Rhythmic Columns

Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, on the campus of the University of Chicago, in the Hyde Park neighborhood, is one of Wright's most globally-famous structures. Built between 1908 and 1910, it is generally recognized as the most mature of his Prairie designs. This is how Wright drew the columns that support the second-floor balcony. The masons assumed Wright had made a mistake in his drawings and built all 5 columns to full height. When Wright came to inspect, he threw a fit and demanded that they tear out the bricks on the three columns down to his original design. He argued that the cantilevering of the balcony did not require all five supports (which it didn't) and that the alternating heights provided a rhythmic flow to the design. I have been an interpreter (docent) there on weekends since 2006.