[wright] here in wichita

well, because i'm a huge "archi-geek", and had nothing else to do saturday morning, i decided to enjoy an open house of the corbin education center which is one of two frank lloyd wright structures we have here in wichita.

now, to say that i only went because i was bored, isn't totally correct. having missed the first year of architecture school, i lost my chance to join in the fun filled tour that takes place that year of wichita. i had driven by the building a number of times but i had never had the chance to get inside.

so armed with my camera, i joined a tour. it was filled with most of the same information you get on every tour of a wright building, hidden entries, courtyards, compression, release....there were however some very unique facts that i really enjoyed. the curved mullion detail on the windows was only use in one other building which is the guggenheim in new york, and the building was finished after wrights death.

after finishing the tour, i did what one is suppose to do in any great space....take pictures. while snapping away, i wondered around, lost in thought, thinking about architecture, the profession, clients, ideas, legacies, details, ...where to place this new information in my personal guided tour of wichita architecture for out-of-town guests.

one thought that kept coming back to me however, was the idea of discovery. in my current job, i work with a lot retail, and commercial spaces, where you want the public to know where the front door is immediately upon exiting the car, usually with huge signage above it. however this building, like so many others of his, discovery of the entry is part of the journey. the front of the building is actually rather boring and you're not really sure where to go, but with a little patience and searching, you soon find yourself in a fountain filled courtyard. you go through the mundane, to find something wonderful. which can be said about the city as well. there's a lot of mundane around, but with a little searching you can find something wonderful, pleasant, and inspiring.

true in life as well....