A to Z Blogging Challenge - U

 

A to Z April (2022) Blogging Challenge

 

Hello, dear readers!

I’d like to thank you all in advance for stopping by, and I hope that at least a few on my list of remarkable buildings pique your interest as they did mine.

“Design is not a coincidence or a formula; it is a result of human reflection and vision in response to a specific challenge.” ~ Unknown

 

U

Unity Temple – Oak Park, Illinois

When the original Unity Church was struck by lightning and burned to the ground in 1905, noted American architect and loyal parishioner Frank Lloyd Wright was awarded the commission for a new building.

In keeping with his philosophy of organic architecture and a woefully tight budget, Wright submitted a design that defied nearly every concept of traditional church architecture.

Concrete, he reasoned, was both plentiful and affordable and allowed for repetition of a series of un-treated concrete forms that, to the busy street outside, would represent impenetrable protection of the sanctuary within.

Instead of a steeple or spire, Wright’s vision included the use of natural lighting; leaded glass skylights intended to impart “a sense of a happy cloudless day… “and a continuous band of clerestory windows that minimized street noise while providing further light.

The project was deemed another of a long list of masterpieces by the architect. And because the design is so unique, bearing no resemblance to other churches along Lake Street, parish commissioners decided to change the name to Unity Temple.

 

I bet the sanctuary truly is something to see. Would you visit? Have you been?