Frank Lloyd Wright: The Houses

by Alan Hess, Alan Weintraub (Photographer), Kenneth Frampton

Frank Lloyd Wright is not only synonymous with architecture, his name is also synonymous with the American house in the twentieth century. In particular, his residential work has been the subject of continuing interest and controversy. Wright's Fallingwater (1935), the seminal masterpiece perched over a waterfall deep in the Pennsylvania highlands, is perhaps the best-known private house in the history of the world. In fact, Wright's houses-from his Prairie style Robie House (1906) in Chicago, to the Storer (1923) and Freeman (1923) houses in Los Angeles, and Taliesen West (1937) in the Arizona desert-are all touchstones of modern architecture. For the first time, all 289 extant houses are shown here in exquisite color photographs. Along with Weintraub's stunning photos and a selection of floor plans and archival images, the book includes text and essays by several leading Wright scholars. Frank Lloyd Wright: The Houses is an event of great importance and a major contribution to the literature on this titan of modern architecture.

Genres: Architecture, Art, Nonfiction, Reference, History

544 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2005

About the author

Born in California in 1952, Hess received his BA at Principia College, a Master's degree in architecture from the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, and is a licensed architect. After working with architects William Coburn, and Callister Payne and Bischoff, Hess started his own firm specializing in residential work and historic preservation. His first book, Googie: Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture (Chronicle Books 1985) focused on a neglected and popular Modern form. Following books continued to explore overlooked chapters in twentieth-century architecture and urbanism. He is responsible for qualifying several landmark buildings for the National Register of Historic Places, including the oldest operating McDonald's in Downey, Stuart Company Plant and Office Building and Bullock's Pasadena in Pasadena, and the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Reviews

[The Badger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures of Wright's architecture... However, I wouldn't want to live in one of his houses. One of Wright's stipulations when designing a house was that the owners would change NOTHING. This included any furniture he designed. I've toured some of his houses, and I found the interiors dark and oppressive--especially the house in Springfield, Ohio (although I realize that this house was quite different from some of his others, and that his styles often widely varied). That house's owners had children, and Wright designed what I can only describe as the most uncomfortable little chairs for the young occupants. Considering that the chairs were modeled after the sort of furniture used in prisons to make inmates comfy before flipping the switch, I pitied Wright's own children!

[Mansour S منصور السدحان · Rating 5 out of 5]

يوجد تقييم عربي 👇 تحت

Disclaimer: I’m an architectural dilettante! I’m not familiar with the technical aspects of architecture. But as architecture’s purpose is to please people in general, I have my opinions and a spot on the appropriation of beautiful buildings and art in general. And I’m a Jack of all trades when it comes to my curiosity!

Wow what a journey! Even more so personally for me giving how hard/impossible it is to own a house, let alone a personalized house at where I live, the stuff of dreams..the stuff of fantasy! Anyway, I knew Wright from the legendary Fallingwater house, an artistic masterpiece, but just a sample of what this man has designed from the turn of the 20th century to the mid 20th. One can get a glimpse into the evolution of house design and how it’s in some ways interrelated with society. It seems to me that Wright’s design sprung from practicality and the human experience. His spaces are meant to be felt holistically not just visually, yet out of this approach visual beauty is born. I feel like Wright spreads his houses (especially the Prairie and the Usonian houses) into the surrounding nature scape like someone spreading peanut butter over a slice of toast bread! The contrast between these horizontal buildings against the up-shooting vertical trees is so beautiful. I comically imagine Wright taking a typical Paul Schmitthenner house and squashing it flat, destroying the walls and partitions in the process! But don’t get me wrong, I think Architecture is like Art, there’s different styles for different tastes and many times a secluded tiny closed room in a basement is what I desire for a cozy feel. I wish this book had more pictures so as to get a sense of the spaces, and maybe an isometric deconstructed illustration of each house, maybe I’m asking too much here!
Anyhow, totally loved this gigantic book. I get lots of vibes of good times, other times, different existence different times, when looking at some of these beautiful houses…

تقييم عربي 👇


تنويه: أنا هاوٍ او دخيل على العمارة! لستُ مُلِمًّا بالجوانب التقنية للهندسة المعمارية. ولكن بما أن هدف الهندسة المعمارية هو إرضاء الناس عمومًا، فلديّ آرائي الخاصة ورأيي الشخصي في المباني الجميلة والفنون عمومًا. وأنا صاحب سبع صنايع عندما يتعلق الأمر بفضولي!

يا لها من رحلة رائعة! وأكثر من ذلك بالنسبة لي شخصيًا، بالنظر إلى مدى صعوبة/استحالة امتلاك منزل، ناهيك عن منزل شخصي في بلدي التي أعيش فيها، إنه حلمٌ من الأحلام.. ضربُ من الخيال! على أي حال، عرفتُ (رايت) من منزل الشلال الأسطوري، وهو تحفة فنية، ولكنه مجرد عينة مما صممه هذا الرجل من مطلع القرن العشرين إلى منتصفه. يُمكن للمرء أن يُلقي نظرةً على تطور تصميم المنازل وكيف يرتبط، من بعض النواحي، بالمجتمع. يبدو لي أن تصميم رايت نابعٌ من التطبيق العملي ولتجربة الإنسانية. مساحاته مصممة لتكون شاملة، لا بصريًا فحسب، ومن هذا النهج ينشأ الجمال البصري. أشعر أن (رايت)يفرد منازله (وخاصةً منازل البراري والأوسونية) في المشهد الطبيعي المحيط، كما يفرد أحدهم زبدة الفول السوداني على شريحة خبز محمص! التباين بين هذه المباني الأفقية والأشجار العمودية الصاعدة بديعٌ للغاية.
أتخيل من باب الدعابة (رايت) وهو يسحق منزلًا نموذجيًا من تصميم بول شميثنر ليكون مستوي او مفلطح، مُدمرًا الجدران والحواجز! لكن لا تسيئوا فهمي، أعتقد أن العمارة كالفن، فهناك أنماط مختلفة تناسب مختلف الأذواق، وفي كثير من الأحيان، غرفة صغيرة معزولة ومغلقة في قبو هي ما أرغب به لشعور دافئ.
أتمنى لو احتوى هذا الكتاب على المزيد من الصور لأتمكن من فهم المساحات، وربما رسم توضيحي مُفكك متساوي القياس (ايزومتري)لكل منزل، ربما أبالغ في الطلب!

على أي حال، أحببت هذا الكتاب الضخم جدًا. أشعر بأجواء من الأوقات الجميلة، وحياة مختلفة في أوقات مختلفة، عندما أنظر إلى بعض هذه المنازل الجميلة...

[Melvin Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice pictures! Would have liked to know more about ground plans!

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great photos of both interiors and exteriors of houses that many people will never get the chance to visit. There's a sample of floor plans but including them for all houses would have really helped put the photographs in perspective.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book! And readable too! Made me want to read a biography of Wright. I also can't wait to visit one of his homes.

[Writerlibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful picture book that gives the reader an exhaustive look at Lloyd Wright's houses throughout his long and illustrious career. From the amazing and celebrated "fallingwater" house that rebooted his career to the Walker house, the reader walks through the interiors of many incredible spaces. The quality of the photographs and the joining articles make this huge coffee table book worth every penny.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. Would rather read and look at Wright's work than read a novel based on his life.

[Ritu]

it is a very good book .

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

To love Frank Lloyd write is to love this book. Replete with gorgeous pictures of his houses throughout, this is one of the few exceptions to my standing rule against coffee-table books.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

GORGEOUS

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received this as a gift at a meeting in AZ. Beautiful photos, makes a great coffee table book...