Wright Chat

(via PrairieMod)

$6 million Civic Center improvement project ready to roll


David

Paul Ringstrom wrote:http://www.marinij.com/opinion/20160806 ... ay-project

"In contrast with Mr. Wright’s singular vision, this project has emerged from broad agency collaboration and numerous opportunities for public input."

I assume this is politician-speak for "Screw Wright's vision - we're going to group think this into something _no_ one will like" ...

There is a slight camel look about the place, though most of that is Wes and Olga swimming beyond their depth.

http://jayfmillercreative.com/new-test/

The biggest mistake was changing the color of the roof to the sky blue (presently a different hue, darker than in 1962...) Wright's intention was a gold roof. I can't for the life of me imagine Wright picturing a baby blue stripe across the California landscape with hills covered in oaks. It would be somewhat more acceptable had the site been flat (blue melting into blue). There are just too many vantage points where one sees the green hills behind the roof. If the gold leaf was too expensive, why blue? (Olga?)

http://sonicchicken.net/blog/wordpress/ ... center.jpg

Other than that, as built always looked pretty nice to me.

As for the new "six million dollar facelift", we'll probably need to wait and see more drawings to make an objective assessment.
http://www.marinij.com/article/NO/20151 ... /151229881
The curved canopy looks functional, but do those columns seem clumsy and unimaginative? There is a missed opportunity to relate it back to Wright. The master always did something interesting with vertical supports, usually slender as they emerge from the ground, growing wider as they rise... The structure behind it in the distance looks more intrusive, as if the architect is trying to hint at some sort of generic urban industrial aesthetic, the antithesis of Wright's vision. In this case, why not stick to the suburban dream? Terra Linda (also home to several large Eichler tracts) is the quintessential California suburb. The design needn't apologize for that history.

If Mr. Wright's plans exist for any of these projects, why in God's name are they not being used? I think that even reverse engineered perspective sketches would be favorable to this nonsense. Even if they enlarged the tiny figures on the table model it would be an improvement. Who do I call? Anybody have a contact number?

I'm fairly certain that Mr. Wright didn't draw a design of an outdoor shade structure for a farmers market.