The A. D German Warehouse: Frank Lloyd Wright's Design Process

Abstract

This research discusses a long-overlooked building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The focus is on the project as a case study exemplifying Wright's design process. Although Wright's work is often described as appearing fully-conceived and then drawn in a single sitting onto the paper, the archival documents, correspondence and actual physical building of the A.D. German Warehouse tell a different story. The A.D. German Warehouse was designed ca. 1914 for Richland Center, Wisconsin, and was to be the only building Wright ever designed for the town of his birth. Built for businessman Albert Dell German of Richland Center, the warehouse is also Wright's only warehouse among his many projects. The research presented involved the study of archival documents, the building, interviews with local residents, and a review of writings about the warehouse. Analyses of the drawings produced throughout the project were used to construct a view into Wright's interior design process. When the warehouse was originally designed and constructed, Wright was also working on Taliesin (located approximately twenty-five miles from the warehouse project), Midway Gardens and the Imperial Hotel. The second design iteration occurred during the second phase of Wright's career when he was working on projects such as Fallingwater. The Warehouse project provides a snap shot of Wright's design approach during these two periods. Wright's drawings for the Warehouse rehabilitation, located in the archives at Taliesin West in Arizona, have never been previously published. The complete holdings consist of approximately 90 drawings and sketches for the project including floor plans, sections, elevations and furniture design sketches. The significance of the A.D. German Warehouse to Wright is demonstrated by his decision to publish it in Wijdeveld's 1925 Wendingen collection of his projects which also included Midway Gardens, the Imperial Hotel and the Larkin Building. (Wright, 1965 reprint edition). This paper argues that the A.D. German Warehouse provides a view into the complex design process by Wright.