The Magic of America

Walter Burley Griffin and his wife Marion Mahony Griffin were both influential designers in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park studio. They won the competition to design the new Australian capital city of Canberra and moved to Australia in 1913. Written after Walter’s death in 1937, the unpublished “Magic” typescript is the biography of Walter and the autobiography of Marion, who also wished to clarify the roles played by Wright, Sullivan, and other architects in the development of Prairie School architecture. The approximately 1100 pages of annotated typescript are accompanied by an image collection of approximately 200 photographs, articles, and drawings selected by Marion. View finding aid.View the text - Magic of America: Electronic Edition.View the image database - Magic of America: Electronic Edition. Collection access:Collections may be accessed in the Franke Reading Room of the Research Center at The Art Institute of Chicago, by appointment only. For further information, consult the FAQ. Finding aids by subjectBrowse all finding aidsBrowse images and mediaOral histories Contact the Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives:archives@artic.edu