Evening star., 1938-10-26
WR|GHT'S LANCE
HURLED At D. c,
Explorer in Architecture
Ti|ts With Capitals
'Grandomania.'

Fresh from his dialectical assault
on the colonial architecture of restored
Williamsburg, Frank Lloyd Wright ap-
peared in Washington last night to
place verbal tombstone on the old
order Of architecture" and to toss his
verbal darts of scorn at architecture
as the Government practices 1t.
Striding with aplomb into the
enemies camp; Mr.. Wright told q
special meeting of the Federal archi-
tects that Federal buildings are not
built to serve the people, but to sat-
isfy kind Of grandomania utterly
obsolete" The Federal architects;
meeting at the Mayflower, often ap-
plauded him. and he said:
"Grandomania has given most
buildings the symbols Of authority,
pillars, cornices and the pontifical
past"
Charges Lag to Politics.
The Government, he said, will al
ways be 10 years behind because it
is always looking 10 weeks more or
less ahead to election day. He spoke
for the organic architecture" archi-
lecture expressing the culture and
wishes of the people and divorced
from the demands Of universities, ed
ucators and "high-brows"-the high
brow. he reminded his audience of
architects, has been defined as "a
man educated beyond his capacity"
When Mr. Wright ended his deft
plea for an architecture conceived
in the tall grass" the hinterland,
away from foreign influences, Repre-
sentative Amlie, Progressive, of Wis
consin, arose in the audience to ask
him what he thought of the Jefferson
Memorial, the Pantheon -istic structure
which soon is to be erected in Poto-
mac Park.
Representative Amlie knows damn
we'll what think Of the memorial"
Mr.. Wright replied 1T is obviously
across the grain OF indigenous Ameri-
can feeling for architecture. 1t is the
greatest insult yet"
Voices Variety Of Criticism.
Mr. Wright's discourse on architec-
Ire led him to discuss the social his
ory Of America, Of England and Of
ncient Rome, took him into the field
economics. brought him to comment
on the causes of the depression and
',urred him to condemn the import
"nce in society Of the moneyed man.
remarks on the uses of government.
Well have our own culture" he
said, but not by way of government
know Of nothing sillier than to ex-
pect government to solve our prob
lens for us. If we have no ideas, how
can government have any? And when
I see the tragedy of entrusting the
Government with billions to build
buildings-!"
The architect from Wisconsin, who
has designed more than 200 buildings,
every building confessedly and open
lv an experiment" repeated in Wash
ington the thesis he expounded in
Williamsburg, Va, the night before
that too much of this country's archi-
lecture is copied from abroad
Il think the first thing should do"
he said at the beginning of his talk
IS to get this Williamsburg matter
straight.
A Museum Piece"
II think Williamsburg is all right !
IS museum piece, because I believe
efficient authority has been given to
it by conscientious research.
And I think we may read there
what really was the matter with our
forefathers They brought an archi-
lecture from England to the land OF
the Indians the most the Englishman
can do is what has been done back
home. whether he does it in India,
Africa, or the North Pole"
The thought of the English led to
observations on the state of democracy
md the speculation that even Eng
md, from whom we receded, has
Ia0re democracy than We"
Mr.. Wright asked for architecture
with space" for use of steel and
glass for houses with "cool light"
Our architecture" he said, should
be the greatest in the world, because
of our people and because of our
riches"