Frank Lloyd Wright and Mason City: Architectural Heart of the Prairie

by Roy R Behrens

“A superb study of what a stellar group of architects accomplished in the Iowa locale, not to mention the vision of the locals” (Universitas).   In the early 1900s, Frank Lloyd Wright transformed a small midwestern prairie community into one of the world’s most important architectural destinations. Mason City, Iowa, became home to his City National Bank and Park Inn—the last surviving Wright hotel. In addition, his prototype Stockman House helped launch the Prairie School architectural style. Soon after, architect Walter Burley Griffin followed in Wright’s footsteps, designing a cluster of Prairie School homes in the Rock Crest/Rock Glen neighborhood. Design historian Roy Behrens leads the way through Mason City’s historic development from the Industrial Revolution to the modern era of Frank Lloyd Wright.   Includes photos   “A fine job of showcasing Wright’s work in Mason City while incorporating some of Wright’s personal (and scandalous!) history with the evolution of this north central Iowa town.” —The Poetry of Sight

147 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 5, 2016

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently visited Wright's Falling Water and Kentuck Knob houses in Pennsylvania and enjoyed seeing both of those homes. Having spent many summer vacations in Mason City as a youth, I was thrilled to stumble upon this book and excited to read about Wright's architectural impact on this small Iowa town. I think the author did a fine job of showcasing Wright's work in Mason City while incorporating some of Wright's personal (and scandalous!) history with the evolution of this north central Iowa town.

[Liam Coussens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a long time to get to the point (the actual prairie style architecture in Mason City) and there's not a ton of detail about the specific structures and their layouts/designs. But otherwise a decent local history of Mason City from this perspective.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pros: Made me want to go to Mason City. Included Walter Burley Griffin and Marian Mahoney. Cons: Poor writing. WAY more far-flung background on everything than it needed.

[Gil Hahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant but thin. Too much gossip and not enough architecture.

[David Bradshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun little book on prairie school in mason city iowa

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written with interesting material. The book has greater depth because it reaches far beyond Frank Lloyd Wright.

[Lavinia Curletta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked reading this better than I thought I would. This one seemed like a good learning choice, and it was, but Wright's life also proved interesting.