The Bootleg Houses
With debts mounting during the early years with Sullivan, Wright tried to pay off his expenses by designing houses around Oak Park. But in his rebellious style, he did not tell Sullivan he was taking these projects. Sullivan had specifically forbid him from designing for clients on his own while he was working for Adler and Sullivan. That meant Sullivan’s firm received no commission, and his star employee built his own client base. Well, sort of his own name. He used fake names to create the designs. These properties are known as the “Bootleg Houses.” What was supposed to fix Wright’s financial troubles ended up costing him dearly. Sullivan found out about these houses in 1893. Historians are uncertain whether Sullivan fired Wright (possibly using the Bootleg houses as a pretense, as Wright’s ego may have irritated him) or if he quit, but he separated from Sullivan and Adler.