Walter Burley Griffin in America

Nothing from Canberra. Nothing from India. A selection of B&W photos, mostly from the street present one view of house. Pretty disappointing.

This is the perfect book covering the unfortunately obscure career of one of America's great architects who ended up achieving everlasting fame in Australia. The author has done his homework well and has produced a book which discusses all of the oeuvre of Griffin prior to his departure for Australia. For anyone with an interest in the Prairie School in America, this book is essential.

This wonderful exploration of the architecture of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin is a helpful introduction and ongoing reference work for anyone who wants to know more of the story of the "Chicago Group" who were creating a new residential architecture in and around Chicago in the early years of the 20th century.The work of Griffin / Mahony (one cannot separate the two) is presented beautifully by Mati Maldre's exquisite black and white photographs. They convey the striking geometries and interest in symmetry that set the Griffin / Mahony work apart from the more asymmetrical leanings of Wright. This book should serve as a guide to all of the communities in which these works remain, to safeguard them for the future. Many of the features of these homes look strikingly "modern" even one hundred years later.Walter and Marion were both Oak Park Studio employees of Frank Lloyd Wright and deserve more credit than has been given heretofore in contributions toward bringing into being what has come to be known as the prairie style of architecture.As Barry Byrne described it, the architects in the Oak Park Studio (William Drummond, Francis Barry Byrne, Walter Burley Griffin, Albert McArthur, Marion Mahony, Isabel Roberts and George Willis) engaged in internal design competitions. So that if new clients, say Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, came to call, the program of their needs would be set before all the architects on the staff. Then by a stated time, each one would present his or her idea as to what would be the best solution for the client's needs. Within the Studio, they would discuss and decide--and whichever design seemed most appropriate would be developed and presented to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. The rest of the designs would be filed away for possible future use. No matter whose design it was, Wright, as the principal of the firm, took all the credit.It is said that few of these drawings were signed, so the influence of Griffin or Mahony or the others is hard to trace. Even so, this book shows elements of the Griffin / Mahony aesthetic that point directly to pre 1913 works that came from the Oak Park Studio. Such was the impact of Griffin and Mahoney that innovations such as the L-shaped plan of the Oak Park Thomas House are probably their work, not Wright's per se. All of this can be explored further in Marion Manony Griffin's "The Magic of America" which is unpublished but available to be read on line.

This book is well researched, well designed and well executed. The photographs are entirely in B&W and are beautifully reproduced here. Walter Burley Griffin and his most talented wife Marion Mahony are still fighting their way out of the shadows of Frank Lloyd's Wright's "presence"..however this book greatly enhances our knowledge of the legacy the Griffin's built here. Bottom line, Walter and Marion were a powerful architectural team and Illinois/Iowa both house an unbelievable collection of their prairie school gems. I would highly reccommend this book as a starting point for anyone interested in exposing themselves to the Griffins are their influence on Frank Lloyd Wright and the prairie school. FYI the first 1/3 of the book is text and the rest photographs.....I just wish the book was bigger and longer.

This is a beautiful catalog of the work of a unique American architect. (I'm not an unbiased reviewer -- I live in a Walter Burley Griffin home.) Mati's photographs are beautiful, and he is to be congratulated on his perserverance in completing this photographic record when he did. Some of the houses are disappearing due to developer fever -- it's truly a shame that Americans lust after oversized cookie cutter McMansions, and don't recognize the heritage that is being discarded. Viva Preservation!