He had a falling out with his employer and mentor, “father of skyscrapers” Louis Sullivan, over a breach of contract
- a financially draining taste for the finer things in life prompted Wright to take on nine independent commissions, which were forbidden by his contract. Sullivan found out after recognizing a house not far from Sullivan’s own home as unmistakably Frank Lloyd Wright in aesthetic. Wright left the firm and did not speak to Sullivan for twelve years.
Wright turned down an opportunity to study at France’s prominent Ecole Des Beaux-Arts.
- The terms of the opportunity included four years in Paris, two in Rome, and an employment opportunity at Burnham’s own firm, but Wright felt that the school’s classical aesthetics clashed with his vision of American architecture.
He had a highly publicized affair with cultural operator and married woman Mamah Borthwick Cheney.
- Wright and Mamah were neighbors in 1903, the former having been commissioned to design a house for the latter’s husband, Edwin Cheney.
To be granted a divorce from her husband, Mamah relocated to Europe in 1909. Wright followed her, thus abandoning Kitty and their six children.
His famous Taliesin home, which had been built for himself and Mamah to settle down in, was struck with tragedy and rebuilt twice.
- Mamah, two of her children, and four others were murdered by a deranged Barbadian servant, who also set fire to the house. Wright was working in Chicago at the time.
Wright rebuilt the home and christened it “Taliesin II.” He lived there with his third wife and their daughter. However, crossed wires sparked another fire. The house was once again rebuilt and named “Taliesin III.” It was here where Wright conducted his Taliesin Fellowship, where he taught aspiring young architects.