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THE ARCHITECTURE ISSUE
The Chronicle Review's yearly look at architecture examines buildings on and off campuses. Above, Caltech's new Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, designed by Morphosis. (Chronicle photograph by Lawrence Biemiller)
Other News
U. of Tennessee Landmark to Move to Nearby Location
New campus buildings
Multimedia
Pomona's Skyspace
The artist James Turrell turned a Pomona College courtyard into a work of art worth waking up at dawn for.
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About Buildings & Grounds
Buildings & Grounds is written by Scott Carlson (left) and Lawrence Biemiller (right). Scott Carlson writes about architecture, facilties, energy, and sustainability, among other topics. Lawrence Biemiller writes about architecture and facilities and contributes to Notes from Academe. What's happening on your campus? Let us know.
At Florida Southern College, Wright's 'Water Dome' Finally Rises
The restored Wright fountain is turned on at Florida Southern College (Florida Southern image)
Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision of a spectacular “water dome” at the heart of his only college campus was finally realized Thursday night, when Florida Southern College turned on 74 high-pressure jets that created a graceful 45-foot-high dome of illuminated droplets above a basin 160 feet in diameter. An audience of at least 200 gathered for the event, according to Lakeland’s newspaper, The Ledger.
The water dome was a central feature of Wright’s design for the college (The Chronicle, June 15). But the pumps available at the time proved significantly less powerful than Wright’s imagination, and the fountain was eventually divided in three smaller pools with walkways between them.
Now the college, which received a preservation-planning grant from the Getty Foundation, is in the midst of several projects aimed at restoring its Wright-designed structures, including the fountain, the larger of two chapels, and Wright’s striking esplanades — cantilevered walkways that connect his buildings. The effort to recreate the water dome as Wright envisioned it cost nearly $1-million.
Lawrence Biemiller | Friday October 26, 2007 | Permalink | Contact us
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