Architect Frank Lloyd Wright is an essential figure in modern American architecture, having created some of the most stunning buildings of the country over his staggering 70-year career. Now, his influence will be recognized on a global scale, as eight of his structures were recently named UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They're some of the only 20th-century pieces of architecture to receive this great honor, and the buildings join a small number of UNESCO Sites in the United States. Before their addition, there were 1,092 UNESCO World Heritage Sites with just 23 of them domestically located.
The 8 sites included on the World Heritage List were constructed during the early-to-mid 1900s. They are the following: Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois (1909); the Frederick C. Robie House in Chicago, Illinois (1910); Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin (begun in 1911); Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, California (1921); the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House in Madison, Wisconsin (1937); Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona (begun 1938); Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania (1939); and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, New York (1959).
By naming Wright’s architecture UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it's lauding his designs as having significant influence not only in the United States but the rest of the world too. Champions of Wright’s buildings are encouraged that the UNESCO distinction will help to preserve more of his structures. Around 20 percent of them have been destroyed over the years, due to natural disasters, demolition, and plain disregard.
Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois (1909). Stock Photos from David Harmantas/Shutterstock
Frederick C. Robie House in Chicago, Illinois (1910). Stock Photos from EQRoy/Shutterstock
Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin (begun 1911). Stock Photos from Jim Packett/Shutterstock
Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, California (1921). Stock Photos from Kit Leong/Shutterstock
Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania (1939). Stock Photos from Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House in Madison, Wisconsin (1937). Photo: James Steakley [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona (begun 1938). Stock Photos from Eugene Fedorenko/Shutterstock
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, New York (1959). Stock Photos from Tinnaporn Sathapornnanont/Shutterstock
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