Frank Wright probably is the greatest architect that the United States has ever produced. He had a natural ability to design buildings. His buildings were not only beautiful, but also functional. They fit their purposes very well. Wrights churches, for example, make people feel like thinking and praying. His office buildings make people enjoy working, and his houses make people feel comfortable at home. However, Frank Wrights beautiful functional buildings are not the only reason that he is famous. There is another reason.

Frank Wright is called the greatest American architect because he started an American style in architecture. Most of the architecture in the United States before Wright was really European, not American. Wrights buildings do not like old European buildings. They have their own style. Wrights ideas about style are still used in the United States and in other parts of the world.

The most important idea in Frank Wrights style of architecture is that a building must fit its purpose and the land around it. His houses are often called grassland houses because their lines are similar to the lines on the grassland. Both the lines of the grassland and the lines of Wrights house are parallel (平行的) to the horizon. Most European style houses, in contrast, have many vertical (垂直的) lines that form 90 angles with the horizon.

Help: architect [a:kitekt] n. 建筑師