Mutual Love with Louis Sullivan
Wright has never had difficulty with self-promotion and touting his genius. But he never forgot the man who cultivated his career, Louis Sullivan. When Sullivan had to fire Wright for the Bootleg House incident, it was painful on both sides. They had developed such a closer relationship that Sullivan had even hired Wright to design his home. While the two would not speak for nearly twenty years, they kept a mutual, if distant, respect. Wright referred to Sullivan as “mein lieber meister” (his ‘beloved master’). He called their parting “This bad end to a glorious relationship has been a dark shadow to stay with me the days of my life.” It may have been one of the few times Wright would publicly admit to feeling shame. As Wright’s fame ascended, Sullivan’s was in decline. His firm, Adler and Sullivan, broke up in the 1890s.