Otto Wagner

The break with historical forms that had been contemplated in theory for much of the nineteenth century came about largely in the exhilarating years 1889–1912. If we look at the change from the perspective of European theory, the essential tracts defining the new perspective were published between 1896 and 1901. What is as surprising as the suddenness of the transformation of modern architectural thought is the breadth of activity across two continents. The great tower and buildings of the Paris Exposition of 1889 – whose role in fostering an image of “modern life” should not be underestimated – may rightly be viewed as symbols of the new modernity, but this new phase of Western culture was also being driven from below by the widespread desire of architects – now drawing upon the existing theoretical base – to make a fresh start.

Formal innovation was widespread. In 1889 the Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí (1852–1926) was putting the finishing touches on his Palacio Güell in Barcelona. In 1890 Louis Sullivan rushed into the office of his chief draftsman, Frank Lloyd Wright, in Chicago and (with the design of the Wainwright building in hand) proudly announced that he had solved the “skyscraper” problem.