Frrank Lloyd Wright was never one to fret about meeting deadlines, sticking to budgets or roofs that leaked. So there is something fitting about the delayed, but altogether triumphant, restoration of Wright's Unity Temple, [...] the finest public building of Wright's Chicago years and home to one of the most beautiful rooms in America.
Instead of finishing on schedule last fall, the $25 million project is wrapping up just in time for the 150th anniversary of Wright's birthday, June 8.
— chicagotribune.com
"Success, it's often said, has many fathers, and so it is with here," Kamin writes. "A team of consultants led by Chicago's Harboe Architects has lavished exacting care on every aspect of this project, from the restoration of jewel-like art glass to the recreation of textured plaster walls."
2 Comments
Excellent work!
Not long after visiting Unity Temple I attended a memorial service at the Unitarian meeting hall in Bakersfield. I noticed the lettering on the covers of the hymnals was consistent with document lettering related to FLW and Unity Temple clearly suggesting the faith's appreciation for possessing this architectural treasure. At the time of my visit funding for badly restoration was not yet certain and many were worried about the survival of this building.
With their Bakersfield campus becoming unaffordable, the congregation has since moved to a chapel on the campus of the First Congregational Church, 5 Real Road in Bakersfield at the corner of Stockdale Hwy. the Chapel faces Stockdale. Ironically while this chapel is of recent construction it has a tie to Wright. It's a very striking modern structure designed by architect Art Dyson, a former associate of Frank Lloyd Wright. Early in his career as a former FLW apprentice he worked on the Marin County Administration Building.
Unfortunately this congregation seems to not be too appreciative of the only example of Dyson's work in Bakersfield in that they eschew the design position of the alter/podium and have abandoned and covered the water feature. https://www.dysonarchitects.ne...
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