Anyone on a recent visit to the Guggenheim Museum in New York City is going to see it shrouded in scaffolding. It's undergoing a massive restoration effort to address years and years of cracking. A recent article in The New York Times graphically illustrates what the restoration architects have discovered and what will be needed to fix this beloved architectural icon. The article points out that an exhibition titled "Restoring a Masterpiece" will be on display at the museum through July 8, 2007. If you can't make it to New York to see it, cruise over to the Guggenheim website to download podcasts and video clips about the ongoing restoration effort.
We're really glad to see the Guggenheim get the restoration it needs and deserves. However, we'd like to remind everyone that there's another concrete Wright building that needs some major TLC. Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois is one of the most important works he ever created. It's seen as a cornerstone of modern architecture and a building that Wright himself placed on a pedestal throughout his long career. A lot of the innovation and ideas worked through in Unity Temple helped inform later masterpieces like the Guggenheim. Unity Temple faces many of the same issues with cracking and crumbling as other Wright buildings. Attention and effort should be paid in seeing that this Prairie Period Masterpiece gets the help it needs. Please consider a visit to see for yourself what makes this building so special, you won't regret it!
Image copyright The New York Times
Unity Temple photo copyright Steven Hurder
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