Allan Wright Green

This was a lovely collection of the correspondence between FLW and Rose Pauson, an artist who lived with her sister. Included also are rare photographs of the house which burned down a year after it was completed. I can see this being of interest for anyone wanting to understand more about the design process – the letters review basic needs, small changes and concerns, etc. This is put out by Pomegranate press which makes some really beautiful books.

Side note: The editor Allan Wright Green is the son of Rose Pauson’s niece and one of FLW’s apprentices who was working on the house. I loved that little aside.… (plus d'informations)

Nice coffee table book. It's strongest feature is that it shows Wright at work as an architect, politely arguing his vision with a client. He's become such an icon that it's easy to forget that he had to deal with client's issues and change requests, and make some compromises, just like any architect (albeit a brilliant, world-renowned architect).

Rose Pauson's letters are equally polite, but she knew what she wanted and was set on making her home both a work of art and enjoyable for her and her sister to live in.… (plus d'informations)

I received this book as part of LT's Early Reviewers group - how happy I was to see it offered! As a huge fan of modernist architecture (and FLW in general) I eagerly awaited my copy (once notified of winning of course), with really very little expectations regarding the format and editorial content. I was very pleasantly surprised at both the quality and presentation - this book is simply a fantastic view into the mind of Frank Lloyd Wright as there are multiple images (sketches and floor-plans) along with the written interaction between this famous architect and his client, Rose Pauson. It's rare to see such an intimate journal covering the conception of a building, especially of a home and this book provides a glimpse of the architect's thought processes in a real-time setting. I had to go through the book twice to give it what it deserves - my only wish is that the format was larger (double the size would have been wonderful, if too much to ask for).

It's such a tragedy that the building itself has been destroyed, and a loss to all fans of modernist, and especially organic architecture. I'll be keeping on eye on the publisher, Pomegranate, for other, similar volumes, as their recipe on this book is spot-on.… (plus d'informations)