Sunday, December 17, 2006

frank's spire


frank's spire
Originally uploaded by suttonhoo.
Frank Lloyd Wright designed this spire to sit on top of the State Capitol Building that he drafted for the good folks of Phoenix, Arizona, pro bono. The good folks turned him down and the building was never built.

The plans for the spire -- which should have topped the building, far from street level -- were dusted off recently (2002, I think) and it was built to adorn a shopping mall in Scottsdale where, like some LED infused unicorn, it now graces the entrance to Maggiano's, an Italian chain restaurant that serves really large portions. American-style.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is just so wrong.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is real architecture happening in that area. If you get a chance you should go by some of the branch libraries that have been designed by Will Bruder (www.willbruder.com) and others of the "arizona school". They are fantastic. Being Pheonix, though, they all seem to be located on the peripheral roads of big shopping malls, right in between the Olive Gardens and the Fluky's. The libraries come off even better for the contrast.

Lasse said...

That is just so right.

Give architecture to the needy! Those who have not. ... and in large servings if you please! ;-)

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