Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives
Name	Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives
Established	1940s
Location	Taliesin (Spring Green, Wisconsin), Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona
Type	Architectural archive
Collection size	Millions of drawings, photographs, documents

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives document the career of Frank Lloyd Wright, the operations of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and the histories of Taliesin (Spring Green, Wisconsin), Taliesin West, and associated projects such as Fallingwater, Guggenheim Museum, and Robie House. The archives connect primary materials related to commissions for clients like Frederick C. Robie, Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr., and institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The collection informs scholarship on contemporaries and collaborators including Louis Sullivan, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Walter Burley Griffin, and Marion Mahony Griffin.

History

The archives originated from Wright's retention of drawings, correspondence, and models during his tenure at sites including Taliesin (Spring Green, Wisconsin), Taliesin West, and during commissions like Imperial Hotel (Tokyo), SC Johnson Headquarters, and Hollyhock House, with organizational stewardship evolving through entities such as the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, and partnerships with the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Library of Congress. Accretion of material occurred during major conservation campaigns after events involving Edgar J. Kaufmann Jr., Olivia Wright, and trustees connected to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The archives were shaped by acquisitions from practices linked to architects like Wright's Oak Park Studio, drafts from associates including William Drummond, Herbert Rowse, Bruce Goff, and transfers prompted by projects with entities such as The Museum of Modern Art and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Holdings and Collections

The holdings encompass architectural drawings, blueprints, and renderings for projects like Unity Temple, Taliesin Fellowship, Price Tower, Ennis House, and Hollyhock House; photographic collections documenting construction and interiors by photographers associated with Julius Shulman, Ezra Stoller, and studio archives from Cecil Beaton; business records including correspondence with clients such as Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr. and contractors from Taylor, Hassall & Company; personal papers tied to Wright's relationships with figures like Olga Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney; and model and artifact holdings relating to exhibitions at Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum, and regional museums including the Art Institute of Chicago, Milwaukee Art Museum, and Phoenix Art Museum. The collection also contains records of apprentices and staff associated with the Taliesin Fellowship, drawings for commercial commissions like SC Johnson Headquarters, and materials connected to urban projects and competitions involving the Chicago Tribune Tower and collaborations with planners such as Daniel Burnham.

Preservation and Conservation

Conservation programs address paper deterioration, ink fugacity, and model stabilization using methods informed by practitioners at the National Archives and Records Administration, the Library of Congress, and conservation laboratories aligned with the Smithsonian Institution and the Getty Conservation Institute. Treatments have been applied to fragile media, including architectural vellum, lithographic plates, and historic photographs by experts who have worked on collections for institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cooper Hewitt, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Environmental control strategies follow standards promulgated by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and building stewardship practices modeled on work at Fallingwater and Guggenheim Museum conservation projects.

Access and Use (Research and Public Programs)

Researchers access materials through onsite reading rooms, fellowships connected to the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, and collaborative residencies with universities such as the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Arizona State University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Public engagement includes rotating exhibitions at venues like the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, Bauhaus Archive, and regional cultural centers including the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Phoenix Art Museum. Educational programs and lectures have featured scholars from institutions such as Columbia University, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Princeton University, and the Royal Institute of British Architects, while legal and rights management interactions involve entities like the United States Copyright Office and licensing partners that steward reproductions and touring exhibitions.

Digitization and Online Resources

Digitization initiatives have produced high-resolution scans and metadata conforming to schemas used by the Library of Congress, the Digital Public Library of America, and the National Archives and Records Administration, enabling discovery through platforms like the Smithsonian Collections Search Center and partner portals at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Online resources include image galleries, curated digital exhibitions modeled on projects at the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum, and scholar-accessible finding aids developed in consultation with digital preservation teams from Stanford University Libraries, Harvard Library, and the Getty Research Institute.

Governance and Partnerships

Governance is administered by trustees and stewardship bodies associated with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and coordinated with academic partners including the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and municipal stakeholders in Spring Green, Wisconsin and Scottsdale, Arizona. Strategic partnerships include collaborations with the Guggenheim Foundation, the Museum of Modern Art, and conservation alliances with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Getty Conservation Institute, and university research centers such as Columbia University's Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Category:Archives in the United States Category:Frank Lloyd Wright