temple and Larkin Soap Company’s Administration Building.

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Life events made major changes to his evolving future works. From his divorce & overseas travel, Wright’s designs evolved into new ideas and projects, Eventually, Wright settled in Wisconsin and Arizona, moving on to different architectural styles, but always based in an Organic style that was learned from Louis Sullivan.

 

In his lifetime, Wright (with the support of many associates) designed over 1,000 projects with more than half of them being built. He died in 1959 in Arizona, where he was still very actively producing new creative designs.