Frank Lloyd Wright’s Forgotten House
How an Omission Transformed the Architect’s Legacy
In Frank Lloyd Wright’s Forgotten House, Nicholas D. Hayes recounts his purchase of a home designed by the famed architect. Located in Shorewood, Wisconsin, the Elizabeth Murphy House is indeed a Wright original, even though Wright refused to acknowledge its existence.
Hayes and his wife, Angela, bought the Murphy House in 2016, a century after it was built. Hayes details Wright’s involvement in a partnership to produce “Ready-Cut” homes, designed in his distinct style. With all materials and plans provided, the understated elegance of a Wright house could be available to the discriminating masses.
With historical intrigue, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Forgotten House reveals Wright’s connection to the Murphy “Ready-Cut” bungalow, and why he abandoned the project. Wright’s visions of “organic integrity” are defined, as is how the experience of living in a Wright house can be both a joy and a pragmatic challenge.
A guiding list of owners, historians, architects, and builders involved is included, along with reproductions of original floor plans and recent restoration photographs. Frank Lloyd Wright fans, or “Wrightophiles,” will delight in this saga of a small but mighty house, and the exasperated genius behind its design.
Reviewed by
Meg Nola
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