Marion Mahony Griffin was a talented architect, and a very fine artist. She was the second woman to graduate in architecture from MIT, and the first woman in the country to pass the exam and become a registered architect. Though she did much on her own, she is best known as an equal partner with her husband Walter Burley Griffin.
Both were from Oak Park.
Marion worked alongside Walter in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park studio. She admired Walter’s talents as an architect and landscape designer. She fell in love with him and practically seduced him into marriage. They were wonderful partners in life as well as in architecture. It is said that Marion was never happier than when producing beautiful drawings to illustrate his work and spending countless hours at the drawing board to bring his designs to reality.
Marion’s story is told in a new-to-us, beautifully written, scholarly biography by Sydney-based author Glenda Korporaal. Making Magic, The Marion Mahony Griffin Story is part love story, and partly the tale of adventures in three different cultures on three different continents. But mainly it’s a story about Marion, her talent as an architect, and her immense skill as an architectural artist and an artist depicting nature.
The book depicts a multifaceted woman, whose other great interests included philosophy, the natural world, theater, and working with children.
Marion was Frank Lloyd Wright’s first employee and worked in his studio at Forest and Chicago avenues in Oak Park for 15 years. She became one of his key assistants, taking on great responsibilities. Near the end of her time working with Wright, the studio was busy preparing drawings for the first publication of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, The Wasmuth Portfolio.
Architectural writer H. Allen Brooks said that more than half of the plates in the Wasmuth were based on Marion’s drawings. This is not surprising as she was the studio’s best artist, including Wright. It is normal for staff to prepare presentation drawings. It is more surprising to learn that Marion invented the fresh style of architectural presentation drawings for which Wright was famous.
What is most surprising is that author Korporaal gives Marion credit for the design of the important Chicago Avenue entrance to the Oak Park studio.
“She designed a loggia entrance to the studio with four columns along the front,” Korporaal writes. “She decided each column should be decorated with two tall birds on each side.”
Eventually, however, both Marion and Walter broke with Wright.
Her husband, Walter Burley Griffin, is far better known. In 1912, he won the international competition for the design of Canberra, a new capital city for Australia. Korporaal tells us that Walter was hesitant to enter the competition and only did so at Marion’s insistence. We also learn that many professional observers say it was Marion’s fine renderings of the city design that charmed the jury and earned him the award. Due to delays, rising costs, and changing local political conditions, Walter’s design was compromised as control of the project was taken from him.
After his removal from work on Canberra, new architectural commissions soon filled his time. He executed larger projects in Melbourne and many house designs. The Griffins’ many talents and interests came together in the Castlecrag development. Walter and others purchased a large tract of land on Sydney Harbor near that city. His talent in land planning and landscape design, and the couple’s shared idealism, philosophy, and feelings of equality, resulted in a plan that was an adventure in communal and community planning of 1,000 residential lots.
The curvy streets followed the grades of the hilly land. A network of walking paths connected all of the lots. The plan allowed no waterside lots where houses would block views of the harbor. The open strip also made a soft natural look from the water.
Walter and Marion lived in Castlecrag for many years. She designed and built an outdoor theater using the natural rocks as seating and became very involved in community productions, often acting in elaborate costumes. Walter insisted on setbacks and covenants on the lots to maintain the quality of the development. The restrictions hurt sales and the project was not financially successful. After the Griffins’ time, the restrictions were removed and the lots were fully sold.
Walter became well known and was offered international commissions. He was so attracted by work in India that he traveled there and stayed there for a lengthy period. Marion joined him and they had one of their most intense periods of working together.
He credited Marion as “equal partner” in design, which she denied. She intentionally played down her role in order to give him the major credit. Perhaps if she had broadcast her role, she might have overshadowed him. It is well known that Marion was responsible for the presentation drawings and most of the construction drawings. When Walter was very busy, Marion ran the office and developed the designs from his simple sketches.
Because of her long time working in Oak Park, and because Walter is said to be from Oak Park, “we” Oak Parkers have a claim to her as part of our heritage. Oak Park does not recognize our Marion enough. We should celebrate her more.
Their story makes you wonder: What would Walter have been without Marion? Would he have won the Canberra prize? Would he have been able to complete, so well, his body of work?
And what would Marion have been without Walter?
Would she have soared?