Studs Terkel used to lament that we all lived in these United States of Amnesia; an especially poignant lack of memory when it comes to our virtually forgotten architectural genius Louis Sullivan. (Or better "unknown" rather than forgotten). I remember like it was yesterday my Greyhounding from my graduate school roommate Sandy King's home in Dayton, Ohio to see yet another of the small banks Sullivan called his "jewel boxes".
It was the first morning run out of Dayton to Sidney, Ohio--the last on my list of "must sees". As the only customer, I was riding shot gun, the better to early morning gabble with the driver. As he shifted gears down to pit stop the tiny town, I asked him if I could take a good look at the Louis Sullivan bank that put that small burg on the global architectural map of Must See buildings. He assured me he'd take a longish smoke to accommodate my curiosity.
And there it was, with the admonition THRIFT adorning the facade! Back on the bus, I was astonished to hear my driver emote, "Damn, I've driven past that bank a thousand times, but never noticed how pretty it is. Thanks, mister." Thankful indeed to have so many hidden treasures in otherwise forgettable places scattered willy nilly across the Midwest where farmer/business interests took a flier with this strange man: Owatonna, Grinnell, Columbus, Cedar Rapids, and other lucky winners in the Louie Lottery.
Oddly, he achieved these masterpieces in his tortured final years, plagued by alcoholism. He was living miserably in the shadows of his peak architectural career with the German immigrant engineer Dankmar Adler, a perfect pair for combining the art and business moxie behind all great architecture.
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