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Andy Adler was driving a cab through the streets of Los Angeles when he discovered the genius of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
On Sunday the now-retired cabbie was among 2,000 people who celebrated the anniversary of Wright's 129th birthday at the site of the architect's first Los Angeles project, the Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Park in Hollywood.
"I think he was America's greatest architect," said Adler, a Hollywood resident.
Atop the peaceful hillside park with panoramic views of the city, children made Japanese screens in honor of Wright's love of Asian art. Adults attended lectures and toured the park's galleries.
Although he is now recalled as America's best known architect, Wright's designs were too controversial and farsighted to gain mass approval during his lifetime, said Patti Olguin, vice president of Friends of Hollyhock House.
"What's popular today with deconstructionist architects was being done by Wright in the '20s," Olguin said. "He's influenced almost every major...