Even if you’re not an architecture buff, you’ve likely heard the name Frank Lloyd Wright, and maybe even know of his most famous projects—like Fallingwater, the Pennsylvania house that effortlessly juts out over a waterfall, or the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
But there are other landmark projects that Wright isn’t as well-known for. And the Museum of Modern Art, in Manhattan, hopes to change that.
In honor of what would be Wright’s 150th birthday, the museum opens its exhibition “Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive” next week. It covers the architect’s more famous creations as well as some of his lesser-known projects.
“While he designed many, many houses, he designed so many other buildings,” says Jennifer Gray, who co-curated the exhibit. “He designed skyscrapers, museums, furniture, textiles.” Here are some highlights.
The mile-high skyscraper
(The Museum of Modern Art | Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York)
Three years before his death, Wright called a press conference in Chicago to unveil his latest design: a mile-high skyscraper.
He had no client or commission for the tower, which would have been the tallest in the world. One problem: It wouldn’t have been technically possible to build the 528-story building stretching to the heavens at the time.
“It was something of a publicity stunt,” Gray contends. “He designed the tower to put himself back on the map and solidify and control of his legacy. Certainly in the 1950s, it wouldn’t have been achievable.”
The tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, was completed in 2009—and it’s only a half-mile tall.
Factory-made housing
(The Museum of Modern Art, New York)
Wright might have been a star architect able to command high commissions, but he was also obsessed with bringing his designs to the masses. Hence, his American System-Built Homes.
The system, developed between 1915 and 1917, was similar to mail-order-catalog homes. It used factory-produced housing parts and a network of licensed contractors to economically bring Wright’s designs to life. They were primarily shipped to the Midwest.
“It was a way to cut costs,” Gray says.
In the 1950s, Wright launched the ultimate DIY project: the Usonian Automatic system. The system allowed folks to build their own simple, no-frills houses from the ground up, using concrete bricks.
“Wright’s whole life has these ambitions to democratize architecture and make it more affordable,” Gray says.
Master-designed furniture
(Layne Kennedy/Getty Images)
Wright didn’t just focus on the structure of his homes. He designed what went into them as well—including highly distinctive vases, display tables, seating, even rugs. This allowed him to conceive interiors that matched the exteriors of his structures.
He created built-in window seats and oak armchairs in the early 1890s for his Chicago home, according to the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust. He also designed a dining table and eight high chairs for the home.
Says Gray: “Ideally in his mind, he would have designed every piece of furniture in a house.”