The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright

Overview

About

The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019 as a cultural site.

Why it was inscribed

The World Heritage Committee found that it meets criterion (ii) of the ten selection criteria:

(ii) an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design.

Description (UNESCO World Heritage Centre)

The property consists of eight buildings in the United States designed by the architect during the first half of the 20th century. These include well known designs such as Fallingwater (Mill Run, Pennsylvania) and the Guggenheim Museum (New York). All the buildings reflect the ‘organic architecture’ developed by Wright, which includes an open plan, a blurring of the boundaries between exterior and interior and the unprecedented use of materials such as steel and concrete. Each of these buildings offers innovative solutions to the needs for housing, worship, work or leisure. Wright's work from

Travel tips

What is included: eight buildings in six states: Unity Temple and Robie House in Illinois, Taliesin and the Jacobs House in Wisconsin, Hollyhock House in California, Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, Taliesin West in Arizona, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Taliesin West: in Scottsdale, Arizona, northeast of Phoenix; it was Wright's winter home and studio and is visited mainly on guided tours. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has domestic and international flights.

Fallingwater: in Stewart Township, Pennsylvania, between Mill Run and Ohiopyle, about 116 km southeast of Pittsburgh, so a car is needed. It is built over a waterfall and is seen on guided tours.

Guggenheim Museum: on Fifth Avenue in New York next to Central Park; the spiral ramp is the main feature and the galleries can be visited freely during exhibitions.

Chicago area: Robie House stands near the University of Chicago on the south side, and Unity Temple, with other early Wright buildings, is in the suburb of Oak Park. Both can be reached by public transport and seen in a day.

Elsewhere: Hollyhock House is in Barnsdall Art Park in Los Angeles; Taliesin in Spring Green and the Jacobs House in Madison are both in Wisconsin and can be combined.

Booking: most buildings are visited on guided tours, and places are limited in high season, so book ahead. Some interiors are not open and can only be seen from outside.

Time and season: the eight sites are far apart, so most visitors choose a few. Spring and autumn are best; Arizona is very hot in summer, with winter the best time for Taliesin West; Fallingwater is at its best in autumn.

Photo credits: Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright, Pennsylvania: Carol M. Highsmith (public domain, Wikimedia Commons)