Born in Wisconsin in 1867, Frank Lloyd Wright became obsessed with a set of building blocks his mother had given to him on his ninth birthday. He grew up to become the father of organic architecture and the greatest American architect of all time, having designed more than 1,100 buildings during his lifetime. These included private homes – such as the stunning Fallingwater, churches, temples, a hotel, and the world-famous Guggenheim Museum in New York City. When asked how he could create so many designs, he answered, “I can’t get them out fast enough.” Frank Lloyd Wright was a man ahead of his time who could barely keep up with his own ideas!

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Ellen Labrecque is a former Senior Editor for Sports Illustrated for Kids and the author of over twenty nonfiction books for young readers, including biographies of Jim Thorpe and Magic Johnson.

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Who Was Frank Lloyd Wright?
 
For Frank Lincoln Wright’s ninth birthday, his mother, Anna Lloyd Jones, bought him a special set of building blocks. The wooden blocks came in many shapes and sizes: cubes, spheres, and pyramids. There were shiny papers to cover them, and sticks to connect them.
 
On that day in 1876, Anna dreamed her son would grow up to be a famous architect. An architect is a person who designs buildings such as homes, schools, hospitals, and museums. An architect plans what a building will look like inside and out. He also makes sure it is built safely.
 
Frank loved his new toys and played with them all day long. He learned how shapes fit together. And he learned that he could make bigger and bigger structures by putting smaller shapes together in the right order.
 
During Frank’s long life, he designed more than 1,100 buildings, including small houses, giant mansions, churches, temples, office buildings, and even a world-famous museum. When asked how he could create so many new projects, Frank answered, “I can’t get them out fast enough.” He could barely keep up with his own ideas!
 
Frank’s ideas led to some of the most creative structures ever built. He designed a house in Pennsylvania called Fallingwater that sits on top of a waterfall! He constructed an office building in Wisconsin that has columns shaped like giant lily pads at the top. He designed the Guggenheim art museum in New York City—a building that looks like a giant teacup from the outside. Inside, a spiral ramp rises toward a domed skylight.
 
In 1991, the American Institute of Architects declared Frank “the greatest American architect of all time.” He really did become one of the world’s best architects. And Frank’s journey all began with a set of blocks!