Did Frank Lloyd Wright plan to furnish his American System-Built Homes? Evidence suggests that limited studio resources left most owners to their own decorative devices.
Did Wright plan to furnish his American System-Built Homes?
Caring for the Forsaken
We bought Frank Lloyd Wright's Elizabeth Murphy House with a plan to restore and care for her, but quickly discovered a curious and unexpected form of stewardship. Like nuns in a 19th century orphanage, we find ourselves caring for the forsaken.
Three contemporaneous Wright draftsmen, three fates
Antonin Raymond and Rudolph Schindler escaped Frank Lloyd Wright's wrath when the American System-Built Program was summarily cancelled and covered up in 1917. Russell Barr Williamson did not.
Did you miss the tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s historic Elizabeth Murphy House? Here is a recording.
Take a virtual tour of the Elizabeth Murphy House, Frank Lloyd Wright's American System-Built Model A203 and his last completed dwelling in the Prairie Style.
A sneak peak into Frank Lloyd Wright’s Forgotten House
Here is a teaser - the first 45 seconds of the fly-through tour that premiered May 17, 2020 during our Zoom conversation with Taliesin's Catherine (Cate) Boldt
Correcting a Wrightian mistake – but at a cost
It is not a spoiler alert to say that after Frank Lloyd Wright sued Richards and cancelled the ASBH program in 1917, Richards and Williamson continued designing and selling Prairie Style homes around Milwaukee. Distinguishing those homes from Wright's ASBH work can be difficult. Here is a clue.
Kids, what do you see in Mr. Wright’s art glass windows?
Matthew Smith - an expert in fine leaded art glass - points out that Frank Lloyd Wright's motif in the Elizabeth Murphy House reflects the proportions of the Elizabeth Murphy House herself.
Praise for the book “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Forgotten House”
Early Praise: "I have read A LOT of books on Frank Lloyd Wright, but this one may be one of the best." - P. Ringstrom, Wright Chat. More reviews here.
Plywood in a Wright-designed American System-Built Home, before “plywood” was a thing
Wright and Richards were exploring ways to ensure quality while lowering costs in the American System. So cabinet doors were built of "ply" fifteen years before "plywood" became a thing.
Prototypes and their progeny are never the same
It can seem strange to think of a Frank Lloyd Wright dwelling as a standard product - something that could be built with interchangeable parts and pieces - but American System-Built Homes were exactly that. One of those pieces was Byrkit Lath.
The Elizabeth Murphy House 