:[oak.park]:

.:news:[oak-park.il]:news:.

Recently, The Maestro and [tac] took a voyage to Oak Park, IL from within Chicago's city limits. We rode the CTA Green Line to get out there and on the way, we saw some fo the worst slums I have ever laid eyes on [short of some fo the ones in NOLA]. So we were rather skeptical that we were going to find Oak Park to be a decent place. In contrast, we found Oak Park to be one of the best cities we have ever set foot in.

Oak Park is full of nice little shops, coffee houses, restaurants, and parks. Some day I would love to live there, it would be an amazing experience. There is something about the air there, the achitecture and abundance of trees makes the community very approachable. In addition the people there are very friendly and diverse. All too often when you have nice historical communities, with them comes segregation of class and race. Oak Park has none of this.

Our main reason for going to Oak Park was to visit the famed Unity Temple by Frank Lloyd Wright. There are also many other FLW homes out there as well, so we decided to go see them as well. We picked up a walking tour map from the tour center, which helped us significantly. We saw many FLW homes the best of which I have shown below. Along the route, we also saw some homes by George Maher which are equally as beautiful. I would reccomend seeing his work, just as highly as I would reccomend seeing FLW's.

There was just something about FLW's work that inspired awe in me. There is a certain grace of simplicity to his work that makes the homes feel truly natural to their environs. In my drawing and design work, the prevalent force is line and the weight that it carries. I see this quality in FLW's work, even in his least celebrated accomplishments. Because of this, he is one of my most respected architects of all time.

- [tac.bomber.dbs]

	:[01flw.home01]:	0		:[02flw.home02]:

This FLW house has a very interesting aesthetic. The pitch of the roof and intersecting lines make it one of my favorite FLW homes.			This house, while large and blocky, still maintains a sense energy and dynamics that most large houses lose.
	:[03flw.home03]:	0		:[unity.copy1]:

This is quite possibly my favorite FLW house ever. This picture does it little justice it appears much smaller in this picture.			This is another Unity Temple in Oak Park, but it is not the FLW temple.
	:[04flw.home04]:	0		:[01flw.home01]:

Another FLW house of amazing quality... the roof and pitch is perfect.			Another view of the first FLW house on this page.
	:[unity.other2]:	0		:[unity-01]:

This Unity Temple, while beautiful, is not the original FLW Unity Temple. I thought it was interesting though, despite it all.			A view from the outside of the FLW Unity Temple. Because of its being comprised of concrete, the temple has suffered weather damage.
	:[unity-02]:	0		:[unity-03]:

This is the view off above and behind the altar. The linework of the high ceilings made my jaw drop.			Another example of the high ceilings and their wondrous qualities.
	:[unity-04]:	0		:[unity-05]:

One of the things I respect most about FLW is his use of line. I am a huge of fan of linework and find it important both art and design.			This fixture amazed me. It is slightly damaged, but still retains its elegance and grace.
	:[unity-06]:	0		:[maestro.looks]:

A wonderful example of the detail and aesthetic that FLW carries through his work.			The Maestro gazes off toward the piano he would later play his own compositions on.
	:[maestro.speaks]:	0		:[tac.awe]:

"I walked through the park and there were trees. The trees were so green." -[maestro]			[tac.bomber.dbs] looks toward an interesting light fixture that has survived years of abuse.