Frank Lloyd Wright is regarded today as one of the most influential architects in American history, renowned for iconic landmarks such as the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York and Fallingwater in rural Pennsylvania. But for all the professional acclaim, the foundations of Wright's personal life came crashing down in August 1914 when one of his most treasured designs became the backdrop for a gruesome massacre.
The Taliesin Tragedy
He had built Taliesin, a secluded lovers' retreat atop his favorite hill near his hometown of Spring Green, Wisconsin, as a defiant monument to his mistress, Martha 'Mamah' Borthwick Cheney, the wife of one of his clients. But it was there that Borthwick, her children, Martha, 8, and John, 12, were murdered alongside four workmen by the household's hatchet-wielding butler, Julian Carlton. Carlton set fire to the estate before attempting suicide. He survived and was taken into custody, where he died seven weeks later - taking the motive for the killings with him to the grave.
Enduring Mystery
In the aftermath, conspiracy theories flourished and a cryptic remark Carlton made shortly before his death has only added to the enduring mystery. Frank Lloyd Wright, above in the 1950s, is considered one of the most influential architects in American history. His paramour, Martha ‘Mamah’ Borthwick Cheney, was murdered by Wright's hatchet-wielding butler, along with her two children and four others.
Seeking answers is best-selling author Casey Sherman, whose new book, The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright, offers a forensic examination of the architect's life, loss and the dark secrets surrounding Carlton’s past. Speaking exclusively to The Crime Desk ahead of the book’s May 26 release, Sherman described the saga as ‘Romeo and Juliet meets The Shining.’
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