A narcissist architect fashions his own of legend to legacy thru charisma, embellishment, and excess. The tragedies of his mother, wives, and lover are left in his wake.

SYNOPSIS:

The birthplace of the American architecture starts in ashes of the 1973 Chicago. From a distance Anna sees an omen for her son Frank, his Taliesin. It is there where the parents of two-year-old Catherine Lee Tobin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s first wife, are fleeing.

Executors of the Wright’s Foundation, as the last request of his third wife, Olga, claim the remains of the architect from his beloved Wisconsin Taliesin to be re-interred with her ashes in Arizona. Two conflicting foundations have come to terms, but the family plot is where his mother is buried, and where his genuine love and murdered mistress rests.

As the exhumation procession in process, a headstone next to Wright belongs to his mistress, Mamah, who was hacked to death burned Taliesin. There’s a flashback of this moment for the architect.

He reflects on a touchstone moment, a Chicago architect, Silsbee, is building a chapel in his town and a church in Chicago for his Unitarian minister brother Jenks. 19-year-old Wright meets Silsbee at the chapel construction and shows him a drawing, Silsbee calls it a “sketch’”, but invites him to stop by in Chicago after graduation. Wright knows he’s wasting his time at college.

We return to the sight of the architect with his third wife, Olga, at the family cemetery. She is thirty years younger than the 65-year-old architect. They are reflective as they have established the rebuilt Taliesin to become a fellowship studio for architects. It also allows Wright an income stream and free labor.

Olga, in part, no longer wishes to be in Wisconsin in winter, and to be physically removed from the reminders of the previous women in his life, she lays the groundwork for a Taliesin in Arizona for the winter months and continues to build a supportive foundation for some of his more creative and some of his most productive years.

It is the last night of the studio year for the students at Taliesin. Olga entertains the students waiting for Wright’s entrance. He comes in and sits at the piano and plays a few cords of a Bach concerto before in introduces a special guest for the concert. The guest plays a Bach sonata. Wright reflects on being 18-years-old. He’s back in his room. His father is playing the same sonata downstairs.

His mother, Anna, comes is to talk about the family and her dreams for him. Anna then goes downstairs to have a conversation with Wright’s father. She tells him their marriage of convenience is over. She explains why and his shortcomings. He needs to go. Now.

Wright is still at Taliesin but is about to perform his Aladdin magic. It is here we witness Wright’s unflinching belief in his own charisma, creativity, and survival skills. He has taken money from client to build a special home. Three months later, the client has yet to see anything. The client calls Wright and demands to see his progress. Wright assure the client the work is in process and asks the client, “When would you like to it?” The client says, “Four hours.” Wright has done nothing on the project.

ARCHITECT