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The new Wright?

E-mail|Link|Comments (2) Posted by Christopher Shea July 16, 2008 11:20 AM

Was Frank Lloyd Wright an even more prolific designer of private houses than previously thought? William Allin Storrer, a Frank Lloyd Wright scholar, says he's identified 29 houses that ought to be freshly credited to the eminent architect -- although not everyone is convinced he's got the evidence to back up the claims. All of the structures are in suburban Chicago, including 24 on a single block of the town of River Forest.

The houses date to the 1910's, a period when Wright was a pariah in Chicago, a situation resulting from an affair he'd conducted with the wife of a wealthy client -- one plausible explanation for why he and the houses' owners would keep his contribution quiet. They were previously attributed to other members of the so-called Prairie School of architecture, but Storrer, an adjunct professor at UT-Austin and author of two books on Wright and his work, and two research partners, Richard Johnson and Daniel Dominique Watts, say certain interior and exterior details are giveaways.

The Chicago Tribune's architecture critic tells the tale of the discovery (and reports the opinions of some skeptics) here, while Storrer has posted photographs of all the houses at his somewhat ungainly website.

A house newly -- and controversially -- attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright

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2 comments so far...

The evidence is bound in very thick volumns of data and proof found as a portion of our work over the past 6 years. The data speaks for itself and was always in front of many, including the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust in Oak Park only a fw blocks to the east,(not to be confused with the prestigious Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy) right in front of their noses. Two of the found homes are lost ASBH among others.

The most important fact is that now the truths will all be known and the puzzle solved. I have been astounded by this fact as I got deeper into the research myself. Nothing "new" or real has been written since Henry Russell Hitchcocks work to compare with this or what is yet to come will be self evident. Many authors who have written FLLW books have much to lose by our findings as they lose face value, pride, and the fact they did their research only as "Armchair Author Bandits"(copyrights 2008) � without the work usually exercised and associated by true professionals in the field. Their "thoughts", hypothesis, ideas, words, & writings without fact or data as exercises in verbose verbal masturbation will be realized by amateur enthusiasts as well as the true experts---- their credentials go as they may.

The volumns of work & the facts speak for themselves. It is more than time overdue that history be reviewed & corrected for what it really was and credit be given to whom it should be given. Errors will be corrected where many have been made & reprinted over the years since Hitchcock's immense works. I have a vast respect for my colleagues and that of H. Allen Brooks whose work and writings hold up and speak for themselves as does the work of my friend and fellow Architect/ preservationist John Eifler here in Chicago from when we worked together in the mid 80's at S.O.M. in Chicago, when the preservation of Wright's Cheney home was being undertaken.

We hold up the work before the world to view as the astonishing finds they are. Expect the unexpected. You too will be amazed and as excited as the child within each of the 3 of us.

Enjoy! ;)

D. Dominique Watts

Posted by D. Dominique Watts July 22, 08 04:53 AM

Interesting read

Posted by Nicole November 6, 09 10:18 PM