Wright Chat

[SDR]

Right -- and far away from both the coast and the mountains.

I like driving through the hot, dusty, and (occasionally) smelly valley, on my way to Yosemite. It brings feelings of . . . torpitude, and people trapped in a go-nowhere life, and disrespected alien farm labor, yearning for something better. Oh, and agribusiness giants getting fat on borrowed water and unwarranted subsidies.

I do respect those who chose to live and work there -- but I somehow fail to connect that with hothouse architecture and high culture. How many Buck Fawcetts are there in the country ? Wright would have built on the Moon if that's where his client lived -- and probably used the same plans as for that place on Mars the year before !

I was there -- don't kid me. It was what it was. Lovely, well-built, solid, romantic Wright -- in the middle of nowhere. Love it or leave it.

SDR

[wjsaia]

[dleach]

My point was that there is no terminal "s".

[peterm]

I have no problem whatsoever with Wright's solution for the house in the Central Valley. My comments are more to help explain why the house is sitting on the market with no buyer.

The price is high relative to the location... Or, the right buyer is around the corner, and hasn't yet surfaced.

Sorry about the s...

[Roderick Grant]

"Torpitude"?? Do you mean "torpidity"? My unabridged OED doesn't have torpitude in it. But then, neither does it have "I's" as in the first person singular nominative replacement for "my" which seems to be catching on. "Go-nowhere life" is the case only if one wants to go somewhere else. Most people I know who live in sparsely populated places like the life style, or they leave. There are "disrespected" persons all over the place; one need not go to the rural areas to find them. Prowl about Frisco (that's right, I said "Frisco"!) and count the homeless you encounter. Agribusiness uses a fraction of the borrowed water the average city uses. For any city on the coast not to have desalination plants by now is outrageous, and none do. Massachusetts doesn't count. If you were to drive across the country from California to Mass., the sense of release in the "fly-over" midsection would be followed by a distinct sense of contraction as one entered Pennsylvania, where the land starts to become 'small.' The vastness of the Great Plains is superseded only by the Russian Steppes.

[KevinW]

Smelly central valley, trapped in a go nowhere life, hot, dusty....I really didnt realize how dreadful my life is.....
As far as the "disrespected labor" Some of the farm labor housing here in Los Banos is pretty nice, I have lived in far worse in the city. The workers are provided portable restroom facilities at the fields, plenty of water, legal required breaks, etc..and all the legal requiremnents and rights are posted at the site. They are exteremely hard workers, polite and thankful. The housing at the former Fawcett Farms are nice well maintained houses, often groups of the children would walk to the house to sit around the koi pond. One youngster told me some great stories about how Buck would teach him things about farming, life, gardening and taking care of the koi.
A 400 mile stretch of the central valley provides over 25% of the nations food. But this life is not for everyone, but to me its like living in a huge Whole Foods...without the obscene price tags.
Downtowns San Francisco and San Jose are like cesspools to me, a never ending stench of urine from the ever increasing homeless and the bay area attitude of entitlement. I prefer smelling the nearby dairy farms when the wind shifts..
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KevinW

[SDR]

To each his own, of course, and I mean no disrespect to those whose tastes are different from mine -- nor to those places where they find themselves. (Do most of us actually choose one kind of life over another ? I wonder.)

I'll hold my breath while Mr Grant packs up and leaves for the sticks -- with or without his dictionary !

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=torpitude+definition&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

I certainly can't blame any who wish to stay away from cities -- especially ill-kept American ones !

Really, let's not get into a city vs country argument -- it's futile and pointless (is that a redundancy ?) My observations had to do with what I found at the Fawcett site, and I made the unnecessary extension to the Central Valley as a whole. I saw what I saw, and felt what I felt. I guess others will have to do the same. Those who place every Wright opus on a pedestal, regardless of realities, can explain themselves or not, as they wish. I refuse to idolize, preferring my architectural experiences ungilded.

Of course I hope the Fawcett house finds a happy buyer; I'm sure one will come forward sooner or later. The house is a treasure and deserves the best that can be had, to maintain and cherish her. There's something for everyone in this life !

SDR

[ross]

If Auldbrass Plantation could find a savior – a house in very poor condition, in the middle-of-nowhere, and in a HUMID environment – the intoxicating Fawcett House can also, in time, find a great buyer.

[Wrightgeek]

IMHO, it might be best if we keep our posts here focused on our thoughts and opinions of the works of FLW and his ilk, and try to refrain from expressing our own very personal opinions about matters regarding political views and/or social reform, as such posts do little to add to the general enlightenment of those who frequent this forum.

And before anyone feels compelled to remind me of the social/political nature of Wright's work, please keep in mind the intended purpose of this forum, which I believe is to discuss the man and his work, not our own political views. Please forgive me if I have overstepped my bounds with this post. Thanks.

[SDR]

Politics ?

[Tom]

Yeah, by politics he probably means things like, " agri-busniess giants getting fat on borrowed water and unwarranted subsidies."
This is a great thread! I laughed hard when "Mr. Grant" talked about all those dramatic ocean waves in San Francisco.
And I had NO idea that Sierra is already plural and that saying 'Sierras' is like saying 'Frisco.'
Very enlightening. I thought it all a good natured exchange. I vote for congratulations on a real virtual fellowship.

[KevinW]

It's all good Stephen, my intention is not a city vs. rural....both are wonderful and fascinating, and are important parts of my life. An invitation to see the the area through my eyes is always open.

In fact, I think our discussion is very relevant to the subject of the Fawcett house. Frome what I have read, Buck Fawcett was a leader in the area in regard to the migrant farm worker conditions. How can you have a discussion about a house without discussing the client.
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KevinW

[egads]

I stopped by Sunday evening. Decided to take the chance at trespassing, knowing it was empty. Because of that, I was barely there. I do wish I could have taken an hour to savor the landscape. As it was, one of Fawcett's sons came quickly to make sure I was not up to no good. Once he was convinced I was just a Wright pilgrim, I was told stories of growing up there. He said the 4th of July parties were legend. One of the truckers who hauled their crops far and wide would bring back huge illegal rockets. As boys, they would climb up into the fireplace chimney and jump into the pool. He said his sister comes by and swims in the pool all the time. It must have been really isolated before interstate 5 was built. I am also a city boy, but do remember visiting my uncle in the central valley. Driving for miles off 99 to reach his personal oasis. While I had many distractions in the city, my farm cousins could drive at 12 years old, and pee outside! Because it is such a harsh environment, one must create the oasis. It's hotter than hell and you have to have the trees to make it livable. My main thought about this place is that some potential buyers may want a spread to go with the house. At the same time, it will always be surrounded with crops. With so many bedrooms, could it not be a killer B&B? A weekend in the country, how delightful.

[peterm]

I thought that, too, especially since there are no other Wright rentals in California. With a bit more landscaping, it could be a wonderful getaway for architecture fans.

[Roderick Grant]

God! I hate B&Bs! Those sawdust muffins for breakfast. The shared bathroom. The artificial homeyness and forced camaraderie. The potpourri. Complaints from the owners if you're not in bed asleep by 10 PM. I would rather stay at Hotel Hello than a B&B.