Back when Highway 14 used to run directly through Richland Center it went right past the A. D. German Warehouse. You could look out the car window and see this landmark, Frank Lloyd Wright's only building in his hometown.
Now that there's a bypass, you have to make a short side trip into town to see the structure, which we did Saturday while driving to the Mississippi River. The building was closed, the light was a bit harsh, and there wasn't much time for photos -- just enough time to shoot an overview and a few details of this building that seems to be losing the battle against time. (Additional photos in this set on Flickr.)
1 comment:
Frank Lloyd Wright was a jerk. Not even Olga would disagree. Or Wright himself. However, if we refused on this basis to honor artists, we would be left with only Pearl S Buck, so I overlook Wright's cupidity and vanity.
It has always saddened me that the nation was founded during the Greek Revival period in architecture, so that DC looks like the Acropolis. Doric columns and such are OK, but it troubles me that so much of our architecture clashes with our landscape and the people who inhabit it.
Wright really did achieve a style that was distinctively American. I wish he had been commissioned to design a new White House and Capital. Some of his structures literally look like they grew from out of their surroundings.
Thanks for the photo. I always assume that any Wright building has become a shrine, complete with slide show and gift shop, so I'm disappointed that this warehouse is dilapidated. It's nicer looking than our dull, derivative State Capitol.
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