'Frank Lloyd Wright's Wisconsin' by Kristine Hansen
Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the last century’s greatest architects and largest characters. With his pork pie hat and cape, he resembled a grouchy country parson, angrily shaking his cane against mediocrity, offering alternatives to the soulless modern architecture of glass and steel boxes. His buildings had an organic connection to the landscape, employed natural materials when possible and were total works of art, down to the final details of their furnishings.
As Kristine Hansen observes in her survey of Wright buildings in his home state, Wisconsin, the architect imposed his taste on clients to a degree that seems unthinkable. He didn’t like to cook, so the kitchens he designed are small. He enjoyed entertaining, so his living room-dining rooms are capacious. Wright’s bedrooms are compartments for sleeping because he spent little time in his own. Attics are places for storing junk that should be thrown away, so he insisted on eliminating them.
Illustrated with many color photographs, Hansen offers an informed and conversational Badger State tour guide of Wright structures in Milwaukee, Racine, Madison and elsewhere, including his home-studio-academy, Taliesin. She engages with history and with current property owners, some of whom have made alterations (heresy in Wright’s eyes!). Many of his ideas were revolutionary, including radiant floor heat and roofs angled to allow maximum winter sunlight in winter and minimize summer heat. However, Wright was notoriously bad with roofs. As Hansen points out, he designed one doghouse during his long career—and its roof leaks.
