Insufficient Funds: The Financial Life of Frank Lloyd Wright

By Peter C. Alexander

Dozens of books have been written about architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, aesthetic, and various design achievements; however, no one has looked at his business practices… until now. In this book, Peter Alexander focuses on the financial life of this American architectural genius after more than fifteen years of research.

Wright was a spendthrift who earned a considerable fortune over his lifetime, but he was a man who never had sufficient funds to meet his expenses. Most often, his lack of financial stability was because he had an insatiable need to spend money on Japanese art, pianos, cars, and other assorted luxury items.

The material in the book comes from a wide variety of sources, including conversations and anecdotes that have been included in the many published works about Mr. Wright’s life and legacy as well as verifiable and apocryphal stories shared by docents conducting house tours. The book is also informed by considerable original material, including archival records about Mr. Wright’s financial life and interviews of two of his grandchildren, his Spring Green, Wisconsin neighbors, former apprentices, students enrolled in the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, and homeowners who worked with Wright to build their dream homes.