Clever Confidential Ep. 3: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Murders at Taliesin [rebroadcast]

Jan 14, 2025

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Clever Confidential is Clever’s offshoot series, where we dig into the darker side of design - the shadowy, sometimes sordid tales hiding under a glossy topcoat of respectable legacy.

On the afternoon of August 14th, 1915, fire ripped through Taliesin, the Spring Green, Wisconsin home of the world’s most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. When the smoke cleared seven people would be dead, murdered with an axe at the hands of Julian Carlton, a servant of Wright’s. But why? The motive remains a mystery to this day. But there are so many other questions. Why does seemingly everyone know Frank Lloyd Wright but strangely, very few seem to know this much darker side of his story? In this episode we’ll investigate all of that as well as the great state of Wisconsin, Wright’s never-ending battle with societal norms, and the interplay between critics and creative professionals.

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Special thanks to our sponsor, Porkbun!

Go to https://porkbun.com/CleverBun to get a .PRO domain for only $1 for the first year with promo code DIGITALPRO at Porkbun!

Thank you to Brad Lynch of Brininstool & Lynch Architects for lending his expertise, insight and colorful commentary and to "The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas for audio clips from the historic Frank Lloyd Wright interview.

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Clever Confidential is hosted by Amy Devers and Andrew Wagner, with editing and sound design by Camille Stennis, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan. Our theme music is “Astronomy” by Thin White Rope.