Selects: The Tailesin Massacre
Summary
Hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece, Taliesin, and the dark personal scandal involving his affair with Mamah Bohrmann. The episode details the 1914 Taliesin massacre, where a mentally ill handyman murdered Mamah and her two children before setting the home on fire, killing seven people. The hosts also discuss Wright’s subsequent relationships, his financial struggles, and his eventual return to prominence with iconic projects like Fallingwater and the Guggenheim.
Topics discussed
Intro: Shanae Ogunmike injury and sister's intuition
Personal update: Packers game and golf at Whispering Pines
Frank Lloyd Wright biography and the Guggenheim
Taliesin architecture: design, windows, and materials
Reactions to modern architecture and Fallingwater
Grand Designs and Wright's return to Spring Green
The affair with Mamah Cheney and early career
Social fallout and Wright's selfish justification
Financial straits and the family's reaction to the affair
The term 'Hegira' and separating art from artist
Return to Oak Park and Darwin Martin's patronage
Darwin Martin's bankruptcy and Wright's repayment
Sponsored segment: Kesimpta for relapsing MS
Taliesin West and the setup for the 1914 tragedy
Julian Carlton's grievances and the gasoline request
The Taliesin fire and axe murders
Survivors' escape and Carlton's failed suicide
Carlton's mental state and motive analysis
Wright's reaction to the news and media coverage
Break and transition to later years
Sponsored segment: Kesimpta for relapsing MS
Marriage to Miriam Noel and dysfunction
Mann Act arrest and career dry spell
Taliesin West visit and future podcast plans
Promoting the 'Stuff You Should Know' book
Sponsored segment: Just Another Day in CA
Outro
Listen ad-free on Castria