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150 Years After His Birth, How Frank Lloyd Wright Influenced Architecture

Published June 9, 2017 at 12:20 PM CDT

Thursday marked architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s 150th birthday. Wright created a modern, distinctly American architectural style. Some of his most iconic buildings are Fallingwater, built over a waterfall in Pennsylvania, and the spiraling Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Wright also designed many smaller private homes. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson talks with scholar Kathryn Smith about how Wright’s vision continues to influence designers and architects today. We also hear from  Kim Bixler, who grew up in a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Rochester, New York.

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Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the greatest architects of the 20th century, is seen in his studio and home in Taliesin, Spring Green, Wis., in 1938. (AP)
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Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the greatest architects of the 20th century, is seen in his studio and home in Taliesin, Spring Green, Wis., in 1938. (AP)

The exterior of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. (Kathy Willens/AP)
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The exterior of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. (Kathy Willens/AP)

The Hollyhock House in Los Angeles. (Courtesy Anne McCaddon)
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The Hollyhock House in Los Angeles. (Courtesy Anne McCaddon)

The Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, N.Y. (Courtesy Caitlin Deibel)
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The Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, N.Y. (Courtesy Caitlin Deibel)

The David and Gladys Wright House in Phoenix, built in 1952. (Courtesy)
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The David and Gladys Wright House in Phoenix, built in 1952. (Courtesy)

Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's estate in Spring Green, Wisc. (Courtesy Andrew Pielage)
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Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's estate in Spring Green, Wisc. (Courtesy Andrew Pielage)

Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1908 Edward E. Boynton House in Rochester, N.Y., which Kim Bixler's parents Burt and Karen Brown owned from 1977 to 1994. (Courtesy Kim Bixler)
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Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1908 Edward E. Boynton House in Rochester, N.Y., which Kim Bixler's parents Burt and Karen Brown owned from 1977 to 1994. (Courtesy Kim Bixler)
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architectureHere & NowHere & Now