Ah, Frank Lloyd Wright. The name alone brings visions of incredible architecture to mind. He was and is a true visionary to architects all around the world. But, I had no idea he has such a scandalous love life. And you know how I love scandal.
I came upon this discovery the other day when I was reading my new People magazine. I don’t really have time to read books anymore (it is about all I can do to get the magazines read), but I love to look over the Book Review section. And there it was – Loving Frank: A Novel by Nancy Horan.
The book was about the affair between Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney and is a fictional diary of what occurred between the two. It all started in 1904, when Wright was to design a house for his neighbor, Edwin Cheney. He took a liking to Mamah and the two quickly fell in love. However, Wright’s first wife, Kitty, would not grant him a divorce. Eventually, the two ran off to Europe, with Wright leaving behind not only his wife, but six children as well. While in Europe, Edwin granted Mamah a divorce, but Kitty still refused. When the two returned from Europe in 1910, Wright got his mother to buy land in Spring Green, Wisconsin for him. He began building a home on the property in 1911, one that he called Taliesin. After the home was built, Wright, Mamah, and her two children move in.
All was relatively well until tragedy struck on August 15, 1914. One of Wright’s servants, Julian Carlton, said to be underpaid and disturbed by the unusual lovers, started a fire in the home. He stood by the door and murdered Mamah, her two children, three of Wright’s associates, and the son of one of the associates as they tried to leave the home. At the time, Wright was in Chicago overseeing work. Finally, in 1922, Kitty granted Wright a divorce. Wright rebuilt Taliesin Two on the grounds of the old house, but it burned in 1925.
Wright’s love affairs didn’t end with Mamah. He married Maude “Miriam” Noel in 1923, but her addiction to morphine doomed the marriage. While separated, Wright met Olga Lazovich Hinzenburg. Their daughter, Iovanna, was born in 1925. The two married in 1928 and remained married until Wright’s death in 1959.