For architecture and interior design to be considered significant by Ada Louise, they not only had to be magnificently bold but also respect the people who would have to use them and raise the public's collective aesthetic. Ada Louise believed that architecture wasn't the private domain of minds that knew better but a practice charged with elevating how a community felt about itself and its future.
These were big books, before publishing became cheap, with huge full-page photos and wonderfully written captions and text. Little by little, I became more and more curious and enamored—not with the nuts and bolts of architecture but the glory, the beauty and the reasons why some buildings and cities were spectacular and others were garish and meaningless. To understand the difference, I needed to know everything.
I can't remember her exact words, but Ada Louise said something about lines and geometry being very powerful things when used boldly and placed in nature just so, and that when a building's materials and design respected who were as people, they made us feel special. She insisted I keep the book.
Naturally, when I began writing on architecture for The Wall Street Journal in 2010, I felt a certain confidence and satisfaction—understanding not only the importance of the form but also the history and what makes certain buildings and architects special. My first piece was on Manhattan's modernist Mad Men office lobbies that had remained intact since their installation in the '50s and early '60s (go here).
Marc - Wonderful piece. Who else is a connoisseur of those lobbies and could have written so delightfully and knowledgeably about them! So glad the WSJ gave it such a great display. Liked the anchoring quotes too - they added that extra stamp of authoritative comment.' And you may have scooped the new locale [of Mad Men], too - lovely. -All best, Ada Louise"
Yesterday, I choked up re-reading that email. Ada Louise and her books opened a new world of adventure for me back in the '70s that continues to this day. She also taught me that passion, when applied just so as a writer, can help your words leap to life and sweep readers up in your joy. Ada Louise was special. Her many books—given to me as gifts so long ago—still remind me always to do my best.
Here's Ada Louise three years ago on Charlie Rose...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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