Frank L. Neutra 1924-2006

The Neutra's oldest son, Frank was born in a difficult home delivery in Germany.

In 1924 he and his mother followed his father Richard to the United States.

He was named after Frank Lloyd Wright and spent a few months at Taliesin East with his parents while Richard worked briefly with Wright in 1924.

It became evident as a toddler that he had speech and emotional problems, that today would be diagnosed as Autism (a diagnosis that was only formulated in the 1940s)

On a visit to Vienna with his mother in 1931 he was seen by Sigmund and Anna Freud who felt that his difficult delivery had contributed to his condition.

He continued to live here with his family until 1950 when his emotional problems and tantrums finally made it necessary to commit him to Camarillo State Hospital. In 1970 he was transferred to a community-based facility and visited his mother here on the weekends until her death in 1990.

His younger brother, Dr. Raymond Neutra, has written a memoir about his brother's life, "Frustration and Contentment: The Solitary Journey of Frank Lucian Neutra"