Inside The Met's Frank Lloyd Wright Room

Why It Matters

The room illustrates Frank Lloyd Wright’s transition from ornate to modernist design, reinforcing the Met’s role in preserving pivotal architectural history for future designers and scholars.

Key Takeaways

• Met acquired Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wayzata summer house in 1971.
• Room showcases two design phases: early Peoria and later European‑inspired.
• Light fixture provides constant illumination, never a skylight.
• Original house demolished; Met saved interior as period‑room exhibit.
• Furniture contrast highlights Wright’s evolution from ornate to sculptural simplicity.

Summary

Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Frank Lloyd Wright Room, curator guides reveal a summer house originally built in Wayzata, Minnesota, between 1912 and 1914 for the Little family. The Met acquired the entire structure in 1971 and installed the reconstructed room in 1982 after the original building faced demolition.

The room contains two distinct design epochs. An early chair from the Littles’ Peoria house displays dark‑finished oak, ornate moldings, and an upside‑down capital, reflecting Wright’s pre‑World War I aesthetic. A later piece, the guide’s favorite, features clear‑finished oak, minimalist lines, and a sculptural form inspired by Gerrit Rietveld and other European modernists, illustrating Wright’s shift toward simplicity.

A standout element is the overhead lighting fixture, described as “one of the greatest glories of the room,” which was designed as a permanent light attic rather than a skylight, ensuring illumination at any hour. The acquisition story underscores the intervention of Midwestern architectural historians who alerted the museum when zoning issues threatened the house’s demolition.

Preserving the Wright room offers scholars and visitors a tangible narrative of the architect’s stylistic evolution and highlights the Met’s commitment to safeguarding architectural heritage. It also provides a reference point for contemporary designers seeking to balance ornamentation with modernist restraint.

Original Description

Did you know The Met shipped a Frank Lloyd Wright living room to the American Wing in the 70s?

Wright was an architect who captivated the American imagination for more than seventy-five years. He played a central role in the development of modern architecture, leaving a lasting mark on the American landscape.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Room was originally the living room of the Little family's summer home, designed and built between 1912 and 1914 in Wayzata, Minnesota. Together, Wright and the Littles created an interior that is expansive yet cozy, angular yet welcoming, global in its influences yet deeply rooted in the local landscape.

___

Frank Lloyd Wright (American, Richland Center, Wisconsin 1867–1959 Phoenix, Arizona), “Living Room from the Francis W. Little House,” 1912–14.

Subscribe for new content from The Met: https://www.youtube.com/user/metmuseum

#TheMet #Art #TheMetropolitanMuseumofArt #Museum

© 2025 The Metropolitan Museum of Art