Tragedy at Taliesin: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Personal Home
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- čas přidán 14. 01. 2023
- Uncover the shocking truth behind Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic Taliesin home! Join us on This House as we delve into the scandalous love affair that shaped one of America's most celebrated architectural masterpieces. From the rolling hills of Wisconsin to the hidden depths of Wright's mind, this is a story you won't want to miss. Hit the subscribe button now to never miss an episode of This House
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In the back portion of that house, The Great Frank Lloyd Wright is laid to rest. His gravestone reads: "The love of an Idea is the love of God." Brilliant Light
I visited Falling Water! What a magnificent house. There was something extraordinary everywhere you looked. I had studied Wright in a college art course and was fascinated by his work, so when I happened to be in PA, I had to go see the home. I loved it so much that I did an oil paining of it for another art course.
I sketched one of his homes for an elective Art Representation Class at Penn State..Industrial Engineering 1961…
Falling Water is a spectacular house, wonderfully sited. The furniture designed for the house with such sharp lines looks distinctly uncomfortable.
@@jenniferhooks2454 : I agree with you. These designs are too industrial for me. It feels like a tourist complex in which I would not enjoy living.
Those awful, brutal murders. I had no clue his life was so tragic.
And we still suffer from this highly disturbed outrageous behavior, mainly manipulated for political ends ' by the lying dirty Marxist Dems in America and further afield where they wreak havoc and mayhem. Read 'Enemy of Society' 1977 by Paul Bede Johnson, Historian just as true today - as it was then.
We've been to Taliesin so many times, a couple years ago on a tour I asked the Docent where the eating area was on that terrible day and we were standing in that very spot, it was a very strange feeling.
I love that home and studio and the land with the hills, valleys and the Wisconsin river make perfect sense for FLW to build there. I would highly recommend visiting Spring Green and Taliesin.
Been to 3 different Frank Loyd Wright houses all had repair problems, as an architectural designer I learned not to make his mistakes but liked the style enough to incorporate the elements.
We took a tour last summer of his home. As a lifelong carpenter I was saddened by the sad state of condition the home and all of the buildings were in. There’s serious issues in need of repairs! This shouldn’t be!
Well then get to work Marv.😄
It’s been in decay for decades.
As an architect, I was taught and saw that Frank’s ego often led him to professional & personal folly.
America suffers the same fate, Marvin.
@@cdubya3071 yeah, i’m not a fan. a lot of his bldgs r a pox on their owners. philip glass told the story of meeting him at a party and asking him- so, frank, u still bldg little houses, and leaving them out in the rain? falling water- dont get me started.
@@cdubya3071 your thought on Sullivan is he a fraud ?
What a strange story. The boy may have loved the spot and the man loved nature, but it appears that the spot and the nature did not love having a house built there. It is like that hilltop continually rejects that house. So strange.
Indeed. It appears someone lived in great denial of that fact.
For every Jesuits actions against nature there is an equal and opposite reaction of nature against Jesuits?
It does seem to be an ill-fated spot. Beautiful house though.
Maybe there was an ancient curse on that spot.
My parents lived on a road where tragedy struck every family except for one. Like for instance, one young woman was bush hogging and fell off the tractor and got all cut up and killed. The family next door lost their son in high school when they gave immunizations one day and He came home from school and died. And on and on.....( so I always wondered if that’s just life or something like a curse on the area around that road.)
Maybe tragedies happened because of some of the statues on the property.
Cursed, like Rose Red.
In 1970 our interior design class went on a tour of Taliesin. I fell in love with the clean architectural lines, I’d never seen anything like this before. We also toured Falling Water. Again I was mesmerized. ❤
I lived in Wisconsin for most of my life and have been to both Taliesin locations for tours and have been to many other Wright homes and buildings. I am fascinated by his work, he was a pioneer in his field when many thought his ideas were outrageous. The Wisconsin Taliesin is in a sad state of condition and needs many repairs. As a child, one of my school field trips was to the Johnson Wax Company in Racine Wisconsin. It's open concept was way ahead of it's time. He also built a home for the company's owner, Herbert F Johnson called Wingspread that is open for tours. I've also been to Oak Park Illinois for the Wright Plus Walk home tours which include his home, studio and several of the homes that Wright either built or remodeled. It's takes place every May, the homes to tour change each year and is well worth it. There are many other Wright homes that I want to visit yet, especially The Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, but I am saving Fallingwater for last because it surely is magnificent and is his crowning jewel of achievement. Thank you for highlighting his work in your videos.
Thanks Laura, I've never heard of the Martin house in Buffalo, I'll plan to see it next time I'll go to Niagara Falls, one of my favorite places in Ontario and Buffalo NY.
my friend in Vancouver makes the trip as well as often as she can.
I read an article in a preservation magazine on preservation efforts underway for the Wisconsin Taliesin. One of the problems was Wright cut a lot of corners to save money and get it built. One part of the building didn't have a proper foundation and it was starting to slide downhill. I also remember one of his last apprentices speaking at the architecture school I attended; these apprentices acted as job foremen on many of his projects, and he mentioned sometimes they would beef up Wrights structural designs without telling him because what he sized would be too small.
I think Wright was a great artist, but not so sure he was a good architect. Especially after reading the account of the Martin House complex and how he treated his client. I think he was more interested in seeing his visions come to fruition than giving his clients what they wanted or staying within their budgets.
What about including Florida Southern College, a major portion of which was designed by Wright......And that Plantation in South Carolina.....
@@daniel_sc1024 Someone's quote:. "There can be a wide gap between conceptualization and implementation."
My wife and I had the good fortune of spending a day with one of FLW's relatives in the late 90s.
We walked the whole property and went through all of the outbuildings and rooms in the house, which are (almost) never open to the public.
The ceiling in his private bedroom was 6' high with perfect dimensions and a cornerless picture window looking south(ish) over the rolling landscape.
Just incredible. I'm about 6' and a scosh tall and scrapped my head on the ceiling.
My husband, a photographer, was commissioned to do a photographic study of Taliesin in early spring of 1966. The house was vacant & we & our baby son were the only people there. The snow melt was leaking through the roof in many places, and had done much damage. Nevertheless, we were awed by the intricacy & magnificence of the edifice. I was dismayed at the water damage to the hundreds of books remaining on the shelves, & hoped that my husbands photo essay would trigger restoration of the house. Even as an incipient ruin, Taliesin was breathtaking.
Turns out many FLW designs feature leaky roofs, not only Taliesin. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Wow, that’s sad and unfortunately paper is excellent food for MOLD! I wonder if the place is now full of toxic mold?
Damn shame about all those books
Thank you for your personal text about the home. So much goes from grand to unappreciated and it seems to be that way with alot of things. I was telling my son the other day that all costal property was of high value in my day and now with all the hurricanes flooding the same property can be given away let alone be of high value.
Wright's life story would make a pretty good movie. I'm surprised no one has done so. Taliesin is worth a visit if you are ever in the Spring Green area of Wisconsin. "Taliesin" is a Welsh word meaning "Shining Brow", or "Radiant Brow". Wright said the house was not "on the hill", but "of the hill".
I commented that it should be a movie, THEN I saw your comment. C'Mon, "Hollywood" there are damned better stories to be told than ANOTHER "Spiderman" reboot! I'm not a huge fan of Wright's style (I'm more "traditional") But I would certainly go to a movie about his life, It's a hell of a story! 👍👍
The Fountainhead
@@AmericanaGardens I know Rand based the Howard Roark character on Wright, but it is a fictional story, and Wright's real life is interesting enough without much embellishment.
PBS/Ken Burns did an excellent documentary on Frank Loyd Wright years ago in the ‘90’s, called FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT, and there’s another one by Welsh architect Johnathan Adams, called The man who built America.
The only problem with a FLW movie, is that I don’t know if 2 hours would do his life history justice.
I had no idea Lloyd Wright's life was so tragic. Thanks for this well-produced documentary.
I live in Scottsdale, Arizona - not too far from Taliesin West. I have taken many guests through the presentations that volunteer docents host daily. We love it & love the talent of Frank Lloyd Wright.🌵✌🏽😎
stunning tragedy. It's as if the poor man was cursed.
Abandoning your wife and children for a customer's wife, then travelling overseas with her like it's no big deal, you get what's coming for you.
@@VideoDotGoogleDotComExactly. And the video conveniently left out how Wright the Leftist signalled his virtue by having a mentally unwell minority live in the guest room of the home, who then killed his wife for more reasons than was stated.
Is it necessary to know? The Taj Mahal was tragic too and we don't have all details because the building is not the architects life, per say. Strangers need not know all details of a private life of the designer. Just my opinion. Some things are great as non-objective entities.
Lloyd never built a roof that didn't leak. Otherwise, pretty awesome designs!
FLLW was a genius but also a notorious cheapskate. He often ignored debt and used inexpensive materials. When you visit the home in Spring Green, Wisc. you will see his love of plywood everywhere. I was stunned to see his furniture made from it. You can walk right in to his home and touch most everything there. The technology to seal windows and doors was not advanced back in his time so the multiple fireplaces were meant to make up the heating deficiency. His designs are fabulous and it is worth noting that all of this came from a man born a few years after the end of the Civil War!!
Plywood was a "wonder material" of the day, cheaper and if done correctly stronger than just wood for some structures. It deteriorates though and especially if it gets wet. Later, in World War ll when aluminum was short in supply and expensive, the British built bombers with it! And the Germans built a wooden rocket plane that actually worked, but tended to catch on fire and burn pilot and plane completely up.
He has greatly influenced by marine architecture and plywood was a wonder material. in those days they “formed” the plywood to shape layer by layer it’s wasnt just 4x8 sheets you see today
@@blucheer8743 thank you for the information, I didn't know that.
You'll notice that most of this country's greatest inventors and innovators were born between 1840 and 1900. William Mulholland (the builder of the aqueduct that made Los Angeles possible), 1865; Thomas Edison, 1847; Albert Einstein, 1879, Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, 1886; the Wright brothers, 1867 & 1871; Pablo Picasso, 1873; Max Ernst, 1891; are only a few of the people of that era who invented everything we think of as modern and who changed the world and the way people think more in 50 short years than it had changed in the previous 3,000 years.
You'll notice that all the greatest inventions and innovations of modern times came from people born between 1850 and 1880. Almost everything that we think of as "modern", was given us by these people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Yet another excellent historical travel through time by Ken. My brother and I visited Taliesin about 20 years ago. Upon arriving it was evident that we were at a very special place. The home and surrounding property has an aura about it; something you can quite literally feel. One of my favorite elements of the home is the “bird walk”, a cantilevered walkway, extending from the home where are you can take in the expansive view of rolling green hills and trees. This home is one of my favorite designs by Frank Loyd Wright. Thanks Ken!
I was able to tour Taliesin a few years ago. When I asked about the murders, the guide showed me a spot on some exterior rock that had been scarred during the fire/murders.
My husband and I were at Taliesin 3 in October, 2022. What a beautiful setting, autumn only amplified the architecture. Between the guided tour and your in-depth information, I appreciate the beauty even more.
I had the opportunity to visit Talisen in 1990through a program whereby Wright Fellows sponsored me to attend a week long exploration of Talisen and surrounding projects in Madison. I got to spend time with Wesley Peters, one of the last surviving original apprentices to Mr Wright, great experience I hav e never forgotten. I have also visited the OakPark studio/ home and Talisen West many times. I now live near Falling Water and enjoy it in the seasonal changes.
I've always admired FLW's sense of design and scale. We share the same birthday, and my Grandfather new him. My grandfather Ray Groves, also had family from Wales in his background. He had a business making Constructo Building Kits, which where made of wood and sold all over this country and Europe. I also like Greene & Greene's work and have designed and build our home in a version of their style, which incorporates Japanese and Craftsman wood work. Luckily I built it just over 30 years ago and was able to source old growth red cedar and redwood, along with old growth fir. The front of our home has a 40 + ft porch with a 6 ft curved arch in the middle, and rolled roof edges to give it an almost thatched roof look.
I've been to Taliesin, as well as his Oak Park IL studio, the Guggenheim Museum, and other buildings. Yes, he was a genius. I could easily live in one of his Usonian homes with some updated features. One can sense his dispair and moodiness after the murders from his Mayan Revival design of Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, which could almost be a setting for a Mayan sacrifice or a Greek Tragedy.
Back at Taliesin, I recall seeing the fragments in the wall of the reconstruction from the second fire. His bedroom ceiling was only six feet high, with a slightly higher alcove ceiling over the bed. He considered anyone over 6 feet to be a "weed". His furniture design is beautiful, but for comfort he ordered upholstered chairs from the Marshall Fields store (once a high-end Chicago department store). There was a large room where his students would occasionally meet with him, and the students brought out and sat on folding desks he designed , while Wright and his wife Olgivanna sat up on on slightly higher dais.
I went to school with a woman whose father was an engineer who would oversee the repair of some of Wright's homes - after all, they were experimental to a degree, and occasionally needed alterations - beauty that originally did not have the precise engineering standards. Near Taliesin, one can view his grave marked by a rough hewn large stone.
I would love a home similar to Georgia O'Keefe's.
Ken Burns, of Civil War, etc., fame did a terrific documentary about Mr. Wright. I highly recommend it.
This was a really informative and descriptive video on FLW. I never knew those personal background stories. He definitely created a unique design in all of his work. However, the reality of his limits sets in when over time his work demanded a fair amount of repair or extensive maintenance. He was an architect but structural engineering was not his forte. I remember a story where builders told him the Falling Water design of the Kaufman house would ultimately fail. He ignored them. The builders even beefed up the structure without his knowledge sadly without a structural engineer’s input. You know the rest of the story when you get the history of Falling Water. Still he left us a definitive approach to consider when designing a structure for a residence or office. As a former developer of rehab of old department stores into alternate use spaces, i.e. offices, call centers, etc., I once employed an architect student to assist in our construction to expose him to the practical and physical realities he would face with any design. It left him with additional items to consider in his future work. Thanks again for a great video!
Good to have your sensible input from an engineering point of view.
I was told "Form follows function" and took it to mean the practical use of the thing you were designing came first. You design around that.
Wright had so many unique ideas, though not all were practical based on the laws of physics. As you mention, he used natural light as a design element, a way to introduce kinetic qualities to a space, and to provide illumination within the home. I don't know how I missed his tragic backstory among all of the things I've learned about him over the years, but the lesson we can learn from him is to never give up. His concept of harmony between the land/building site and the house itself is something I'd like to see more of with new construction, but I'm not holding my breath. The "Hollyhock" house in Los Angeles was recently restored, and there are a number of CZcams videos and virtual tours online.
The Price Tower, Wright's only fully realized skyscraper, is made of copper on the outside and has a copper medallion in the center of every floor... it's as if he expected it to conduct electricity, he even argued with Price over a hanging lamp over his desk that I feel like would have killed Price if the building was meant as a lightening conductor. They went round and round about how many floors it would have as well. Even the curtains are made of copper.
actor Anthony Quinn studied with Wright to become an architect, and remained friends after Quinn went into acting
I am fortunate to live in a town that has a home FLW designed but is rarely mentioned because so rural and unnoticed . The house is for sale at this very moment . I was lucky to visit it in my youth with girl scout troop. Its located in LOS BANOS,Ca
It’s beautifully restored and a bargain for 76 acres and mint condition 4,000 sq Ft home and outbuildings. Wish I could buy it!
Amazing the complexity of the Frank Lloyd Wrights homes have. Thank you
I recently read a historical fiction novel Loving Frank. Watching this video helped visualize the home where the tragedy of his mistress occured and gave me insight into the troubled life he led. It also brought to my attention his genius.
I read that book when it was first released. That was the first time I ever knew of that part if his life, very sad. I enjoyed the book otherwise
I was gratefully able to see this house back in July of 2011. It is truly beautiful. The lands around it, the student buildings, and the home it's self. The way in which he did things like windows in the corners of a room give the eye an illusion of the picture and the space. He did remarkable work! Thanks for doing this video and keep up the great work.
The rot at Taliesin is to be expected when the roof has such a low pitch in a land of rain and snow like Wisconsin. Wright is a genius but not practically minded with flat or low pitch roofs. His Imperial Hotel suffered from similar problems before it was demolished.
Wright reversed Sullivan moto, " form follows function". Design dominated even if impractical. Sadly lots of "modern" architecture follows, " Design over function" such the best way to remove water off a roof.
You've a point about low-pitched roof lines not being the greatest choice for homes in the North. The "Prairie School" was noted by linear roof lines. The evolved "ranch-style house" carried this element through.....In Southern regions, that does not have to be a great consideration.
Wright’s buildings are stunning, but rather unlivable, and notorious for their instability and endless, costly maintenance. The best renditions ( like the Madison Convention Center, only built long after his death) kept his style but redid the structural engineering, plumbing and wiring to be practical, a factor that apparently never concerned him.
Sour grapes. 🍇
@@sharksport01 Not sour grapes 🍇 - facts.
No matter how lovely the architecture is, it's a huge problem if the electric and plumbing are wrong.
True. He was very short and his concrete block houses have too low ceilings and leak in the rain.
Leaks are notorious in a Wright design but the ascetics are nice.
I have owned a prairie style with usonian aspects. They are maintenance nightmares. As they are with nature and situated as such the natural elements of wind, sun, rain and sand are accented. Exposure to the elements take it's toll as everything is exposed and wither earlier. It was a wonderful home to live in and an experience. But I found much of my time maintaining the property. The sun and rain will beat anything up and exposing so much of a home to it takes longevity from it.
I visited Talliessen West in Arizona and it is an Epic showcase of Wright’s genius. The theater is amazing and the grounds are too!!
I visited Taliesin in the Mid 1970's later when working as a messenger I delivered packages to his studio and many of the Chicago Area homes he designed. His Constructs are interesting with too many fixed places to sit I prefer more portable furniture. Also, not enough bookshelves.
My aunt was an intern for Frank Lloyd Wright at this house.
Taliesin is one of my favorite places. I really like the way it feels. Yes, it has gone through many restorations, yet still remains special.
Having read FLLW's autobiography and many other author's volumes I was especially delighted to meet two of the apprentices who designed under Wright.
They both lived at Taliesin.
Taliesin is quite close to the Wisconsin River where the associated restaurant/bookstore is perched above where the apprentices would go swimming.
Just to let you know Mrs Cheney's name was Mamah not Mary.
I was fascinated after reading what the apprentices wrote about their experiences building Taliesin West in Scottsdale. It hard its hardships but what an interesting experience they must have had there in the winters.
@@koreyb Actually they all went to Arizona for the winter. Take a look at Arizona West. A whole new set of design and construction adjustments contrary to those in Wisconsin.
It is all fascinating.
shocked by the personal tradgedies. the house as photographed is more beautiful than i expected.....what a dramatic life.
I lived all my life without hearing a single word of scandal about this man, til now. His talent doesn’t suffer anyway.
Same as have I. I'm 65 and never knew it's anything about his personal life. What a lotta strife and struggle
I remember taking my brother-in-law, an engineer, on a tour through the house. I listened to moans, clucks, sighs as he shook his head during the tour. Finally he said “This may be beautiful to look at but it is mess and the upkeep is going to be difficult and horrendous and they will be lucky if it stays upright.” He may have been a great architect but he was a lousy engineer. Lol
Frank also had his architectural apprentices do the actual build work on his many remodeling projects. Whatever good engineering skills he may have possessed were too often lost to inexperienced carpenters and bricklayers joyfully fulfilling their tasks at 19 or 20 years old without professional contractor supervision.
Long been my thoughts. He seemed to build a lot of problems into his designs. Not engineered to last without constant maintenance.
I hear alot about maintenance. So go buy a box with no character and be happy
Frank was a brilliant architect whose main failure was his arrogance and refusal to listen to engineers, either the one he had on staff or the ones whom his worried client, Edgar Kaufmann Sr, hired to assess the structure when deflection and cracks in the cantilevers at Fallingwater were noticed while the house was under construction. Wright was so convinced of the soundness of his design and so resentful of anyone second-guessing any aspect of his design and execution, that all he could think about was how his client was insulting him by overstepping him and hiring his own consulting engineers, never mind that the house came close to collapse during construction and would have failed completely if the contractor sort of "cut things in the middle" by adding more steel reinforcing rods to the cantilevers than the eight that Wright had specified. But the independent engineers who Kaufmann had hired had specified 52, and while the house stood, and Kaufmann and his wife and son loved it, it still showed signs of instability and was a leaky nightmare to maintain, so Kaufmann never trusted it and when he passed it to his son on his death, the son, Edgar Jr, only lived in it a decade before donating it to a non-profit in 1963. A number of other Wright houses were unstable as well, and most are prone to leaks. While I appreciate great art, the principle function of a building is to serve as shelter, protect its occupants from the elements, and not kill them. Architecture is art that has an important life or death job to do, and when it doesn't do that work, it can literally kill.
Yes, I made a special trip to Taliesen East long ago. It's a long story. It was a thrill and now a fond memory. Wright is still a giant. Try to watch the Ken Burns documentary on him.🙂
So when would anyone think the house may be cursed?
If you're not familiar with it.. Read the Book of Job.. and the calamities he faced.
Or Frank himself.......a bit to coincidently that trails and tribulations befell him after he got involved with a married woman. 🧐🤔
This is absolutely stunning home. I had no idea he suffered so much tragedy. I don’t care what anyone says his home is stunning & still way ahead of it’s time even by today’s standards. Thank you for sharing this video with us.
We were fortunate to live both in Wisconsin and Arizona, visiting the Wright homes in both states. My favorite pair of earrings are Wright designs of stained glass windows in an Art Deco style. During WWII, my uncle met Mr. Wright and was invited to receptions at Taliesin West. He said it was all fascinating.
Early in my own architectural career I worked for an accomplished architect who knew FLW and was his driver at Taliesin for some years. He described the man as somewhat obsessive and who demanded that they go full out in his Jaguar XK 120 roadster. They evaded the cops on more than one occasion. Not too hard to believe now that I know the antics in this story of FLW. Thanks for this video. It reveals a lot.
Falling Water is The Cream of Crop for Wright!!! There are no words for it's Beauty!
Love Frank Lloyd Wright's work. Have been a devotee since a teenager and have seen all of his houses. This story was never told on any of the tours from around the US.
I visited Taliesin East in the early 60s
It was full of cobwebs, and crumbling models. The young boy who showed us around referred to FLW as grandpa.
I have been to both Taliesin in Wisconsin and Taliesin West in Arizona, plus many of the homes Wright designed on the west coast. I was much impressed with Taliesin West; not so much Taliesin Wisconsin. It might be better now, but ten years ago it was not in great shape, the landscaping was overgrown and most of the other buildings on the site were in poor condition. If twenty million dollars had been spent on restoration, it was not apparent.
I am an architect at heart, but a Wisconsinite through, and through! I understood Taliesin to have a much darker history. Thanks for the insight!
Never knew this part of his life and this home, and I lived in Chicago for years
He had several homes he built. Years ago I worked on a roof of one of them. Beautiful homes!
I lived for a time in Oak Park, IL… his homes are everywhere there. Once you have been in one of his homes you never forget it. So liveable.. so created for humanity!… And no one had been designing like FLW at that time ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for this wonderful video. I did not realize that Taliesin was a Welsh word, or that Wright had had to rebuild it twice. I knew the story of the crazy servant who killed his family and destroyed the first incarnation, but I didn't realize it happened at Taliesin.
What an amazing and beautiful place. So thankful Frank kept going despite such disasters in family and home.
FLW has always been an inspiration . Thank you, the story , I’ve never heard & I agree . A movie has never been done . It would be, also , very inspiring
Bad karma in that house
I worked on the repair of a couple of Frank Loyd Wright's designed homes. They are beautiful! But unfortunately, the some of designs were not practical, and many repairs were needed due to premature failures of the structure.
Absolutely love Frank Loyd Wright. Have visited two of his homes he has built so far. Springfield Illinois was the recent one. Such art it's so impressive.
Wright loved his house and I can relate. A home is the ultimate expression of the person who lives in it. Every feature and details carefully planned. There was a great line in a show that stuck with me: " Architecture is art that you live in." Live to never be ordinary! Good luck 🤞
I'm not superstitious but this place is straight up cursed...what the hell
I have seen this house in person many times. I used to live in Wisconsin, and would frequently go to Spring Green, either for bike riding, or for the outdoor theatre there. It is a lovely home, and really does meander.
Genius, even drawings of his work is art.
I attended art school in Wisconsin, we had whole classes devoted to Frank Lloyd Wright. I just couldn’t get over the fact that he abandoned his wife and SIX kids. I found Wright to be quite arrogant and selfish. I visited Taliesin in the 1980’s and it was in poor condition back then, it was dark, smelled like mildew and mold. The carpeting was tattered and threadbare. They charge quite a bit to tour it, not worth it.
The best thing about FLW is that his design elements were often picked up by other architects and designers throughout the U.S. Of course they weren't as extravagant and costly in most cases, but they often succeeded at capturing the FLW essence. Many of these buildings were more practical and maintainable than his buildings, as well.
In the 80’s I lived in a home that was designed by one of Wrights architects. It was simple, lovely and peaceful. Two floors with master above and another off kitchen. Very open design with French doors opening to the patio and creek. The other home on the property was designed by Wright years ago. One story with the typical Wright design. I felt fortunate to live in this place.
One huge correction, Spring Green, Wis can't hardly be called the Wright's ancestral land, like WTF 😒
Wow it makes me wonder what kind of karma was working on Wright
Ha right!!
Ha wright?
For sure
He was close to being a con-man cult leader, so the best karma that was due.
I visited Falling Waters last summer. Simply beautiful.
Hi Ken !!Another well researched presentation with your always clear calming voice . I did see the Falling River video near the gently trickling waterfall and stream. This is another beautiful home. It’s so tragic what Frank Wright had to go through while trying to have the final home completed. Thank goodness he had fans and supporters to help even after his passing to preserve both homes. For people to visit and keep them preserved and unkept. Love the videos Ken.👌♥️💐🇨🇦
What an architectural genius. I would never be more honored than to have FLW house. It’s a tribute to when lives were more simple. All of his homes should be restored and preserved. He is “The Picasso” of home design.
There is an actual Picasso painting in the Fallingwater guest house. I took a picture of it when I was there.
I so agree. I'm a Docent in training at the only home FLW designed for a paraplegic client and his wife. It is a Usonian house and one of the last he designed before he died. I'm blessed to be able to be a small part of his incredible career. His architecture influenced many modern elements that we see in residential and commercial sites
He was a lot of thing, but an architectural genius he really was not.
I was able to visit many years ago, and I have good friends who live in one of his other designed homes. While they are not my style, I am very appreciative of art & architecture.
What FLW said of his house: That's what you get for letting a work of art out in the rain!
Wow. Tragic story but very enlightening.👍🏾
When my first wife and I were looking for a new home we considered a Wright design in New Canaan CT. The house was listed for 2.5 million dollars but required a half million dollars of repairs which we were not prepared to undertake. We ended up doing what many house seekers do, we got divorced.
😔😉😊
@@loisjaeger9059 We realized that house of our dreams was not going to save our marriage.
Not to make light of your marital struggles, but I burst into laughter at your post.
🤣
@@LKre-vi5oq Life is always funny when viewed from across the street.
I very much enjoyed my visit to Wright's Wisconsin home. I was with two guys who were over 6' 5", and both of them found it necessary to duck their heads as they entered the house. The tour guide explained Wright liked to purposely keep the ceilings low in entrances so the effect of higher ceilings in adjoining rooms seemed even more dramatic. She also mentioned Wright himself was 5' 9" and considered anyone taller than that a "waste of material".
I've read his height was about 5'8".....Which is why the covered walkways at Florida Southern College are so low.
The house should be the setting for a biopic about FLW. In the Ken Burns biography, Frank was very shady, this is the worst but there are a few other stories about his goings on.
I like the story where he went with Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe to see the site they picked for their new home, to be designed by him. He casually whipped out his dick and took a piss right in front of them.
He definitely had some character flaws, which should be taken into account with any assessment. And that is the human condition, isn't it?
Massive character flaws and a significantly brutal attitude toward many of the people in his life. Doesn't detract from his brilliance, but yeah, a very difficult man.
Didn't he marry a crazy east European women who was controlling students of his lives.
My heart skips a beat when I look at FLW work .
I used to drive pt and a few yrs ago picked up a very nice woman from a Dr appt and drove her home which was only about 7 mins away from my own home in Ohio. She lived in a somewhat fashionable old neighborhood w a mix of diff home styles. As soon as we pulled up to her beautiful house, I recognized the style immediately. I said This is your house? It looks like one of the houses by that famous architect! (Couldn't think of his name).
She said Frank Lloyd Wright? It was designed by him- yes! (I could tell she was impressed). It was a wonderful house.
I have never been to see this house, but growing up in the 50s and 60s I did learn from my parents about Frank and the not too far away from us falling water home. We went as a family to see that. Then my career had me traveling all over and I saved money by staying in B&Bs. One of Frank's homes was actually a B&B in Oak Park so I booked it. It was beautiful of course, but even better that I was the only guest on a couple of weekdays, and the host was a recluse who only spoke to me for a few minutes. I had Frank's bed cover design on the bed. Didn't know he also designed fabric. Thank you for your lovely explanation of this house. I had already read a book about the death of his lover, and how Frank and her husband traveled together on the train to Wisconsin after the tragedy.
A small detail of his life was left out: He completely abandoned his first wife and family to be with Mamah. They had too flee to Europe for a few years.
Yes, Wright did abandon his first wife and their SIX children. There was mention that he left his wife for Mamah but I agree there should have been more emphasis on the fact that he ABANDONED his wife and SIX children.
@@louwitt7899 The marriage was undoubtedly a horrible one and he was better off ditching his wife to be with his AP. Afterall, if you don't love your life, the marriage is not fit for purpose, and sticking together for the kids models a terrible example for them to follow.
I just love your show. I did a Midwest ski trip and rounded out the rest of the week in a Frank Lloyd Wright tour ending in Oak Park.
I sure wish you had a half hour weekly show on PBS
Mary is spelled Mamah? I love his work. Wow! What a tragedy! 37,000 sq. ft. Holy Cow! I want to go see it.
What an incredible story. Thank you.
My family has farmed that area since 1840 in iconic pasteural magnificence. I understand. Thank you Frank.
Wright got the call from Spring Green while working on-site at Midway Gardens in Chicago. He made his way immediately to the train station to catch the next train bound for Spring Green. Also waiting at the same station was Edwin Cheney, the former husband of his lover, Mamah Cheney. Mr. Cheney was headed to Spring Green to retrieve the bodies of his two young children who had been among the dead at Taliesin. The two men, united only in their grief, shared a compartment for the journey.
I've been by his Wisconsin property several times but was always stressed for time so I never stopped. His is an unusual story for sure. His home designs are beutiful but do not hold up well in Midwest climate and are expensive to maintain and keep in original design.
Having worked with men who had done maintenance on Falling Water (in the '80s) it is a nightmare to maintain. From historical records, nothing Wright designed was easy to maintain nor build he could draw a cool building, but designing it to be built and be functional his work was near impossible. Engineers who actually did the design were constantly flabbergasted at the poor architectural and engineering details. But, he was a great marketer.
They all had leaky roofs.
Beautiful homes, but so much tragedy. Sad.
Great house Ken! Thank you for sharing
What a sad, gruesome story!! 😐
Have always been impressed by his architectural style
As a illustrator/graphic designer and painter I have great admiration for his magnificent work, his legacy! The downside of Wright was his out of whack ego aka malignant narcissism and I've known about that tragic mass murder for decades now. His famous Guggenheim Museum on 5th Ave and East 91rst St near where I lived for a time, has ramps going from floor to floor exhibiting great works of modern art and will always remind me of a big oversized muffin! Flew over it once , my very first plane trip a shuttle with my late father from Newark Airport to Boston's Logan Airport. There it stands out among many other vast examples of historic architecture in Manhattan, aka "Gotham" and 'The Big Apple"! Thanks for another great informative video!
I suppose it's like a supercar looks great but you have to look after it constantly. Amazing looking design
While trying to raise money to save Taliesin, the care keepers were attempting to charge $80.00 plus per person to tour the property. People were not waiting in line.
I live within 20 miles fr falling water and never knew any of the fact's you presented in ur video, so thank you job well done!
Talliesin West was very interesting to tour. I believe I was there in the 1980s.
I was so impressed by his design for the open windows. In fact, to this day I have a paperweight on my office desk that I see everyday. A nice reminder. Carol from California
Frank Lloyd Wright’s work proves that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I'm a Victorian if you go by the house I own and the ones that I work on. But I love FLW buildings and I have visited many of them.
It's amazing that he kept rebuilding in the same spot.
I was there touring the home and school just before that storm took down the big old oak tree. It was beautiful there as it lived in the courtyard.
Frank Loyd Wright always said, “Never build a house on top of the hill because when you build on top of the hill, you lose the hill”
His house was "of the hill".
This was excellent. A fan since childhood but never knew of his sad past.
Love your videos, thank you!