Wright's `newest' still stirs debate // 60 years later, Madison's Monona Terrace is talk of the town

MADISON, Wis. Frank Lloyd Wright was a brilliant architect. He alsowas an autocratic artiste, said to be absolutely committed to thesole authorship of his creations. So when his grandiose $17 million plans for a city-countyadministrative building were rejected in 1938, Wright fumed. "Madison could dig into its pocket and pay something for the charmnature has given it," he said. "But maybe Madison can't look ahead10 years. It's too provincial, backwater, smug and satisfied." Fighting words, for sure. Is it any wonder, then, that it tooknearly 60 years of arguments, bitterness, name calling, false stepsand political maneuvering to finally build the Wright-designed MononaTerrace. It is a largely stunning semi-circular structure thatextends 90 feet over Lake Monona and organically links the domedstate Capitol building two blocks away to the impressive newconstruction. When it opened July 18, nearly 50,000 Wright-ophiles, Madisontaxpayers and curious onlookers gathered to judge how the buildingconformed to Wright's final 1959 vision of the site, subsequentlychanged by Wright Foundation-trained Taliesin architects to conformto 1990s building codes and technologies. The verdict? Well, Madison loves a good argument. And the battle over MononaTerrace has been a doozy. The final structure has been called everything from "undeniablypowerful" to "a tragic compromise of Wright's (original)intentions." Monona Terrace, Wright's last great dream, is a $67million, five-level semi-circular amalgam of towers, arches andterraces poised 90 feet over the surface of Lake Monona. Its exterior, broadly sweeping the natural bluff in Wright'scharacteristic horizontal strokes, gives it the appearance of risingout of the landscape. That organic element of architecture'srelationship to nature is a Wright hallmark. Combine this with rooftop gardens that allow visitors to experiencethe cultural landmark (bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the view),public bike paths that rim the building and magnificent views to theimposing state Capitol building along a "mall in progress," and theWright-inspired vision is stunning. Inside, it's a different story. Redesigned by a Wright apprentice,Anthony Puttnam of Taliesin Architects, the state-of-the-artexhibition and meeting space often fails to meet Wright's muster. Not that it doesn't try. Remember that Wright's original plans called for a city civic centeron this site that included everything from administrative offices toa county jail and railroad station. The updated version retains thefootprint of Wright's exterior design, but adapts the interior to themodern needs of a mid-sized convention center. As a result, the interior's success, as measured by Wright'sarchitectural standards, is mixed. One local newspaper pointed outsome of the plusses: The building's main entrance - one level belowthe rooftop, which is curved, low and intimate - leads into a narrowhall opening to a spectacular lake view from the Grand Terrace. Thebuilding's round lecture hall, a 300-seat theater with curved walls,is another example of Wright's grand yet intimate architecturalscale. And a very special meeting room's long, curved desk followsthe wall's outline while offering a stunning view of the lake,thereby showcasing the building's real Wright potential. Unfortunately, much of the other interior space has been sliced anddiced into meeting hall "boxes." This bow to standard convention hall utility is striking if onlybecause Wright so abhorred interior corners that he often camouflagedthem in his other buildings with curves, walls of stone, clear glassand other architectural sleight-of-hand. Other elements of Wright's original plan also have been scaled downdue to money considerations. Even the rooftop fountains, consideredby Wright as crucial to bring the lake's water into the architecturaltexture of the building, largely have been eliminated. So Monona Terrace, much like modern life, is a compromise. Notquite the "hybrid beast" it has been called by some critics, butcertainly not as dramatic as the vision Wright conjured up more thana half-century ago. Specifically Monona Terrace is open for free self-guided tours. Generally,building hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guided tours are at 11 a.m. and 1p.m. for $2 a person; tours are free Mondays and Tuesdays. Thesetours meet at the gift shop, level four; reservations arerecommended. The rooftop garden is open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.Call (608) 261-4000. Bob Puhala writes about Midwest travel for the Chicago Sun-Times.His most recent book is Recommended Country Inns: The Midwest (GlobePequot, $16.95).