Comfy in Concrete

Confession: I thought I posted my last entry Saturday night, but... apparently not. I have (re)posted it, so "Martha the Builder" is public under the date Friday, February 25. Seems like these Blogger shoes don't fit me yet, but I'll grow into them. Moving on.

If you're wearing a Wildcat shirt now, feel free to sit down and skip to the next paragraph. Having been raised in Tucson, I know better than to say "Scottsdale" and "ASU" aloud. That kind of language earns dirty looks and mutters under the breath. After my experiences with this project, however, I will use both words in my sentences. And smile. At the same time. My parents did the best they can, but at some point, I had to break the rules.

ASU has more than blondes and inferior sports teams; it has architecture. I heard of the concrete, but I didn't realize there was a method to the madness. There's a different design influence on every corner, like Le Corbusier with his exposed concrete in the form of Brutalism and Frank Lloyd Wright with his geometry in his own mode of Modernism. My mentor also is part of the campus through his courtyards, which he unashamedly reminds me of whenever we visit. They're well-designed outdoor spaces, so why not? On Monday then, he and I took a tour of Gammage Auditorium, which is arguably Tempe's most famous building.

Though it's not the best picture, it is the best view of why it is beloved. The "arms," once used as walkways into the theatre, act like a banner that welcomes visitors to Tempe. The structure reminds citizens of the legacy that the town has through the college and its connections. It has epically open spaces which add to the acoustics and public impression. Still, there are many misconceptions to the structure, and the most notable one is that it is a Frank Lloyd Wright building. The building was based off a few sketches for a cancelled project in Baghdad, and when Mr. Wright signed off to do the project at ASU, he shortly died after. His son-in-law then headed the process and with the help of Taliesin West, manifested the idea. Mr. Wright wasn't even a licensed architect in Arizona! All credit and no license; so lives the legend.

To add to the intrigue of the forbidden city, everyone I have met so far has been endearing and/or thought-provoking in their own ways. The Allens, my host family, are incredibly hospitable and lovely. I stay in their pool house which holds generous personal space, but I always eat dinner with them and hang out in the main house. They have amusing conversations, serve delicious food, and they also let me play their Steinway piano, a fantastic baby grand. They also have a small mission to convert me into a Phoenix Suns fan and a Justin Bieber fan... we'll see how that goes.

If anything, this project has opened my mind to the everything that t I don't know. In the office, I work with only one person for six hours a day. He is my advisor, and I couldn't ask for a better one. Mr. Abell tells me about what materials are efficient, what I will and will not learn in architecture school and more. Like many intelligent people, he knows a little about a lot, and a lot about the little that he adores. In between, we have had spurred conversations about Martin Luther King, mid-twentieth century art, Josef Albers, the Enlightenment, the libertarian party, sociology etc. It seems that he and his friends that I have met, notably Dave Scheatzle (engineer) and Harold Fearon (businessman) are well-rounded that way. Mr. Abell makes many cultural and historical references, but for the most part, I can keep up. Thanks Basis. Thanks Internet.

Scottsdale and Tempe keeps surprising me, and happily, it still makes me laugh. Here is one last Frank Lloyd Wright designed spire that I visited:

And do you know where this was?

A shopping center.

A shopping center.

Oh Scottsdale,

Nicole