Falling Water, The Movie

A friend sent me this video awhile back, because I’m a huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, and it’s quite amazing. It was produced by Cristóbal Vila, whose work makes up the graphic and animation studio Eterea Studios. You can view his full work here, but this Falling Water movie is definitely my favorite. Also, if you’re interested in more general info about Falling Water, Eterea has put together quite an extensive About page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank Lloyd Wright Morris Giftshop

While in San Francisco this last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to explore the city on my own with no time constraints. This meant I could explore whatever I wanted, and stay as long as I wanted- I love it. My dad (a huge Frank Lloyd Wright buff/afficionado/expert) tipped me off to the Morris Giftshop by FLW and I jumped at the chance to spend some time checking it out. It’s now called the Xanadu Gallery and is located at 140 Maiden Lane, in between Post & Geary in Union Square. Maiden Lane is a completely charming little street- with a very European scale, reminiscent of the Via Borgognona in Rome.

Quick fact about the gallery- it’s one of seventeen Frank Lloyd Wright structures that are considered by the AIA to be contributions to American Culture. That’s deep. As with most Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, the Xanadu Gallery definitely sparks a quick game of “which one of these things does not belong.” Or perhaps as Wright would see it, a game of which one of these things SHOULD belong, and which are an ugly waste of space?

The façade of the gallery/giftshop is most interesting, as it’s a more contemporary take on a standard Roman Arch with virtually no window space/no glimpse to the inside- very unusual if you think about the fact that it’s a retail space. When questioned by the original owner about the omission of a traditional storefront, Wright said; “We are not going to dump your beautiful merchandise on the street, but create an arch-tunnel of glass, into which the passers-by may look and be enticed. As they penetrate further into the entrance, seeing the shop inside with its spiral ramp and tables set with fine china and crystal, they will suddenly push open the door, and you’ve got them!” (Robert McCarter’s Frank Lloyd Wright, © 1997)

 

Another fascinating element of this space (among MANY) is the floorplan. Similar to the much more famous Guggenheim Museum in NYC, the giftshop has a circular mezzanine reached by a spiral ramp- no stairs here! The spiral ramp was an element of the Guggenheim Museum that made it most controversial for its time. What’s interesting about the giftshop’s floorplan, is that the Guggenheim was designed much before the giftshop, but wasn’t actually built until 1959- allowing Wright to use the giftshop (built in 1948) as a “trial run” so to speak for this design technique. I think it worked out quite well. All the furniture inside is original and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright- most are affixed to the walls and built-in. They are absoultely amazing, especially the low-lying benches, and the wall of drawers in the lower gallery.

 

I encourage anyone in the San Francisco area, with an interest in architecture to check out the Morris Giftshop. There are way too many interesting and amazing design elements to discuss in one blog post, but it’s definitely worth your time- and it’s free! It’s an architectural museum without an admission cost. You can also explore Frank Lloyd Wright here.