Usonian: The Final Era
The final style Frank Lloyd Wright invented is the Usonian (sometimes called Wrightian). "The houses Wright designed in the forties and fifties, which numbered no less than 150, incorporated natural materials in a way that made his houses an integral part of the site. He almost invariably used coursed stone or brick, tall French doors, flat or shallow-pitched roofs, often with dentilled fascia, and extensive parapeted railings built of overlapping boards. Wright introduced mitered glass at exterior corners and avoided contained spaces. He always stressed that he 'destroyed the box' by the use of cantilevered construction where corner posts were structurally unnecessary; this allowed a sense of spatial freedom. He developed designs with strong geometric shapes and explored the design possibilities of hexagons (using thirty/sixty degree triangle) and circular forms" (Baker 144). This was the height of his career. Wright created some of most famous works during this period such as the Edgar J. Kauffman House also known as Fallingwater. The Usonian style changed how modern homes in subdivisions are built. Many homes are built with rock facades on the outside along with shallow pitched roofs. Large windows are used to make living areas seem larger, and French doors are very common. Houses sit on relatively large lots giving a family its own outdoor space.