Southern Illinois University Press Treasures of Taliesin: Seventy-Six Unbuilt Designs

Frank Lloyd Wright believed that his unbuilt designs were the most interesting of his works. Here are 106 color plates of his drawings for 76 unexecuted designs. Twenty-nine of the drawings have never been published. Pfeiffer has created a visual history of the development of Wright’s work that extends in time from 1895 to 1959and in architectural interest from his admonition to Franklin Watkins to use cadmium plated screws with an electrical screwdriver” to secure the cypress siding of his studio-residence to a description of the 26-foot drawing for The Mile High Building that was exhibited on September 17, 1956. Wright argued then that This is the future of the tall building in the American city. Level Manhattan to one large green, like Central Park, and erect a few of these well spaced apart and you have the congregation desired by city work and city life, but surrounded with trees, fields, parks and streams.” Pfeiffer draws on his long association with Wright to describe the circumstances surrounding the germination of each project, characterize the personalities involved, and explain what went wrong and why. The stories include political intrigue and assassination, as well as intimate glimpses of personalities such as Mike Todd and Ayn Rand, and a poignant recollection of Marilyn Monroe, who wanted an entire floor of her planned home with Arthur Miller for their children. There is even a residence for a mysterious client whose identity was known only by Wright.