Introduction

• WHO
• WHY
• PROLOGUE

EPISODE GUIDE

   EPISODE 1

• MY FIRST SUMMER AT THE FELLOWSHIP
• WRIGHT'S 1889 HOUSE
• WHAT DID WRIGHT MEAN BY ORGANIC?
  

   EPISODE 2

• MY LAST SUMMER AT THE FELLOWSHIP AND THE LOS ANGELES 60 YEARS OF LIVING ARCHITECTURE PAVILION
• THE ROSS COTTAGE AND A THESIS
• IN WRIGHT'S HAND

   EPISODE 3

• MR. WRIGHT'S PEOPLE OR MRS. WRIGHT'S PEOPLE
• THE ZIMMERMAN HOUSE
• DESERT MASONRY

   OTHER ESSAYS

• WHAT KIND OF A MAN WAS MR. WRIGHT TO WORK FOR?
• THE MERRY WIVES OF TALIESIN, A FEW HUSBANDS, PLUS SOME MERRY MEN
• A SUMMER'S WORK -- NOT IN THE TALIESIN DRAFTING ROOM: THE NEILS HOUSE

• Table of Contents Page

"IN THE CAUSE OF ARCHITECTURE":
COMMENTARIES IN MEMORIAM

WHY

My first encounter with the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright was in 1939 at an Introduction to Architecture course at the University of Minnesota. When the iconic photograph of Fallingwater from below the base of the falls flashed on the screen, it was love at first sight; but why? My guess is that beauty. But what is that quality all about? I have my own ideas as far as that quality pertains to the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Those views are seen through my own personal perspective and do not reflect the conventional understanding of the academic scholar, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, or even Frank Lloyd Wright the man for that matter.

My purpose here is twofold. The first is to understand the admiration I have expressed for the work and the characteristics that impart the quality that we call beauty to the buildings. Were it not for the beauty expressed in the work, we wouldn't be talking about Wright in this day and age. My interest and capability are to explore that quality through its geometry. I contend that a few basic relationships expressed through geometry are present in the best work and lacking in the lesser work. It is no secret that geometry played a major role in Wright's work. The question is what was that role? It is my intent to pursue to a logical conclusion the role of geometry in the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.

The second purpose is to present a candid view of the Taliesin Fellowship of my time. I actively participated in the realization of several works in the drafting room, construction projects at the Fellowship, and onsite construction supervision of a couple of Wright buildings. It is my intention to present this view, not through rose colored glasses, but through the lens of objectivity. Again, I speak only for myself and don't mean to imply that my views are the rule, only that they represent my own personal experience. The operation of the drafting room is also a subject for serious scrutiny. I don't know exactly how to approach that particular subject; I will make that decision at the appropriate time.

This dialog will take place on that ubiquitous medium known as the Internet. I will start in a roughly chronological order and with those instances for which I have personal knowledge, and work my way into the more esoteric subjects which are subject to speculation.