Idea, Form, and Structure: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Archeseum

Authors

  • Cosimo Monteleone Department of Civil Environmental and Architectural Engeneering, Universy of Padova

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26375/disegno.17.2025.5

Abstract

The design of the Guggenheim Museum had a long and troubled history. The building was strongly opposed by supporters of the International Style due to its revolutionary and innovative nature [1], but Frank Lloyd Wright strenuously defended his idea, presenting it to public opinion as the only example of Organic Architecture [2] in New York [Dal Co 2004, p. 27].
The initial planning constraints were roughly the following: having to build no further than Midtown, the building would have belonged to the rigorous New York Hippodamian grid, so, in spite of himself, Wright was forced to fall back on the idea of a compact and vertical museum. [read more]

References

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Dal Co, F. (2004). Il tempo e l’architetto. Frank Lloyd Wright e il Guggenheim Museum. Milano: Electa.

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Monteleone, C. (2013). Frank Lloyd Wright. Geometria e astrazione nel Guggenheim Museum. Roma: Aracne.

Trombetti, T. (2007). Il funzionamento strutturale del Guggenheim Museum di Frank Lloyd Wright. In Casabella, No. 760, pp. 47-61.

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Wright, F.L. (1901). The Art and Craft of the Machine. In Brush and Pencil, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 77-90.

Wright, F.L. (1939). Organic Architecture: The Architecture of Democracy. London: Lund Humphries & Co. LDT.

Published

2026-04-01

How to Cite

[1]
C. Monteleone, “Idea, Form, and Structure: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Archeseum”, diségno, no. 17, pp. 31–40, Apr. 2026.

Issue

Section

Structures Made Visible. Drawing as Constructive Revelation