Las Vegas Weekly

September 2, 2008 · 3:25 PM

The Wright Stuff

By T.R. Witcher

The Stockman House by Frank Lloyd Wright in Mason City, Iowa.

Photo: Pamela V. White

When I think of Frank Lloyd Wright and religion, my first thought usually goes to the legendary architect’s legendary self-regard: Wright as a kind of god in his own head. But then I recall his arresting Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois—a starkly beautiful building that looks as ancient as the Great Pyramids—and I think, well, maybe he was a god. UNLV’s School of Architecture kicks off its annual Klai Juba Lecture Series with a lecture by documentary filmmaker Michael Miner. His new film, Sacred Spaces: The Houses of Worship, focuses on 10 of Wright’s religious structures, including churches, synagogues and temples in Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania and California, as well as the First Christian Church in Phoenix. Wright’s stunning, iconoclastic structures give us an idea of what Las Vegans should start to demand from our built environment. The lecture is preceded by a reception at 6 p.m. at the Downtown Design Center.

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