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| READING THE NEWS
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Falling Water, the Guggenheim Museum, and...the Tydol Gas Station
by
Andrew Duncan
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 As
a testament to the continuing popularity of legendary American architect
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), a 1,000-square-foot gas station he designed
in 1927 is being constructed in Buffalo, New York, due to the building's
value as a top tourist attraction.
James Sandoro,
the project's mastermind, acquired the rights to build the structure last
spring, and claims interest in the station is high with Frank Lloyd Wright,
automobile, and gas station enthusiasts. Sandoro has contracted two local
architects to make sure the station is built to Wright's exact specifications.
Wright initially
designed the station for what used to be Tydol Oil. When finished next
summer, the building will boast an authentic Tydol gasoline sign. The
station will also contain two fireplaces, an observation deck, and --
in what was an almost revolutionary idea 75 years ago -- a women's restroom.
Unfortunately, modern fire codes will prevent Wright's progressive station
from being functional.
The only
other gas station designed by Wright still in existence is a working Phillips
66 in Cloquet, Minnesota, which was built in 1956.
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 The
Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright
By Neil
Levine
Harvard professor Levine's incredible critique/biography is one of the most
comprehensive books available on the influential and forward-thinking draftsman.
Profusely illustrated with photographs, drawings, notes, correspondences,
and other writings, Levine discusses most of Wright's major works in great
detail. But perhaps most fascinatingly, Levine pays special attention to
Wright's personal life, and explores how the architect's beliefs may have
shaped his work. |
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Frank
Lloyd Wright's Public Buildings
By Thomas
A. Heinz
 Perhaps
the most prominent figure in modern architecture, Wright is estimated to
have designed more than 800 buildings around the world. Although he may
be more famous for spectacular houses like Falling Water, his public buildings
-- which include corporate buildings, hotels, churches, museums, and, yes,
gas stations -- are just as impressive. In his book, Heinz uses vivid photographs
and informative text to examine some of Wright's greatest designs, which
include the Guggenheim Museum, Unity Temple, and Japan's Imperial Hotel.
The curious can peruse the architect's incredible homes in Heinz's Frank
Lloyd Wright's Houses. |
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Gas
Stations Coast to Coast
By Michael
Karl Witzel
 These
days, getting gas for your vehicle is a routine and largely uneventful process.
But filling up used to be a much more involved and service-oriented experience:
uniformed attendants would check your tires, radiator, and oil while you
waited; each station had its own particular architectural style; and many
stations attempted to attract customers with fun marketing gimmicks. With
hundreds of full-color photographs and illustrations from a sadly bygone
era, pop culture expert Witzel's sunny and nostalgic Gas Stations Coast
to Coast attempts to explain how the gas station evolved from lively
to moribund. |
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City
of Light
By Lauren
Belfer
 In
Belfer's eccentric and disquieting novel, the unusual tale of girls' school
headmistress Louisa Barrett is set against the compelling backdrop of the
turn-of-the-century Buffalo, NY. In the early part of the 20th century,
Buffalo stands teetered on the brink of greatness due to the electric industry's
harnessing of Niagara Falls' power. But that greatness is threatened when
a murder apparently tied to the city's electric plant occurs, and Louisa
finds herself caught up in a dangerous struggle between power brokers, politicians,
and industrialists -- all of whom are vying for control of Niagara. |
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Eccentric
America
By Jan
Friedman
 Should
a non-functioning gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright be mentioned
in the same breath as such tried-and-true American tackiness like South
of the Border, Wall Drug, the Corn Palace, and the World's Largest Ball
of Twine? Probably not, but Friedman's amusing book is still essential reading
for anyone about to embark on the great American road trip. Divided first
into regions and then into states, Eccentric America offers information
on and detailed descriptions of America's most peculiar and goofy museums,
festivals, restaurants, tours, hotels, and attractions.
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