One hundred and fifty years after his birth, Frank Lloyd Wright remains the one architect whose name—and signature style—is well-known to most Americans. And in the world of home design, his influence today seems to extend further than ever.
We still see his remarkable creations go up for sale and command a high premium, above and beyond that of most other titans of midcentury design. But we’re also seeing elements of his famous “organic architecture”—finding harmony between structures and their natural environments—filter down into more and more newer construction.
In fact, Wright devised a number of wildly influential architectural principles, including open floor plans, cantilevered roofs, and others. And, as it turns out, many of those elements star in the creations of today’s architects.
Popular and prolific
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Wright’s style innovations have become ingrained in the lexicon of American architecture.
“He’s out there as one of the top four Western-culture architects of the 20th century,” says Mark Keane, professor at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee’s School of Architecture & Urban Planning and director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Initiative.
Wright was prolific, completing 751 projects up until his death in 1959, at the age of 92. His influence on other architects is especially apparent in the Midwest, where the majority of his residential projects were built.
“It’s amazing, the influence he had and how long-lasting it is,” says Phil Chadwick, a Realtor® in the Phoenix area and a volunteer tour guide at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, AZ. Taliesin West, formerly the architect’s winter home and school, is now home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.
A touchstone for today’s builders
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Wright wasn’t about ostentation or opulence, so neither is his influence on modern homes.
“The influence is discreet,” says Stuart Narofsky, a modern architect and American Institute of Architects member with his own firm, Narofsky Architecture, in Long Island City, NY. “These have become the standards behind the scenes.”
Narofsky embraces Wright’s concept of incorporating a home’s natural surroundings into its design. For his projects, Narofsky always starts with a site plan, which ensures that topography, rocks, trees, and other natural elements are part of the design.
Large-scale builders who put up hundreds of homes a year and boutique architects typically don’t have much overlap in the way they approach design. But Wright’s principles, which gained widespread popularity, have helped narrow the gap. Take the floor-to-ceiling glass—the better to appreciate nature’s beauty—that’s so in vogue right now.
“He was a pioneer in structural glass,” says Chadwick. “That’s very popular [with builders] nowadays.” One popular example is mitered glass, when two pieces of glass adjoin in one corner.
Indirect lighting was another hallmark of Wright’s: He’d hide the lightbulb, instead emphasizing the fixture as a design element.
Wright built solid investments
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Homes that were actually designed by Wright have proven to be a solid investment, provided the property has been maintained over the years.
“There’s a specific market for aficionados,” says Narofsky. “It’s a club. Those homes don’t sit around too long.”
All of his homes were built before 1967. (Wright’s final design was the Norman Lykes House in Phoenix.)
“The prices hold up pretty well, depending on the location and condition,” says Chadwick. He points to the 2012 sale of the David and Gladys Wright house in Phoenix, built in 1952 by Frank Lloyd Wright for his son and daughter-in-law. It fetched $2.39 million.
The buyers “want to turn it into a visitors place, kind of like Taliesin West. It certainly has held its value,” says Chadwick.
Fans are also attracted to Wright’s eccentric nature.
“It’s a defiant personality,” says Keane. “He never really fit in. A lot of his clients saw themselves in Wright.”
Design elements that endure
Horizontal lines that magnify the horizon—especially noticeable in homes surrounded by rolling hills or rock formations—were also a hallmark of Wright’s designs. This use of horizontal lines remains a staple of today’s modern architecture.
His departure from “boxy” design is another theme that endures.
“He described the box as a ‘fascist symbol,'” explains Chadwick. “He tried to destroy the box as a matter of architecture.” Wright felt that a more open layout was less restrictive to moving around the space.
“We feel very good about walking in a Wright house, or an open-floor-plan house,” says Chadwick. “It’s open and bright and unrestricted. That’s human nature.”
Wright’s adherence to organic architecture was inspired by natural objects. One example is the seashell, which inspired his design of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
His designs raise the question: “How can something be contemporary, timeless, and modern? It’s a conflict of terms,” says Chadwick.
Will Wright remain influential for decades to come?
Wright’s enduring philosophy—organic architecture—will never go away, says Narofsky.
However, he fears the tactile art of design creation will be lost with the continued rollout of electronic devices and tools.
“The technology is changing so quickly and influencing what we do so much,” says Narofsky.
In fact, Narofsky refuses to let students use a computer to design a project during their first semester, arguing that there is more creative power in drawing. Just as Wright began to do over a century ago.