I’ve made numerous trips to Wichita, Kansas to spend time with my Father. I had a lot of fun sharing my interest in Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture with him. He was an enthusiastic man who asked a lot of great questions in his desire to understand why Wright’s architecture interests me so.
Wright obviously had an affinity for the American Mid-west. His prairie style architecture was the logical result of his amazing ability to have a home fit in with its surroundings. The wide open spaces and grasslands surrounding Wichita, coupled with a wealthy clientele building homes in the early 1900s made it a perfect place for Wright to design a prairie home. The Allen Lambe house is a prime example of Wright’s prairie architecture.
The Corbin Education Center on the campus of Wichita State University is the perfect contrast to the 1918 prairie home designed for Governor Allen. It is modern and utilitarian, yet it still fits perfectly with its surroundings and captures the beauty of the Kansas grasslands in its walls and spires.
