Off Shore Muse

Anyone familiar with the architecture and design of Frank Lloyd Wright is aware he employed a bright red square tile as his artist's seal of authentication on much of his work. His frequency and consistency of using it has associated Wright with this logomark or trademark. His red square lives on today in the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation's corporate identity as well as in countlesss other organizational, brand and product niches associated with Wright.

The art of signing a work of art with a seal was standard practice in Asian block printing. Wright was a prolific collector of Japanese prints and found deep inspiration in them. Although Wright used a variety of signature styles over the course of his long career, near the midpoint he began marking his drawings with a plain red square that was integrated into the title block of a plan. These red squares were shaded in red color pencil then signed in black pen. This was done when the drawing was completed and approved.

In the 1950s, Wright extended his branding practice into the physical realm. It manifested in the form of red ceramic tiles bearing his iconic FLLW initials placed on buildings. These tiles were attached in various imaginative ways and locations based upon conditions.

Myths have persisted concerning the red tiles often repeated by FLW house docents and on occasion, even memorialized in print. Chief among them is the idea that Wright awarded these tiles only to buildings he believed were completed to his complete satisfaction or those of which he was proud. Though widely-accepted and endlessly-repeated, this premise has no basis. For example, Fallingwater in Mill Run, PA, a singular building and arguably the one of which Wright is best know, oddly .. bears no red square tile.

The idea that Wright initialed these clay tiles, himself, is another fallacy. Frank Lloyd Wright commissioned the first few signature tiles in 1951. Wright learned a woman by the name of Jeannette Pauson Haber was a talented amateur ceramicist. Wright approached her with the proposition* of making him some glazed tiles.

*The word, proposition is used rather than the word, commission due to the fact there is no evidence Haber was ever paid for her efforts.

Over the next few years, the ceramicist periodically created small batches of tiles fired in her San Francisco Bay area home. One tile appeared as a direct request in 1957 from Betty Sobel, the new owner of the Baker House in Wilmette, Illinois. Another tile was presented to the SC Johnson Administration Building.

A red tile should not be considered an indicator of a building's significance though the tiles are a desirable addition. Sadly, several tiles have been stolen over the years. A good number of the mounted tiles are deteriorating and an uncertain quantity are floating around having never even been assigned to a building.

It is not possible today for a Wright house to receive an official red tile as they are no longer bestowed upon a Wright building. The chances of a tile turning up periodically at auction or on eBay are slight though if one were to appear expect the cost to approach $5,000 or more. And there is a reasonable chance the tile, if not fake, has been stolen from a building it was legitimately presented to when the building was completed.

The fact of the matter is that there is no evidence of any rhyme or reason for buildings being awarded a tile.

Excerpts from an online link written by Steve Sikora, owner of the Malcolm and Nancy Willey House