Historical Society of Princeton exhibits Frank Lloyd Wright drawings

In honor of Frank Lloyd Wright’s 150th birthday this month, the Historical Society of Princeton opened its newest display, Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: The Architect in Princeton. The exhibition features architectural drawings by Wright from the Historical Society’s collection, telling the story of Wright’s sole Princeton client and the Frank Lloyd Wright house that could have been.

After visiting Wright at Taliesin West, his winter home and studio, Princeton resident Bradford Mills and his spouse asked the architect to design a house for their property off Pretty Brook Road. Two designs were completed between 1955 and 1957, but, due to high costs, the project was eventually abandoned and the house was never built. Two drawings that remain (an elevation and floorplan) will be on display at the Updike Farmstead until the end of the year.

The Historical Society of Princeton is one of many sites honoring Frank Lloyd Wright this year. Often considered America’s greatest architect, Wright designed more than 1,000 structures throughout his seven-decade career. Only 532 of these designs were ever completed, but they include some of the most iconic buildings of the 20th century such as Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum.

The museum at Updike Farmstead is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., with free evening hours on Thursdays until 7 p.m. Regular admission is $4.  For more information, visit princetonhistory.org.

One Comment

  1. Frank Lloyd Wright delivered six important lectures on his theory of architecture and his work at Princeton University in 1930 – these helped revive his injured career post 1929 stock-market crash and family scandal when he had few commissions and fewer prospects. The Otto Kahn lectures at Princeton became influential and oft quoted by academics and started FLW on an academic lecture circuit that restored his reputation and eventually led him to a mid- 1930s resurgence (Fallingwater – 1935). The Historical Society should add information about this critical turn in his impressive trajectory as an architect – it was a high point in the history of Princeton University’s School of Architecture.

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