Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Golden Anniversary

Frank Lloyd Wright was indeed influenced (and never denied it) by the classical Japanese aesthetic. One reason, he's one of my favorite architects.

I once had something like nine books by him - never read them. I dunno, architects aren't gods to me - some of them came up with designs that make sense, even if the built places leaked, and I liked some of his a lot. A little cold inside, but that has been a trend in itself.

In my constructed utopia, architects would be sited on the highest level with liberal arts professors, science fiction writers, and artists. One reason my all time favorite documentary is about Louis Kahn ~ My Architect.

Ok, I like Kahn too. Almost worked at Salk, but didn't after all.

so were california bungalows, more comfortable places..

Wright designed several, more cozy, interiors but never had many small rooms within a space except if the room needed divided from the main living area. Although he created the interior design as well, I've been in Wright homes in the LA area which are very inviting, warm and comfortable -- true with some different interior furnishings (hated his furniture).

A friend leased a Wright house (which I never saw). I still find them cold in my own smaller experience... which doesn't mean I don't like them. I liked the one Walter and Tak and I went through in chicago, started with R...

I like much of the architectural stance.

I should be quiet. I've never gone through Falling Waters, even online.

On the other hand, as years went by, I stopped taking jobs that I found near anti landscape. For example, the project I said no to with the major cantilevered pool (concept) that I'd do...
I'm somewhere between on all that, as I like thrilling architecture but I'm more toward light on the land.

I'm aware Wright thought himself in tune with landscape as did Neutra.

Wright interiors:

Hollyhock House, LA



Millard House, LA



Fawcett House, Los Banos, CA

Fallingwater is an example of how Wright actually believed his design could ameliorate any site issues. Obviously he was dead wrong since the PaHMC will probably have to do periodic restructurings of the house to overcome hydraulic erosion and humidity problems(not to mention the consistent problem with built -up roofs, leakage).

Hmmm, but wasn't leaky ceilings a part of Wright's architectural philosophy?

Only one famous story and I'm repeating it from earlier in the thread:

Mr. Johnson (Johnson & Johnson) got dripped on his head at his first dinner party from a leak on a rainy night in his new FLW house, and he calls FLW and complains, so Wright answers Mr. Lever, "Well, Herb, why don't you just move your chair."

I think Wright had an idea that the "falling" in Falling Water would be the house. It's an impossible building site and like the roughshod finish on the outside of the Guggenheim, it's not perfection.

Other than that, I know the Stoner House on Hollywood Blvd. when it winds up through the Hollywood Hills (it was a few doors down when I lived there in the 60's) experienced no leaks and Talisman West, the main drawing room in the Arizona desert where there are sometimes torrential downpours has never leaked. That's a contractor's problem, not the architect.

The house in California seem to have little deterioration problems other than normal. Several of the images I posted were actually from realtors when the houses came up for say. Of course, Hollyhock has it's own park and is a California state monument.

A friend of mine was an architect in Laguna Beach and I once did some light in his design for a private home facing the ocean. The stairwell had a huge skylight. The first rain, it leaked.