Thoughts on Meryle Secrest's biography of Frank Lloyd Wright

Recently I made a trip to Fallingwater and in preparation I checked out Meryle Secrest’s “Frank Lloyd Wright: A Biography” from my local library. At 564 pages, it’s epic, and I was only able to finish about a third of it before my trip. But having finished it, I can say that it was a truly enjoyable read that has me interested in exploring more of Wright’s architectural works and essays, and more architecture in general.

Wright, architect, person

As I have developed an interest in the arts, graphic design, and architecture over the past ten years from visiting museum exhibitions, taking drawing classes, and just hanging out and exploring the city (New York), it was inevitable that I would come across Frank Lloyd Wright. I had heard of Fallingwater on various occasions in the past fifteen years, typically in some listing of top architectural works. In 2017 there was the Moma exhibition on Frank Lloyd Wright. But it wasn’t until 2023 that the stars finally aligned.

As one to “travel deep” instead of broad, Secrest answered my need for context and insight. But when I picked up this elegant black brick, its size and heft weighed on me. Was there really that much to talk about an architect?

Not just any architect, Wright’s life charted extraordinary highs and tragic lows over a 92 year span. Taliesin, from love nest to workshop filled with eager apprentices. His wives and affairs - Catherine Tobin, Mamah Cheney, Miriam Maude Noel, Olgivanna. His famous works, to name a few - Roble House, Imperial Hotel, Fallingwater, Guggenheim.

The book was comprehensive. If you are about to pay visit to some famous Wright building, you will find it here; there was an index, and a number of black and white photos at periodic intervals. There was plenty of context as well, including discussions on art and architectural movements that Wright loved (Arts and Crafts) or loathed (Modernist, International Style), the rich and famous of the day with whom Wright interacted, his family background, and much more.

A Wale tale

Within the first eighty pages, Secrest’s book showed the depth of research involved just in covering Wright’s Welsh background and early years. His mother’s side included a long line of ministers who held controversial religious beliefs, and his father was also a Baptist minister, who was highly regarded but unfortunately “wildly impractical about money.” There was even mention of Celtic society, which had views on marriage (an agreement that could be ended mutually) and justice (criminal laws aimed around monetary compensation and reconciliation) that struck me as quite progressive in the post-Roman medieval period.

Impressions

After those introductory chapters, the book settled firmly on Wright’s adult life and career up to his passing in 1959, a life that spanned an America from the post-Civil War period to a post-World War 2 modern age, a period of transformative inventions and America’s rise to the world stage as a dominant power. Wright lived a healthy, creative life, but not without struggles and challenges. As Secrest points out, Wright could be alternately charming and downright mean. He struggled with money and for a lengthy period had some relationship difficulties with the women in his life. But when it came to architecture, he had a deep inner conviction and vision, and was productive to the very end of his life.

Secrest provided details on how Wright worked that I found insightful. He would wake up early (4am), and often get his best ideas while out on the farm or in nature. He would alternate between periods of focus and rest, and while resting would engage in activities such as playing the piano, looking at Japanese prints, humming tunes, or even quoting the punchline of some joke.

Per John Howe, chief draftsman:

He worked with enormous patience and concentration, giving extreme attention to detail, and the design inevitably went through innumerable revisions while he eliminated what might be ’extraneous, discordant, or capricious'

A few things did strike my attention in the book. One was how a number of his wealthy clients would eventually run into financial difficulties later in their lives, particularly during the Great Depression. This stood in contrast to Wright, who struggled with money and poor financial habits but somehow always pulled through, finding some last second route - a book, lecture, or wealthy client “muse” - to bring in that much needed cash. One takeaway is that creativity will always be in demand, provided that one can attain such a level of refined sensitivity.

Another observation was how Wright traveled across the country by train (commercial flight was only then emerging ). While not particularly fast, it seems that there was a genuine spirit of train travel that has sadly fallen into neglect. Secrest writes about some of Wright’s trips in the mid-1920s:

He liked to take the Santa Fe California Limited. He could leave Chicago one evening and be in Los Angeles three days later.

The book was written in 1992, about the midway point from Wright’s death until now. There was not much discussion on topics that were emerging in the 90s but much more visible today (2023) - race, gender, sexual orientation, inclusion, and equality and rights. Secrest does point out how Wright was a noted and vocal pacifist with socialist views; but, in some areas, he may have held unchallenged beliefs of the time. While Wright traveled quite widely, at least to Europe and Japan, he might not have fully perceived the emerging globalization post-WW2. Also, while there was some mention of Wright’s views on cities and skyscrapers, I would like to have seen a little more commentary, given how America would have been more urbanized around the late 19th / early 20th century and how Wright’s life would have involved much time and interaction in cities, particularly Chicago, whether for leisure, work, shopping, or culture.

More than buildings

More than just buildings, Wright helped architect America. He respected nature and the architectural site, and thought deeply about how spaces affected people. The time I have invested in this book (reading, reflecting, taking notes, this blog post) has certainly broadened my understanding of this legendary figure. But also, by opening a concrete window onto early 20th century America, Meryle Secrest has brought that time period to life, deepening my high school-level American history and literature understanding.