[MD] Intellect's Symposium

[David Thomas]

Mary,
> I went to University in northwest Arkansas some years ago.
I have lived and worked in the area since 86. My daughter is graduating from
there this spring.
>Nearby, in
> Eureka Springs, is Thorncrown Chapel.  A local guy built it based on plans
> by E. Fay Jones.  Fay Jones is semi-famous in the area as a "disciple" of
> Frank Lloyd Wright.  I've spent a lot of time in some of the houses he built
> scattered around the mountainsides there.  They are deliciously organic;
> seeming to grow out of the ground.  Intimately a part of place.  Wright may
> have gone overboard, but Fay Jones corrected.
Somewhat. Love both their work as art, unfortunately, IMHO if you start from
the point that art is the penultimate goal in architecture, you can get
there, but often it starts to melt before the last nail is driven. Much to
the chagrin of the owners who have to live in it and maintain it over their
life. Quite a few leave because of that burden.

A interesting insight into the practice of architecture that is pretty
common. Faye is the "Architect" of Thorncrown. Other than having his name on
the door, his sole contribution to it was a very small (8.5 x 11) hand drawn
sketch of a vague section and plan.
A young architect (who later worked for me) in his office ran out of work
while Faye was in Europe with students for the summer. When Faye came back
the design was compete, and model built, approved, and construction drawings
nearly complete. This young architect (who quit soon after he heard it) told
me that in a interview Faye expounded "his concept" for a particular detail
to connect the wood trusses together as "a mote in God's". This detail was
not indicated in the sketches and the young man was very proud of solving it
himself. Such is a young architect's life. That ego thing, kind of like
Wright not allowing anyone's name or initials on any of "his" drawings
although as his firm grew he did almost none of them himself.

Dave

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