Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

September 5, 2008 6:14:13 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Mahony Griffin: Unsung Genius

Posted Jan 1, 08 9:38 AM CST in US,  Arts & Living 

(Newser) – You may never have heard of her, but you have seen her work. Marion Mahony Griffin illustrated much of Frank Lloyd Wright's early work. She also illustrated the work of Walter Burley Griffin, her architect husband. She may have been one of America's greatest  architects in her own right, the New York Times reports, overlooked because of her self-effacing nature and the tendency of scholars to pursue "great men" theories of history.

Mahony Griffin was the second woman to graduate from MIT with a degree in architecture and the first woman licensed to practice architecture in Illinois. She labored in Wright's studio for 10 years. She worked with her husband in Australia and India, eventually returning to her native Chicago, where she died in 1961.

Sources New York Times, Architecture Australia

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Palatial Design, Modest Price

    Nov 4, 07 10:33 AM CST
    Palatial Design, Modest Price Students of urban design should take a lesson from a new condominium development in Chicago's northern suburbs, the Chicago Tribune's architectural critic Blair Kamin says. Its three 20-story buildings in Skokie not only "create an instant skyline for a suburb that doesn't have one," they use Lego-like layers of glass and aluminum to create "an ever-shifting profile that unfolds with cinematic theatricality." More »

  • 10 Modern Chicago Masterpieces

    Aug 28, 07 9:34 PM CDT
    10 Modern Chicago Masterpieces In a city known for its early 20th Century buildings, Chicago Magazine names 10 early 21st Century masterpieces, boasting that these structures make Chicago "a global epicenter of architecture."

    1. GARY COMER YOUTH CENTER (2006)  John Ronan Architects, 7200 South Ingleside Avenue
    1. STATE STREET VILLAGE (2003)  Murphy/Jahn Architects, 3301 South State St.
    1. JAY PRITZKER MUSIC PAVILION (2004)  Frank Gehry, architect, Millennium Park
    More »

  • 150-Story Chicago Spire to Begin Construction

    Jun 27, 07 8:30 AM CDT
    150-Story Chicago Spire to Begin Construction The Chicago Spire, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, is finally under way. Following an ownership change, a design change and a name change, what will become the nation’s tallest building will be completed in 2010. More »

Marion Mahony Griffin's drawing for a house in Mason City, Iowa in 1912   (Art Institute of Chicago)
Marion Lucy Mahony Griffin   (marionmahonygriffin.org)
Marion Mahony Griffin's original "Prairie School" design of Henry Ford's Fair Lane Estate   (Henry Ford Estate)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 3)

Tags

Chicago  • architecture  • Frank Lloyd Wright


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other Arts & Living Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »