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While in Branson, Missouri, last week, I took the opportunity to visit two architectural sites while in the neighborhood -- the new William J. Clinton Library in Little Rock, Arkansas (more on that in a later posting), and the Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Part of dealing with my professional burnout must involve getting back in touch with the values of architecture, and this was a great opportunity.
The Thorncrown Chapel is the best known of several well-crafted buildings that earned its architect, E. Fay Jones, the 1990 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. Jones was an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, but rather than emulate Mr. Wright as so many of his disciples have done, Mr. Jones used what he learned from Mr. Wright to evolve his own original regionalist style.
Eureka Springs is in northern Arkansas an hour over the Missouri border from Branson. Eureka Springs itself is a destination because it is an historical town with its character very much intact.
The Thorncrown Chapel is west of town about three miles, within several acres of wooded land. The chapel is approached via a 100-meter walkway from a parking lot off Highway 62.
There are no trails or pathways to see the chapel from anywhere other than the entrance walkway, and the way around the building is blocked off.
There are Sunday services, but the primary purpose for the chapel is individual meditation. The building was commissioned and funded by the land owner, Jim Reed, to allow the public to enjoy the inspiration of this location in the Ozark hills.
My sister-in-law presumed that architects like this building because of all the glass. My answer is that I look at the structure first.
It is the laciness of the this structure that makes the building an integral part of its woodsy surroundings, provides a realm for contemplation, and provides detail for appreciation. The glass is secondary and provides climate control. It is secondary in that it does not detract from the structure, but fills in the enclosure to allow the indoor/outdoor relationship with the surrounding woods.
Here is the website for the chapel.
