Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-10-14
'MISQUOTED'
Wright
Proises
Capitol

The City Of Washington drew
honeyed words today from the
often bitter-tongued dean Of
American architects, Frank
Lloyd Wright.
zone Of the sweetest honors
I've ever had" said the eS-
year-old revolutionary, refer
ring 10 the key to the city he
received yesterday. 1T is sweet
because It comes from home.
I've been honored all around
the world. but mot much ct
home"
The white-haired author of
''oEganic architecture" opened
an exhibit Of his latest designs
yesterday at the Institute of
Contemporary Arts in the Cor
coran Gallery. He will speak
tonight to a sold-out house at
Lisner Auditorium.
"ShOuId BE Cherished"
washington should be cher
ished by the American people, {"
he said today. because OF its
museum value. Il should be
preserved and beautified In
every way imaginable"
His past structures against
the architecture Of Washing
toms 0fncial buildings have
been exaggerated by the press,
he said. He was quoted after
yesterdays key ceremony as
saying. We'll. I've got q key
70 the city. II there's anything
here I want"
That's an example" he said
today. The press misuuotes
me every time. What / actu-
ally said when I got that lovely
key was. i can now ransack
the city and see what I would
like 70 take away"
he added:
Il once hired q man to keep
me out Of the papers. He
failed. and after the first
month ! fired him. He said /
never paid him his salary, but
! did"
OF proposals to alter the
United States Capitol by ex-
tending its east front, the
white-haired old master said |:
Absolutely profaneI The
Capitol represents American
history. ] do not Judge its ar
chitecture. but respect it for
what 1t is. I'd let IL alone. I'd
DO everything ! can 70 pre-
serve 1t.
Its chief interest is histor-
ical, not aesthetic. and it would
be profane to try to improve
u aesthetically. go
But. with the sting-in-the-
ltail kind Of second comment
for which he is famous, he
added:
while preserving Washing
ton and the Capitol for their
museum value. ! should accom-
|modate the Government in a
new Capital. one nearer the
center Of population--in Colo
rado Springs, for example"
Rejects Modern" Tag
Mr.. Wright denied that he
lis responsible for the mush-
IRONING Of ''ranch-style" de-
velopment houses in Americas
suburbs. He rejects the epithet
modern" for his work and pre-
fers to cali it organic"
He explained that "the or
ganic follows nature and nature
is only the will Of God. all
we're going TO see Of the body
OF God. any Of US"
The man who already built
769 buildings around the world
Is now working on a miie-high
ONCE building for Chicago. a
synagogue for Philadelphia, the
Arizona State Capitol, the Gug-
genheim Museum in New York,
q factory in San Francisco. a
chain Of motels across the
country. a memorial in Venice.
a commercial building in Ven
ezuela and 40 houses in 20
States.
The rebirth Of architecture
in America, he said. is shown
in the growing acceptance Of
organic" design in the last 1--WE
years. I'VE have for a long time
been fiat on our faces. copying
18th century Europe. he said,
but now Americans are wax
ing up to the Importance OF
organic architecture, which Is
parallel to the sovereignty Of
the individual and the Declara-
ltion Of independence"