Frank Lloyd Wright Signed Typed Letter with Extensive Handwritten Revisions. Taliesin – November 12, 1930. Offered is an exceptional original typed letter signed by Frank Lloyd Wright, dated November 12, 1930, from Taliesin, Spring Green, Wisconsin, addressed to William Harlan Hale of Yale University. Far more than routine correspondence, this remarkable letter captures Frank Lloyd Wright at the center of one of the defining architectural debates of the twentieth century. The letter was written immediately following William Harlan Hale’s now-famous essay Art vs. Yale University, published in The Harkness Hoot, in which Hale criticized Yale’s newly constructed Collegiate Gothic campus and argued in favor of modern architecture. The article praised architects such as Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright while condemning what Hale viewed as imitation Gothic architecture. Wright enthusiastically supported Hale’s arguments and expanded upon them in this letter. Within the correspondence Wright discusses. Yale’s architectural direction. Modern architecture versus historical revival styles. Louis Sullivan as America’s true architectural pioneer. Christian Zervos and Cahiers d’Art. The importance of originality in American design. One of the letter’s strongest passages argues that Louis Sullivan should head any list of architectural pioneers, calling him “the true and original Pioneer, ” while criticizing the tendency to overlook America’s own contributions in favor of European architects. Wright also discusses exhibitions of his work at Princeton, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the possibility of bringing the exhibition to Yale and other Eastern universities. A Unique Working Manuscript. Unlike a standard dictated letter, this example contains extensive handwritten editorial revisions and annotations by Frank Lloyd Wright throughout both pages, together with his original ink signature. These handwritten additions transform the letter into a working manuscript, offering a rare glimpse into Wright’s editing process and making it considerably more desirable than a routine typed letter. Original two-page typed letter. Original Frank Lloyd Wright ink signature. Numerous autograph corrections and handwritten marginal notes throughout. Dated November 12, 1930. Taliesin, Spring Green, Wisconsin. Original fold lines from mailing. Age toning and edge discoloration consistent with age. Handwritten revisions remain bold and easily visible. Please review all photographs carefully, as they form part of the description. This is an outstanding museum-quality example of Frank Lloyd Wright correspondence, documenting one of the most influential debates in American architectural history while containing substantial autograph revisions in Wright’s own hand. It represents an exceptional opportunity for collectors of Frank Lloyd Wright, architectural manuscripts, modernism, Yale history, and twentieth-century design.
