Frank Lloyd Wright

Term Paper # 101601

Architecture

Frank Lloyd Wright

This paper discusses the architectural and societal constituents of Frank Lloyd Wright's "prairie style" houses.

2,284 words () | 14 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper relates that Frank Lloyd Wright is recognized as one of the most prominent and influential architects in American design. The paper focuses on his characteristic "prairie style" designs. The paper explains that, while Wright's work tends to be praised as unique, this assumption tends to discard the influences on Wright from antecedents found within other aspects of American design and architecture. The paper looks at how Wright in turn helped establish a legacy in design.

From the Paper:

"Wright had established himself as a prominent architect in the late 1890s, and frequently accepted commissions for buildings that were purposefully selected to test his skills and to promote specific outcomes. While still in his infancy as a designer, the prairie style home was built at the request of the Ladies' Home Journal, a popular magazine that had sought out Wright and commissioned a home design. The Journal asked Wright to envision and execute the home of the future, one in which the resident would feel comfortable yet stylish. Prior to this, the Journal believed that the majority of American homes could either have one or the other; a dwelling that was clean and comfortable was quite frequently an eyesore, while the ostentatious homes of the wealthy were not conducive to the comfort of its inhabitants."

Sample of Sources Used:

Alofsin, Anthony. Frank Lloyd Wright, The Lost Years, 1910-1922: A Study of Influence. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1993.
Brooks, H. Allen. The Prairie School: Frank Lloyd Wright and his Midwest Comporaries. New York, W.W. Norton, 1976.
Brooks, H. Allen. "Frank Lloyd Wright and the Destruction of the Box", Louisville, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, March, 1979.
De Wit, Wim, editor. Louis Sullivan, The Function of Ornament. New York, W.W. Norton, 1986.
Hitchcock. Henry-Russell. In the Nature of Materials: The Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright, 1887-1941. 1942 Reprint. New York, Da Capo Press. 1969.