Wednesday, August 27, 2014

#1 - (8/21) Mercedes Garcia - Price Tower

 
 
The Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956. It was one of the first buildings I remember seeing that led me to think of architecture as a form of art. Though it is not the most physically compelling piece (namely, it is very short for a skyscraper), some of its finer points are in the details. For instance, the visible green on this skyscraper is actually copper. Wright knew that the copper he chose for the long, vertical (and functional) louvers and accents would eventually age into this green so they were washed prior to construction. On the inside there is a heavy emphasis on triangular shapes, so much so that it can be very disorienting. I was lucky enough to spend a night in the Price Tower now that it has been reconstituted as a hotel and it was like no space I had ever experienced. The Price Tower was a great motivator for my interest in studying architecture.

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