Wright & Corwin, Architects: Frank Lloyd Wright's Unacknowledged Partnership with Cecil S. Corwin

THE SIGNIFICANT ROLE PLAYED BY CECIL CORWIN in the early years of Frank Lloyd Wright's career has been severely underestimated. The accepted narrative of Wright's earliest work reduces Corwin's contribution to the single passive act of having allowed Wright to announce his first clandestine commissions under Corwin's name in an effort to conceal his moonlighting from his employer, Adler & Sullivan. In hopes of correcting this historical injustice, the following account examines the working relationship between Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) and Cecil S. Corwin (1860–1941) (fig. 1) in the critical years 1891 to 1895, including Corwin's substantial role in Wright's so-called bootleg projects and Wright's departure from Adler & Sullivan, which was followed—despite Wright's later denial—by their de facto partnership in shared offices in Adler & Sullivan's Schiller Building. In his autobiography, Wright described Corwin as his friend, confidant, and personal mentor but never as an active participant in his work. Instead, in an act of intentional concealment, Wright took pains to emphatically answer the unasked question, saying, “We were not partners.”1New research shows that Wright's first outside commission for the residence of Dr. Allison W. Harlan was procured for Wright by Corwin and that Corwin likely provided construction supervision for Wright's Harlan, Blossom, and McArthur residences. Furthermore, Wright and Corwin's decision to share offices in Adler & Sullivan's recently completed Schiller Building did not come in the aftermath of Wright's dismissal from Adler & Sullivan but was planned and coordinated in advance. Rather than working independently, as commonly believed, Corwin appears to have abandoned his own architectural practice to assist in Wright's work from 1893 until 1895 when he left Chicago and the architectural profession. Evidence suggests that Corwin had an active hand in Wright's work of the period while undertaking no independent work of his own until his final design for a family friend, the Henry G. Mitchell house of 1894 in Racine, Wisconsin.The story of Wright's bootleg houses and his departure from Adler & Sullivan is well known but the facts remain elusive. The story has been told and retold with varying degrees of inventiveness and embellishment, but the few details that form its foundation come almost entirely from a single source, Wright himself, with little independent evidence to corroborate or refute his account. Wright first told the story in An Autobiography, originally in and in Wright's is a not for its and and but of Wright's in his An Autobiography, when Wright was in his is not the of a the of his career but an active effort by Wright to his and to a in his career the early years of the Wright's was not as but as an account of had come was as a foundation for the of his career to as has Wright of himself, and his has to as is a of and has Wright's account of his early years in from the and has or as the of Wright's and the of his the of Wright's account of his earliest independent his from Sullivan, and the of his practice have not been told by the of the story is Wright left his the of in to an in work in the offices of the first he was Cecil years his Corwin took his under his and the Wright with his were than told of an with Adler & Sullivan, Wright to Sullivan and was when Sullivan of Wright's to he a that the Wright a of in Wright that Sullivan a personal to in from his to a and a house in Sullivan the was and the house was Wright to the of family and his own he took commissions outside of for Sullivan Wright's which he a of Wright's and Wright was from the his Wright his Cecil Corwin to share offices with in the Schiller Building. by their in the Wright's name with Corwin's of critical as Wright later to in his autobiography, “We were not narrative that have been but that the of Wright's account and in a is to that in Wright's narrative is is and and to the of the to and that have an and in a this is by or but for to the of with Wright's in Chicago and a the of Wright of in and was to for Chicago he he a of Wright in the by a in little than in his he a to and in the in his Wright by this and to that the of Wright's was between and the of the Chicago than than the by Wright in his Wright had in the in to the final but the of the following were no the for his to the of the by for Wright's Lloyd Wright was not the from for the first that he was not to Chicago for to a but his for an family and to his employer, this Wright have been with the of the in Chicago and the Lloyd family in which had been completed the Wright had a role in the design of the is not this work have been under to Chicago no later than and working for almost of Wright and Corwin a of Wright to the Corwin than was in than have left Wright to to to to his and the Corwin took the role of mentor to his friend, years Wright later a a house from by of for a in the offices of W. Wright with for a the of Adler & the of Wright's Adler & Sullivan were in the design of the Wright was to work of the few likely in of his with Wright's work for Adler & Sullivan houses for and Sullivan in the residence of in Chicago a by W. Sullivan, but as a residence for their and a house for Dr. and W. S. Wright later of as entirely or his were for the under the of was not Wright his his with Adler & Sullivan, Wright took so-called bootleg independent commissions while moonlighting outside of the or of his The first of a house for Dr. Allison W. Harlan (fig. was in 1891 while Wright was in the design of the Sullivan for Adler & Wright's bootleg is the Harlan house that the personal for the bootleg which he Wright the Harlan house as early as when was in The and the Harlan Wright later that was first while with Adler and Sullivan that was as have to the of own Wright to the Harlan house in of his work until the and in later years his departure from Adler & Sullivan to Sullivan's of his work for In Wright his to that had not to Harlan in his Wright's work to to Wright the first of the were the early the Harlan of the between Sullivan and Wright's for the and the role he is that little the of this in his a clandestine the Harlan house was in including the of The the of The and and the of the Chicago and The S. Corwin has completed for a and residence to for Dr. W. have a of and and this the to in The its is no to the of the is an of a commission by a known with an practice in has been that Wright's and Cecil his name to the work in to Wright conceal his moonlighting from his but had no with the a was no Wright's was In of commissions were provided by for a single for their work and architectural commissions were and moonlighting work outside of did not of the later in the with no of the which was have that the of the Harlan residence to Sullivan's own that Wright's moonlighting and the name of an than Wright to with the or have pains to the that Sullivan have the when between his and to he have of Wright's has been to Harlan himself, his to and the of the was to as the first to in an to the the that Chicago an to the of in the he had no to the or its with the 1893 have to that Harlan had a personal to Sullivan or in the that have to an of Adler & Sullivan. In Harlan had no to Wright that for Cecil was Corwin have known Harlan Corwin the commission for and Corwin the to Wright to the to conceal Wright's were not in that the to Allison W. Harlan was and to Chicago to his own practice in his from the of in and his from the of and in Chicago in was the of the Chicago in the Chicago of in and the of the of and in his Harlan was a of the first of in of the in the of Chicago in as of the Chicago in as the and of the and was the and of the from until the Chicago of with Harlan its of a the of and with the of a in the of the The was well with the the to the the of and a and the with its the to the The were and from the were in the of the this and the of were with their and under their own as the while the of as its The construction of the was coordinated with and its Harlan in a house he had in with an Corwin had family to the and and to Corwin's Corwin from in later the from Corwin's Corwin his to the of the planned his friend, Dr. Henry of and and of the of Cecil Corwin's Corwin for the in Corwin and Dr. were with Cecil and of a of in was in that to in the with a having had from in and the in as of the in from to Cecil and were in and was in in to from a to the first from in and the of and in as a in the to he the of in and Corwin were later the of his to Chicago while his to with in family to and relationship with Harlan were no in Corwin the Harlan commission for Wright and himself, and is that Wright had no to Harlan Harlan had a in for the house likely a later in or The work was in and a was in Wright have been to design the with Corwin for and work his Corwin had active work in the and have supervision with the and of had left to Adler & Sullivan in Corwin left years later in to form a partnership with W. had left the and Corwin's partnership was in the of The and with the that have in this and Corwin an in the of The and of the to and Corwin to have had a projects and under their was the Corwin was likely for the work as he had his as in of their work was for provided the with In for a house the of and and houses of In for an to and a with and and under Corwin's was in 1891 with projects for S. and S. including under Corwin's and a of houses as & The houses were a of the Harlan house and were the with the Harlan have allowed Corwin to while construction of Corwin the Harlan to Wright than to is to his partnership with was of Corwin to is that was to the of the that to an from architectural Corwin was to Wright's and to his own and his for is to as to which of was the the for or the of an to its The Harlan commission and the for Wright's later bootleg early is in by his having his own work while working for and The of projects by including projects by an design for a for and for a single for Wright was in this period as the not in practice or partnership to have his work in the In for which Wright was as were in and The a of an design for was likely the of Wright's in while Wright's of the the following was his first Adler & Wright's to The first of in a Chicago was a a by S. a in from the have been likely never the details of the but the suggests was to the construction of Wright's Wright his to that no in a with and as he from and to The and of has a the of and a of the Harlan house was under construction in the of Wright took his houses for W. and McArthur to by in in this Wright his his Wright no McArthur his Lloyd the were active McArthur and had in were active in the in Chicago in McArthur in The in Blossom, having in Chicago the of appears to have been a of and he was in the and McArthur commissions were under Corwin's for the house was The McArthur Corwin had active projects that have allowed to to Wright's projects with his a for & and a for of were in and in and projects the of the Harlan, Blossom, and McArthur Wright in his autobiography, did not not in to Wright for he have in his early but the of the Wright was to or the work the were not houses that from of this the active of the or his in of the and the by Wright in his were not their own for the is not an of Wright's work but an of of the work details in and for have been in with and the construction as a of the was for the construction which a substantial share of the of this work was likely left to Corwin in the role of likely had no in Wright's and houses of and McArthur and Blossom, were Wright's G. of was to Wright by had in been to Wright McArthur and house in was to Wright's for and in Wright no the as and have been and to with and the Harlan house in Cecil Corwin the single commission of his the design of a for a and of and was to house the including and Corwin's family to the were likely the in his but no that Corwin was in of his design and was in The was with the of in 1893 and in the Harlan no of the is to in the or a single Corwin's appears to have but is The 1893 of The the of the a account of the its and its the The for was by Cecil S. has the for of the and to and as this has a of the of the The The is a and of and the architectural is a of the and of is for and and its for than The of the and is in The is and The of and the of its account is to that for its has no in the is Frank Lloyd Wright with the to the details of Corwin's work. In his autobiography, Wright to a between Corwin and Corwin's with his as an and his decision to Wright the account by saying, had been working of his in the Wright Corwin that is of work than of a by Wright's to his is the as having in when Corwin of his decision to and but appears to an of an period years in the of The of Corwin's work for likely took while was under construction than its Corwin had his partnership with and was his commission to but was little in his work. a in the Corwin was he remain an In this of the his own and in partnership with Corwin the of no in for as when to Wright suggests a saying, not to and In Wright's Corwin his saying, not the for a Corwin was the Wright for a and as Wright took outside he and Corwin to an in the Schiller Corwin construction supervision Wright work the design of for to the described as the of a evidence a of the was in 1893 to from for Wright appears to have been from a of by the was and the a later that and had been for the were in while Wright was with Adler & Sullivan but completed his to the Schiller Building. of the was completed in were not for construction of the and the was final bootleg commission was a house for W. to in a that had years Wright likely work the in with his work the was a working with his and as & Wright's first with have come while working in the of which & Chicago Wright's Adler & Sullivan, & were with the having the in Chicago and the Building in In & had offices Adler & Sullivan's own which have for Wright and to and the likely as his own and following his departure from Adler & Sullivan, Wright have been to construction Wright had no to Corwin in the is a to projects as in with following the of Wright's work a single to the of design or the as were and completed of the The is Wright's Blossom, and houses of were the or of and for the house were from until early Corwin's & and were and the as Wright's work. The for and the house with of design and Rather than bootleg projects following in an of work. Wright and Corwin were in and early and this while Wright was by Adler & Sullivan. Wright's with Sullivan come to an Wright's his departure from Adler & Sullivan was by Sullivan's of his which Sullivan a of his In later Wright the to Sullivan's of the Harlan Wright later to the Harlan house as the of his independent is not that he to as the of his with Sullivan. is that a completed a and likely known to Sullivan for have been the of their in the of of Wright's bootleg projects were the of the have been the W. in was an working with Adler & Sullivan with offices Sullivan not have a and to the work in his own under his own or his having been Wright's first work to having as a in The and in Wright later the design as his of a of his of career that have been was or not the house was the of Wright's the had been In his autobiography, Wright his account of his offices in the Schiller Building with a but of his his by a and The is a and he for his to he his is the he he of of the the in of and the as as he its the of the of An Autobiography, Wright's first to of a a single in a of is Wright's his and its but the Wright and of the as had to for a the by not in the a of and a to the that the the the the is that following his departure from Adler & Sullivan, Wright working from his in in the Schiller Building. Evidence Wright and Corwin's to the Schiller Building was planned and coordinated in advance. that their offices in the Schiller Building Wright left Adler & Sullivan than Wright is the but was not in the and as he to had and its to the and Sullivan, Cecil Corwin and offices a in the Schiller The form a The its to the for the but Wright and Corwin had no their in the Schiller Building by the of the the first of Schiller was in but offices were not with until from the first of the following the Schiller Building offices were in for the 1893 for in the was to with having been by of the of Chicago shows in 1893 to in had been in the design of the Schiller Building Adler & Sullivan and for himself, to Sullivan's for his in the had been left to than the for the had offices in the by Wright's had left Adler & Sullivan in early 1891 following of the Building. Wright have been of the of the work and the of and his allowed to of a not to the from a and Adler & Sullivan, that to the Schiller Building was in The S. Corwin has from the to Schiller of Corwin's the following has been with for has an for the practice of The were not Building was the of Cecil the he had shared with G. W. for the had with Corwin and in the offices of and was Wright's first in The of the suggests that Corwin and had planned their to with that have a career to his own and to his Corwin had no to than to Wright in his G. W. Building for with than of Wright's was Wright not a to his departure from Adler & Sullivan, but appears to have in early Wright the by in his that the Building of had come the and the Schiller Building was the he had but the commission to not Wright that Sullivan had first to the to his which Wright was by the little house was the little house was in and the not until Wright had his to Sullivan. The was to or to his Wright a for the to and Corwin were Schiller the 1893 of was his of Building. that were in or had the of their in for the to in Wright appears to have Adler & Sullivan until is that he had been the for his departure for is that the with Sullivan the to his house and his moonlighting work took Wright by of his planned In Wright was he The final of between Wright and his mentor his this was the to in Wright's of by not in the In Wright had no to to his he and of the Adler and Sullivan never to had to to to Corwin in their Schiller Building was as work had been in and the of 1893 the has that Wright was with a of the Adler & Sullivan in but Wright had his Adler & Sullivan Wright left the with active projects in the house in and the for commissions for and in is to Wright had planned a for his from Adler & Sullivan, his his Wright's a for to the which he his house with Sullivan's Wright had and later the the the of Chicago and The and for the were his Wright had Adler & Sullivan and was no his with the Wright's Sullivan and the was his as his and he with his name and the of the and Wright's the years of the well in as Wright and Corwin their offices in the Schiller Wright the for the and the of his independent is no that Wright and Corwin in the Schiller Building. which or of that to as the is for working by in has been that Wright and Corwin the Wright's own of the that the the as and Wright his first independent with and is little to the of the and in An Wright's that was the which to and (fig. the first and to the in 1893 and Wright have to to for their of the that a as is a but is a than and the had no to the that he was not the the to Cecil and had a of the for this in this was an or with the to the of the this in the was of no was a of of the with of were to and the and a or to with the and an outside to this as well as the to the was a single of by the and of the single from to and to with the of the in the outside in the had not the from the but the as had a to from the was the of the was a with of for the were the of with or was and in the was a with from by from this with a of with a for and never to come the described took is and the of the story Wright's narrative is but Wright in to the of from the the to the and a from the originally the offices of Frank Wright and Cecil S. to the Wright's is in is a of Wright and Corwin working in than “We a or to with and an “We the with or working not or with Wright and Corwin were in or Corwin was in Wright's work as he appears to have had no work of his had of commissions his with no work in the following of his commissions for the & and the in he have been to have work with the appears he had his with Corwin his a house for family Henry G. Mitchell to in Racine, The Mitchell house was first in the 1894 of The and In The that construction was design of the Mitchell house with Wright's for the house in the W. house in and the W. houses in The house was first in The in and work the house was likely in by Corwin's Mitchell house and Wright's houses were in The of projects was completed early the following Wright and Corwin to their this in his own work and with the this period of work as of their working as Wright is to have had a hand in Corwin's Mitchell Corwin had a hand in Wright's as with the Harlan is that was Corwin the commission to is commonly that Wright the their with and did not of the until Wright had and was in the left Chicago for in the of a Wright to design their active of their with have been Wright's to his own personal to have been In a have been known to Corwin as early as when he provided for and likely of & Corwin's projects for is not that Corwin's hand work in the for Wright's of Wright's from final in the Schiller in the work a when Wright is to have been working the of until the of in to by Wright from later with the of Cecil Corwin and no for the Harlan house of 1891 have for but of Wright's bootleg for for the Blossom, and houses and the the working from Wright's career that were entirely by his own as a a in In the the that of Wright's including that well the and the of (fig. the working for the and from early 1893 an and in projects were while Wright was with Adler & Sullivan but completed the Schiller Building his The and the is In to Wright's the is and with no in and no the The is (fig. to have been by working the Schiller Building in 1893 to Wright's departure from Adler & Sullivan in of Wright's projects of 1893 and 1894 with as in working for the and for projects of the period and to the work of likely the as in this for the W. house the and the house departure in was by in with Wright's of was in Wright's for the in but evidence in the no later than 1895 of construction for The for 1895, while for the completed in 1895 to the work of an as first in the is entirely from Wright's and Corwin's that Wright and Corwin have and as were in the offices of is from In is with varying and not and including and of a in the is the to hand (fig. is that no from Corwin's independent work have for but the of in 1895 a to Corwin's in Wright's work. Furthermore, while has been as Wright's first the of in Wright's suggests that was to had by to the profession. In Wright was not his his partnership with Henry was in and a The the of that the partnership the of a and a in the his between Chicago and Wright his in the The and of this to the of first Wright with no of and The is a an period of with Wright from to he was for and construction Wright's their was a with Wright's work while of his a of between Wright and that or Corwin appears to have abandoned his practice entirely to Wright's that Wright and Corwin were to from Wright's and his early that he was not in of the or that the of the period were not entirely Instead, the of architectural that is a but an of and and and the of the of the Wright this Adler & Sullivan with Adler and In later Wright the of and of the to his work. in the earliest of his was Cecil Corwin's and personal that to Wright's and his autobiography, Wright Corwin as the of his early years but as a to his work. In Wright's account of the bootleg he Harlan, Blossom, and projects originally under Corwin's in his of Sullivan, this by Wright as a of his to Wright no had a to his name to to as his and to Corwin's having left the appears not to have been by Wright's of his Corwin no had a in his as an Instead, he was by Wright's of their in his to Wright An Autobiography, saying, and with the of in of and to the including the to In his Wright not in having in his account of saying, in the Autobiography, to as not but in that and the of in that for is to the of Cecil to the Cecil Wright's that is between the and the in between the for between Wright's to the of Cecil S. to for he was and the he as Wright's friend, confidant, and in the earliest years of Wright's from Wright's first work in the offices of to their in the Schiller Building. in this the Frank Lloyd