Wright's designs verses too much apprentice involvement

[dtc]

In a previous thread, see "Info for houses on OH, MI and IN /Photo Trip " on page 4. The subject of designs that were apprentice driven vs Wright's own input was briefly discussed. I was wondering If there is evidence of such events? Are there facts and circumstances that substantiate such claims?

We realize how much work was produced from Taliesin in the last decade or so of Wrights life, and yes F.LL.W. was very much occupied with the "BIG" commissions, but all one has to do is study the work from 49 thru 59 verses all the work post 59 without Wright's input to see the difference of major apprentice involvement.

dtc

[hypnoraygun]

In Curtis Besinger's book, (Working with Mr. Wright) he mentions several times that Apprentices basically did the work (pre planning, design and drawings) for homes and Wright then would look at it, change things, pencil in changes ect, then they would correct it. Then Wright would sign off on it.

I believe (I have to look at the book again) he mentions Wright would give a direction to go with the project first, but not necessarily draw it out for them.

Unless someone has this book with them today, I will look at it when I get home tonight and try to list some pages and information from it.

If you haven't read it, it is very informative into the process and who did what. I think people would be somewhat surprised in what it says.

[DRN]

hypnoraygun is right.
As I recall reading, Besinger noted in his book that he was assigned the Fasbender Medical Clinic job and prepared a preliminary sketches for review, and later the construction drawings. Each time Wright made almost no changes to the work as drawn by Besinger. The other Besinger notes is the Kalil Usonian Automatic. Besinger wrote that he became interested in the Usonian Automatic system, and worked at designing hypothetical cottages/houses in the system in off hours. When assigned the Kalil project, he used one of his hypotheticals as a starting point. According to Besinger, Wright made few if any changes to the design when submitted for review.

Wright was busy in this period, and he had some real talent in the drafting room. I got the sense from Besinger's book Wright delegated, but kept an eye on what went out the door. Possibly Bulbulian and Alpaugh were the exceptions.

There are families of plan types in Wright's work that re-emerge from time to time. I wonder how the decision was made to assign a plan type to a project. Was it site, budget, client personality, or experience of the apprentice assigned, maybe all of these.

[Roderick Grant]

The real revelation of the extent to which FLW was [un]involved in many of the late designs is to be found in projects that never got built. Obviously if a house was to be constructed, he would have had more interest in its design (Bulbulian notwithstanding), but on occasion designs just didn't get past the drafting board. Examine, for instance, the grand design for Ayn Rand. According to John Geiger, FLW did not like Rand, nor did he believe she would actually build. She couldn't even make up her mind whether she wanted to build in Connecticut or California! So he recycled a design originally intended to be a duplex for his All-Steel system of pre-fabs for a site in Los Angeles (current site of Baldwin Hills), redefining it in concrete and stone, a riff on Fallingwater. The house is clearly not structurally capable of standing; the immense balcony of the second level hovers over the ground floor, supported by a row of clerestory windows. Folding doors cut across a pool, partly inside, partly outside ... not a comfortable circumstance for a CT site. If Rand had said, "I like it. Let's go forward," Wright would have had to almost start from scratch in order to make the design work. In other cases, he designed something he really wanted to get built, like Sundt, Jankowski (#1), Spivey, Slater or Jester, and failing that, resubmitted variations on the designs repeatedly. These examples were under his control, but others like the houses for Darryl McKinney, Lagomarsino or Stracke evince stylistic twists that belie FLW's involvement. Forensic proof is not to be had. The only thing that can be done is to kick the subject around and formulate opinions. But can you study the excellent 1955 Kundert Medical Clinic and the misbegotten 1958 Lockridge Medical Clinic and reasonably conclude that they came from the same creative force?

[Eric Saed]

hypnoraygun is right.
As I recall reading, Besinger noted in his book that he was assigned the Fasbender Medical Clinic job and prepared a preliminary sketches for review, and later the construction drawings. Each time Wright made almost no changes to the work as drawn by Besinger

This is contrary to the story I've heard for years, at least Besinger's perspective. Apprentice Tom Olson was from Hastings, and Fasbender was his family doctor. From the story I've heard, apparently Olson promised Fasbender that he could get FLLW to design him a clinic. In the end, this was Olson's first real design, and it was tweaked enough by FLLW to earn designation as coming from the Master.

[Mobius]

I am so glad FLW despised Ayn Rand. Truly she was an evil woman, and Noam Chomsky had her pegged very early on.

[MHOLUBAR]

In that last, most productive decade of his life, FLW was working with a very accomplished group of architects, engineers, draftsmen and some master builders as well as the newer students. He was shepherding many great projects to completion, and he let his established fellows do what they did best, so that he could simply edit here and there as needed to advance the cause of organic architecture, or sustainable architecture in todays parlance. The Marion, Indiana house (Davis?) may not be the greatest but it reflects the farmers market he designed early on for Davidson and the Nakoma Golf Course Clubhouse (both unbuilt projects) and finally the built Wingspread, ,which is a truly wonderful space.