Entries from October 2009 ↓

In 1924, Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to create an “objective” for short automobile trips from Baltimore or Washington DC. Gordon Strong, a wealthy Chicago businessman, had purchased Sugarloaf Mountain and surrounding land south of Frederick, MD with the idea of creating a destination at the top of the mountain, reachable only by car. The plans and models for the Gordon Strong Automobile Objective, though never built, show the early appearance of the spiral design which 30 years later would be realized in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, one of Wright’s most celebrated masterpieces. Models and sketches of this work are part of the the Guggenheim’s 50th anniversary celebration and exhibit of Wright’s contributions to architecture.

Not having been to the exhibition yet, I can’t say whether there is a discussion of the effects of Wright’s love of the car as well as his love of open spaces and distaste for crowded cities. How much did he influence the growth of suburban sprawl and the spiraling number of ills it has caused?

(via NYT Wheels Blog and www.loc.gov)

I like sheep… in a purely platonic sense, of course.