Customer Reviews

Usonia: Frank Lloyd Wright's Design for America

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The architect Frank Lloyd Wright was eager to jump on the New Deal bandwagon in the 1930s to help reshape America across a sprawling countryside. His anti-urban regional planning ideas are well documented in this fascinating story that identifies the influences on Wright's sensibilities, from Lewis Mumford, Henry Ford, FDR, and others. Rosenbaum, who grew up a Frank Lloyd Wright Usoinan house built by his parents in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, weaves the story of the house (now a house museum open to the public) with early developments in manufactured housing, the Tennessee Valley Authority, greenbelt communities, and other federal initiatives of the era.

If you are an absolute Wrightophile, then I guess you might want this book. You will not learn anything new about Wright, and you wont see any outstanding photography either. 195 pages of double spaced text. Not much bang for your buck.

If you are a fan of architecture, this book would be an excellent addition to your library, but it needs to be understood that it does not have a great deal of photographic information contained within its pages to reference the great writing contained within.

The author knows his subject. After all, he lived it.

A great book of information, but not the first book on Usonian architecture that you should purchase.

In 1993 my wife and I visited Florence Alabama and learned that there was a Wright Usonian home that was built in the 30's. My wife qualifies as a true "Househugger" so we called and made an appointment to tour the home. We were met at the door by Mildred Rosenbaum, a delightful person, who shared the experience of having Mr. Wright design and build the house(of course through his assistants). This home is a piece of art that has been kept true to FLW's ideals and with the exception of the furniture (Mrs. Rosenbaum said the original furniture was very uncomfortable)which is compatible with the original construction. Oh, the story she told. . . This book enhances that story and puts all in perspective with the times and the area. In Sheffield there is a building that Henry Ford built when he wanted to buy the Wilson Dam Generating Dam to create an industrial empire in the south.

Mrs. Rosenbaum no longer lives there and the City of Florence owns the house. Read this book and visit the home. Both will give you an experience that you will not get anywhere else. The author was born there and raised there. He shares experiences that happened in the house and the diversity that existed in this small part of the south.