Frank Lloyd Wrong, Part Due

The Ferarri 430. From a modern master.

I have split this into two posts to help you recover from the shock of my headline. The hero-worship of Frank is so strong amongst my nascent readership that they asked me to break this into sections so as to dole out the criticism in little bites.

So, as I was saying, I arrived in Buffalo late last Friday night and checked into one of the top five boutique hotels in America according to Zagat and CondeNast (no small feat). This hotel is called The Mansion, and I have rarely spent an evening in a building that lifted my spirits more.

The late 1800-building is designed in the Second Empire style–thus high ceilings, perfect proportions, and ornate woodwork. This alone makes it special. What makes it peerless is the modern day interior design executed by some genius out of Atlanta. The icing on the cake is a staff of butlers that will iron your underwear at no charge, should you so choose.

In short, the proportions are perfect–from the design of the space to the precision allocation of the service.

Better yet, the mansion is a perfect place to spend a night before you take a tour of Buffalo’s significant buildings in the morning. Buffalo is a city still trading off its glory days 100 years ago but appears to be undergoing a small artistic resurgence. (I hear ArtSpace from Minneapolis is now buying in Buffalo.)

This overlooked aspect of Buffalo, I reckon, tends to prevent numerous turn-of-the-century masterpieces from being torn down. I won’t go into all the buildings you can see in a morning, but they include Wright’s Darwin Martin and Graycliff homes that are boffo’ prairie pieces.

I find both houses to be confining (as I have others). I am offended that he made his hallways small, forcing me into his “great rooms,” and that he made his ceilings only tall enough to accommodate his own shrimpy stature. In other words, the proportion of his spaces seems best suited to him (and not the other guy like me).

OK, so Graycliff and other houses are interesting and probably worth being preserved, but not to the exclusion of overlooked masterpieces like the hotel I stayed in for one unforgettable night.

I feel the same way when I take the wheel of a modern day masterpiece like the Maserati Quattroporte (Giguaro), the Ferrari 430 (Pinnifarina), or even the occasional Pantera (Tjdara) when it starts. While these cars may not be buildings, they remain masterpieces of proportion designed to please both the eye and the soul. (Check my author’s links for these designers.)

While Frank Lloyd Wright was known for many things (including architecture), he was also soulless in his dealings with any human being besides himself. It stands to reason, therefore, that he might get some things wrong, while buildings like the Mansion and cars like Maserati will remain so very right.