Frank Lloyd Wright's Design for the "Capital Journal," Salem, Oregon (1932)

When American architects were arguing the pros and cons of European modernism, Wright presented a design for the Capital Journal building in Salem, Oregon, that was in response to the European's abstract, stark, boxes. Wright's letter forwarding the design drawings to his client George Putnam, published here for the first time, offers a rare glimpse into Wright's methodology for a particular design. In this case we can better understand the architectonics of the proposal, in particular the functional character of glass.