Selects: The Tailesin Massacre

Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural genius often overshadowed his volatile personal life, marked by a notorious extramarital affair with Mamah Borthwick that led to his social ostracization and financial ruin. This turmoil culminated in the 1914 Taliesin Massacre, where a disgruntled employee, Julian Carlton, murdered Borthwick and six others with an axe before torching Wright’s Wisconsin estate. Despite the tragedy and his subsequent struggles with abusive relationships and legal issues, Wright persevered to produce some of his most iconic work, including Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum. His life remains a complex study in the compartmentalization of artistic brilliance and profound personal failings, illustrating a career defined by both groundbreaking design and deep-seated controversy.