Even at the end of his long and groundbreaking career, American architect Frank Lloyd Wright continued to develop innovative ideas. Since his start in the 1890s, he gained a reputation for challenging the ways buildings looked and functioned for the next century. While he completed grand commissions on the scale of the Imperial Hotel in Japan (1915) and the Guggenheim Museum in New York (1943), he remained interested in the challenge of affordable housing throughout his career. This interest culminated in the 1950s with the “Usonian Automatic” building system: a set of concrete blocks that clients could, in theory, produce themselves and use to build their own homes. While the modular construction system proved both visually striking and remarkably flexible, it was also difficult and time-consuming to execute. The story of the Kalil House in Manchester, New Hampshire reveals the many facets of this unique building system, including its successes, its failures, and the lessons to be learned for building a better future.
I curated this exhibition as part of my role as the Frank Lloyd Wright Homes Manager for the Currier. I also collaborated with architect Roger Dignard on the design and production of a 3D-printed model of the building system.
On view at the Currier Museum of Art from June 2026 to June 2027
