Who Was Frank Lloyd Wright? by Ellen Labrecque

 Who Was…? biography series for middle grade captivates with the story of Frank Lloyd Wright – the greatest American architect of all time.

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin. His mother’s family moved from Wales to Wisconsin where there were no houses to buy. So his mother’s brother learned how to build a house and his skills became in high demand.

The mother wanted Frank to have the same useful skills as her brother. She hung drawings of English cathedrals on the walls of their house to inspire his young brain.

Because his family moved so often, Frank didn’t have any friends and to fill his time he turned to art and music. He cherished his birthday gift of blocks which taught him about geometry, math, colors, and shapes.

The mother adored Frank and was convinced he would grow up to be a great and famous man. Frank believed the same. (The seed planted in childhood and strongly believed in throughout the years manifested later in life).

Frank didn’t like the hard farm-work, but what he liked was the beauty of nature. He was observant of the nature, its colors and shapes. He saw the shapes of his boyhood toys everywhere on the farm.

When Frank was in High School, his parents divorced. To help out his mother, he dropped out of school. He was an average student. He didn’t like to sit still and listen to teachers. He liked to learn by exploring, creating, and doing things on his own.

He got a job as a draftsman and learned the skills on the job. At the same time, at University, he took classes in Civil Engineering, but only for a year. He dropped out after a year.

From the money he earned, he dressed himself well to have a look of a famous person. (He wasn’t famous yet, but played the part).

After the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871, he moved to Chicago as he wanted to learn from the best while the city was being rebuilt.

In Chicago, he not only learned from the best, but also fell in love with Kitty who came from a wealthy family.

Over the next few years, he designed many homes for wealthy families in the area in a style that was distinct, simple and uncluttered, which blended with the surrounding area. People started noticing his style, which he called “organic architecture.”

His design became in high demand, but the people were also drawn to Frank because of his personality. He was funny and his laugh was contagious.

After making his name in Chicago, he took a project in New York upstate to make his name known in the United States. Then, came book offer which made him worldwide famous, followed by project offers outside the United States.

After the Great Depression, there was mass-production of buildings. Frank had to reinvent himself and came up with opening a school next to his house and teaching his craft. One of his students was Edgar Kaufmann Jr. His father asked Frank to design a house near waterfall. What Frank did, he actually designed a house on the waterfall. Frank’s work once again became in high demand.

This biography exemplifies a person who had a guardian, namely mother, who believed in her son and showed him a way to thrive. It demonstrates how important it is to have mentors in our lives to help us thrive. It also exemplifies a man who was very observant of nature. Nature seems to be a common denominator helping people to get inspired and to find calmness. The latter helps to create space in our mind, which is needed to allow ideas to come to us.

This illustrated biography for young readers, ages 8-12, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences, and insightful inserts.

Source: Grosset & Dunlap, 2015

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “Study nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” – Frank Lloyd Wright

 

 

 

Traits:

 

·         His mother wanted him to have useful skills. Thus, hung drawings of English cathedrals on the walls of their house to inspire his young brain to become a builder.

·         His mother, despite of being tight on money, bought him blocks for his birthday. She continued to encourage him to build.

·         He was very observant and learned geometry, math, colors, and shapes from his blocks.

·         The mother was convinced he would grow up to be a great and famous man. Thus, Frank started believing the same.

·         He didn’t like the hard farm-work, but what he liked was the beauty of nature and how it related to shapes and colors of his blocks.

·         He was an average student. He didn’t like to sit still and listen to teachers. He liked to learn by exploring, creating, and doing things on his own.

·         He got a job as a draftsman and learned the skills on the job. He didn’t have a formal education in architecture.

·         After the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871, he moved to Chicago as he wanted to learn from the best while the city was being rebuilt.

·         He developed his style, which he called “organic architecture.”

 

 

“Space is the breath of art.” – Frank Lloyd Wright

“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.” – Frank Lloyd Wright

“Regard it just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral.” – Frank Lloyd Wright - (Frank’s words align with many successful people’s words - who say whatever you do – do it with passion – no matter how minor or important work is).

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

 The first book I’ve read by Wayne Dyer over two decades ago was “The Power of Intention.” While reading the biography of Frank Lloyd Wright, the book by Wayne Dyer came to my mind. I highly recommend the Power of Intention to understand better how Frank’s mind was shaped from childhood and manifested later in life.