The "father of skyscrapers", Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), was an architect of hope. Wanting to provide the right architectural setting for the cultured American middle class, he applied his idealism to buildings across the continent, from single-family homes and churches to offices and skyscrapers to the acclaimed Guggenheim Museum.
Wright's work is characterized above all by its philanthropy and harmony with the environment. He exemplified this philosophy, which he called organic architecture, in Fallingwater, a home in rural Pennsylvania that the American Institute of Architects has called "the finest work of American architecture ever made." Wright's trademarks also include the use of industrial materials and the simple T or L plan of his Prairie House, which became a prototype of rural building throughout the United States. Wright also often took care of the interior design of his buildings (e.g. furniture or stained glass elements), paying special attention to the balance between individual needs and community concerns.
This volume traces Wright's quest to improve American society through architecture. It provides a succinct introduction to his response, both technological and romantic, to the practical challenges of middle-class American life.