Aspiring Spaces...

 

“The best thing to do is go as far out as you can get... what you regard as 'too far'--and when others follow, as they will, move on.”  ― Frank Lloyd Wright

To quote The Frank Lloyd Wright Trail website; "The Unitarian Meeting House was the first of its kind to synthesize a soaring auditorium roof, bell tower, and parish hall into one coherent whole. The overall design is triangular, the strongest of all geometric shapes, and for Wright, that design symbolized “aspiration” which he felt was a good analogy for what Unitarianism is about. It is recognized internationally as an icon of religious architecture." 

It's become a punch list hobby to visit all the FLW sites that offer tours (many homes are privately owned), so while in Madison WI we made a point of visiting one of Frank's more famous architectural buildings.   When it was built in 1951, The Meeting House broke the mold as far as traditional houses of worship. The sharp geometric lines contrasted with blending the building with it's landscape didn't follow the more traditional church structures - but then Frank was never one to follow convention! 

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation pointed out "Its most distinctive feature" as the soaring glass and wood “prow” on its southern exposure, which Wright said symbolized aspiration. Wright was a long-time member of the First Unitarian Society which was housed in the Meeting House, and his parents were founding members of the congregation. His design thus reflects both his unique design aesthetic and his spiritual beliefs.

We found the original building (the congregation built a new Atrium addition in 2008) to have an openness with almost whimsical lines that encouraged us to move beyond our traditional paradigms of structured space - and worship.