Rebecca's Trip to Taliesin West

Rebecca is a big Frank Lloyd Wright fan. She reads books about him and makes an occasional pilgrimage to the many buildings he designed. If they are open to the public, great! We take the tour, take pictures, and Rebecca gushes. If the site is not public, I will sit in the car with the motor running while she trespasses. (If you're the owner of the Wright home just west of Madison who saw some strange woman clunking through your back yard in September 1999, I apologize. She doesn't mean any harm.)
My problem with Frank Lloyd Wright is that he seemed to have suffered from a Napoleon complex. Let's not argue over the exact definition of the affliction -- instead walk through a couple of the man's buildings. If you're much taller than Frankie (who stood a commanding 5 ft. 7), you're likely to bump your head if you're not paying attention. At 6 ft 2, I've found myself staring directly at the tops of quite a few Wright-designed doorframes. There are a number of "explanations" of why he designed his doors so short and most acknowledge that it was directly attributable to his own (lack of) physical stature. Still, if you hang around the Wright groupies long enough, you're sure to hear them begin to ruminate about the "meaning" of his work, it's underlying philosophy and excuses for some of its shortcomings (e.g., leaky roofs). It is from this crowd that I learned that his low ceilings "expressed his commitment to democracy." (Frank's "commitment to democracy" could be bought, however, as when he was hired to design a home for 6 ft 8 Louis Penfield.) Hmmm.
Don't get me wrong. Frank Lloyd Wright was a great architect and I admire much (though not all) of his work. Just watch your head!