20th-Century Genius Award: Frank Lloyd Wright

Essay by ehayesCollege, UndergraduateA+, August 2006

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From the day that Frank Lloyd Wright was born, Anna Wright was determined to make her son one of the greatest architects not only of his time, but of the twentieth century as well. Wright possessed great skills in spatial cognition which showed in his work. Many of his architectural designs manipulated geometric shapes and drew upon his creativity of design. In a time where many other architects were still working with the Victorian style of design, Wright took the approach that being different was often more rewarding. Wright wanted to challenge other architects to look outside the box and design buildings that would reflect the new and changing face of the United States. Not only was Frank Lloyd Wright a great architect, but he was a smart businessman. Wright knew how to please each of his clients while building works of art that were before his time and are still admired today.

Within this paper, I will demonstrate why I believe that Frank Lloyd Wright is considered one of the geniuses of the twentieth century.

Frank Lloyd Wright was born June 8, 1867, in Richland Center, Wisconsin, to William Cary Wright and Anna Lloyd Jones Wright. Even though Frank was raised in a comfortable setting, his home life was anything but warm. His father kept moving the family from job to job across the United States. His father was constantly in financial trouble and would eventually move his family back to Wisconsin. Eventually his parents would divorce, while Frank was still young. After his parents divorced, Frank changed his middle name to Lloyd, which was his mother's middle name. Frank's mother decided that he was going to be a great architect. To help spark his interest in architecture, his mother bought him Froebel's geometric blocks to entertain and educate...