(1869 – 1959) Wright’s buildings reinforce American ideals of democracy individual freedom and family. His inexpensive middle-class Usonian (United States-onian) homes and low, extended Prairie houses have led to the development of a uniquely American, suburban housing type. Consistent placement of the fireplace at the heart of a house was both a metaphorical and physical organizing principle. He utilized natural imagery and materials while accepting modern machinery demonstrated in the Fallingwater house, Larkin Building and the Guggenheim Museum. His promotion of the American natural and social landscape in architecture still influences design decades after his death.