When you saw Frank Lloyd Wright, you probably thought, “Ooooh, his designs.” Yes, we are all familiar with his designs and legacy of interiors.
Tragic Irony
Just some Trivia
But here’s a fact for you. Maybe good for those of you that would some day be on Jeopardy or Who Wants to be a Millionaire, heehee. But this is relevant to furniture and home design, so I’d figure this may interest some of you.
The affair and murder
I did some research and found that a handful of sites talk about the murder. Apparently, Frank Lloyd Wright eloped with a client’s wife to Europe and subsequently returned to live in a prairie house in Wisconsin. Shortly thereafter in 1914, headlines wrote “”Murderer of Seven: Sets Fire to Country Home of Frank Lloyd Wright Near Spring Green”. When Frank Lloyd Wright was at work one day, a staff member at the Taliesin locked up his 2nd wife, set fire to the house and hacked 7 people, including his 2nd wife, to death.
Tragic Irony
An ironic tragedy was that Wright had a design principal of “one door for all purposes”. So as his house was set on fire, the murderer stood at the door when the victims tried to escape and hacked everyone to death. I apologize to those of you that didn’t think this post wasn’t as upbeat as you thought, but just some interesting trivia for those of you that are the curious type.
For more reading:
http://www.ds.arch.tue.nl/education/students/MultiMedia/FallingWater/FLW.HTM
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-frank-lloyd-wrig.html
http://www.socyberty.com/History/Frank-Lloyd-Wright-Murder-At-The-Taliesin.69478
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I think your facts about the “one door” are a little off. The folks in the house were eating in 2 different rooms: Mameh and her son and daughter in one room, the apprentices in another. Some of the apprentices broke through a window, and 2 escaped the massacre.
Some interesting links:
http://socyberty.com/history/frank-lloyd-wright-murder-at-the-taliesin/
http://books.google.com/books?id=kuXfkiuW4W0C&pg=PA5&dq=frank+lloyd+wright+murder#v=onepage&q=frank%20lloyd%20wright%20murder&f=false
In various books and internet articles, there is mention of the apprentices noticing the gas seeping below the kitchen door from outside, and Mameh’s daughter escaping outside from where they were eating.