Wright believed that America should have its own architecture and that it should not be influenced by European styles. This led him to develop the idea of the open floor plans and homes suited to American lifestyles. He also believed that the architecture should reflect individual needs of the client, the native materials available, and the nature of the site. This thinking led him to develop what he called organic architecture. He introduced the word "organic" into his philosophy of architecture as early as 1908. It was an extension of the teachings of his mentor Louis Sullivan whose slogan “form follows function” became the mantra of modern architecture. Wright changed this phrase to “form and function are one,” using nature as the best example of this integration.
Although the word "organic" in common usage refers to something which has the characteristics of animals or plants, Frank Lloyd Wright's organic architecture takes on a new meaning. It is not a style of imitation, because he did not claim to be building forms which were representative of nature. Instead, organic architecture is a reinterpretation of nature’s principles as they had been filtered through the intelligent minds of men and women who could then build forms which are more natural than nature itself. His work includes original and innovative examples of many building types, including offices, churches, schools, skyscrapers, hotels, and museums. Wright also designed many of the interior elements of his buildings, such as the furniture and stained glass.
For most of his long life, Wright's personal situation was far from stable. His parents seem to have had a bitterly unhappy marriage, and they divorced when he was only seventeen. Wright himself had a troubled marital history. His first marriage ended when he eloped to Europe with Mamah Brothwick, the wife of a former...