Some Thoughts on Wright

This is all well-put, and it puts me in mind of previous discussions at City Comforts on the merits of Wright. Sucher's objection has focused on the use of the nondescriptive term genius, and rightly so. What made me think of those discussions is his reference to "where the door is:" door location is one of the things that sets Wright apart, and that I love about his work.

Typical late Victorian houses - even picturesque ones - put the door front-and-center, visually if not literally. Wright's suburban houses almost never do this, instead turning a corner, passing through a screen, etc. The effect is twofold: it creates a sense of procession and travel for the homeowner and guest, increasing the psychic distance between the street and the home; it also creates a barrier between the home and visitors/intruders - not a security barrier, but again a psychic one. Standing on a stranger's front porch rarely feels intrusive; ringing the doorbell on a Wright house often does (such an effect isn't for everyone, but neither is the open plan; people who like this sort of thing will find it the sort of thing they like).