Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives : architectural drawings, 1885-1959

Summary Information

Abstract

Nearly 1,100 built and unbuilt works by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright are represented in this remarkably comprehensive collection. The over 24,000 sheets in the collection include plans or drawings developed in the conception, presentation, and execution of buildings.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

The drawings are arranged chronologically by project number and are dividied into eight series: Series I: 1880s; Series II: 1890s; Series III: 1900s; Series IV: 1910s; Series V: 1920s; Series VI: 1930s; Series VII: 1940s; Series VIII: 1950s; Series IX: Unidentified work by type

• Series I: 1880s
• Series II: 1890s
• Series III: 1900s
• Series IV: 1910s
• Series V: 1920s
• Series VI: 1930s
• Series VII: 1940s
• Series VIII: 1950s
• Series IX: Unidentified work by type

Description

Scope and Content

In the 1980s, the FLLW Foundation gave each Wright project a job number, which we use in the archive to refer to the various projects. The drawings are arranged chronologically by project (with each series representing a decade of Wright's career), starting in 1885 with Wright's student drawings (#8501) and ending in 1959 with a design for an unbuilt Art Gallery at Arizona State University (#5917). The finding aid lists each project with its associated drawing extents. Some projects may only contain one drawing, like the Isabel Roberts house in River Forest, Illinois (#0808); while others projects are represented by hundreds of drawings, like the Guggenheim Museum (#4305), which has almost 800 drawings.

For additional ways to search the collection, please consult the downloadable inventories below:

Projects arranged by Project Number (PDF)

Projects arranged by Client (PDF)

Projects arranged by Location (PDF)

Sortable Inventory (Excel)

• Series I: 1880s

• Series II: 1890s

• Series III: 1900s

• Series IV: 1910s

• Series V: 1920s

• Series VI: 1930s

• Series VII: 1940s

• Series VIII: 1950s

• Series IX: Unidentified work by type

Publication Date

ca. 1885-1959

Part of The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives (The Museum of Modern Art | Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York

Using the Collection

Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

Restrictions on Access

This collection is available for use by appointment in the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. For further information and to make an appointment, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu.

Restrictions on Use

Columbia University is providing access to the materials in the Library's collections solely for noncommercial educational and research purposes. The unauthorized use, including, but not limited to, publication of the materials without the prior written permission of Columbia University is strictly prohibited. All inquiries regarding permission to publish should be submitted in writing to the Director, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. For additional guidance, see Columbia University Libraries' publication policy.

In addition to permission from Columbia University, permission of the copyright owner (if not Columbia University) and/or any holder of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) may also be required for reproduction, publication, distributions, and other uses. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of any item and securing any necessary permissions rests with the persons desiring to publish the item. Columbia University makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the materials or their fitness for a particular purpose.

Preferred Citation

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives : architectural drawings, ca. 1885-1959. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives (The Museum of Modern Art | Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York).

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Accession number--2013.006.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

Revision Description

2017-11-23 File created.

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form

Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical sketch

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was an American Architect internationally recognized for his innovative building design, Taliesin school and fellowship, and philosophy of "organic architecture.".