Author Nicholas Hayes is returning to Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, to present “Frank Lloyd Wright Vs. Russell Barr Williamson”, on Thursday, April 4th, 2024, from 12:30-1:45pm.
Abstract:
“In the wake of the failure of the American System Built Homes project, in which Wright and Williamson had invested over 3 years of mutual effort, the men never spoke again and, tellingly, erased the experience from their professional and personal Curricula Vitae. Author Nicholas Hayes, co-steward of Wright’s Elizabeth Murphy House (ASBH Model A203), will reveal the causes of a split that never mended and altered lives, legacies, and the course of American suburban architecture.”
The American System Built Homes are one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most ambitious but least-understood projects. Wright began assembling designs in about 1911, hired the young architect Russel Williamson as project draftsperson in 1914, and signed a contract with real estate magnate Arthur Richards to sell and supply the homes in 1916. In all, they planned 128 models on at least 7 floor plans, and expected to see entire subdivisions of Wright’s designs. However, Wright terminated the contract in 14 short months with just a few homes built, and didn’t mention the designs in his autobiography, leaving historians handcuffed to explain the period. Importantly, Wright filed away almost 1,000 ASBH drawings as evidence of a possible theft and in order to secure and track his intellectual property and today, that stash, combined with assembled legal evidence, reveals the drama of the project’s end, including Russell Barr Williamson’s role in it.
The event will be held in the Center Living Room of the Hefter Center, at 3271 N Lake Dr, Milwaukee, WI 53211.
The Elizabeth Murphy House 
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