The 'Fay' in Fayetteville...

Today I am delighted to feature a guest blogger and old colleague of mine. Richy Mc Cusker has been keeping his own blog Custard by Design for some time and keeps us up to date with all aspects of his design life in Arkansas. Here Richy takes us on a journey of his design influences and features the work of one of Frank Lloyd Wrights apprentices.

She went from Galway to Graceland to be with the King, and I went from Armagh to Arkansas to be with herself, Fayetteville precisely.

I always knew as a child that I wanted to do something related to buildings, I guess looking back that influence was heavily inspired by the domineering presence of the twin spires of St Patrick's Cathedral and the surrounding architecture my hometown presented to me.

Armagh Cathedral

I loved to be able to say my hometown boasts some of the finest examples of Georgian architecture outside Dublin.

I then grew to love and admire the same features other cities that I have been fortunate to have lived in offered through studying interior architecture in Edinburgh, and carving a career in Dublin.

The medieval and Gothic facades of Edinburgh's old town and winding closes, the order and structure to the Georgian new town, and the modern injections of architects like Richard Murphy or indeed the new Scottish parliament building weaved modern trajectories into these very different sides of Scotland capital.

From Scotland's capital to Irelands capital, Dublin again had so much to offer, from the Georgian grandeur of the north side to the Victorian splendor of the south side, bustling with the energy of a nearly dying Celtic tiger when I first moved there, Dublin was fast becoming a destination for architects on the global front to make their mark.

Now I find myself in Fayetteville, Arkansas, US of A, the place I now call home, and the hometown I also happen to share with Alistair Cragg.

This is my wife's hometown, and when we decided to move here we moved here with the thoughts of aiming for the bright lights that cities like New York or Washington DC or Atlanta might offer us, yet we had the “lets see what happens” attitude. Having fought a hard fight against the recession in Dublin, we found ourselves very lucky to quickly find work here in North West Arkansas, so, settled in the job, settled in the new ways of married life and everything that it has to offer - a new house, new paint swatches picked and living rooms and bedrooms painted and a wish list for the kitchen and the bathroom, and a puppy to boot - it was time to sit back and take in my surroundings and look to the buildings and the form that surrounds me.

So many of the buildings around boasted a familiar style, familiar detailing, something that told me I knew who designed this, yet I couldn't point a finger at a name.

It was while I was in attendance at a recent wedding, I was so in awe at the church (Thorncrown Chapel), that I came home and did my research and was led to discover a lot about E. Fay Jones.

Fay Jones is a noted American architect and designer and he was an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, hence the familiarity in the detailing. Born in Pine Bluff, AR, Fay Jones grew up in El Dorado, AR, but spent a significant amount of time in Fayetteville, where he studied at the University of Arkansas, and later became the first Dean of the University of Arkansas School of Architecture. He continued to work out of his small office here in Fayetteville and was a resident of Fayetteville until he died in 2004 at 83.

Fay Jones

Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, the Mildred B. Cooper chapel in Bella Vista, and the J. William Fulbright Memorial Peace Fountain on the University Campus were probably his most locally known works, but Jones also designed some incredible private residences in and around Fayetteville that some consider to be some of his best work.

Thorncrown Chapel, Eureka Springs, AR.

Jones numerous creations include buildings, homes, chapels, dormitories, sculpture, and occasionally furniture. His influence can be found all over Fayetteville, from the Peace Fountain on the University Campus, to the Kappa Sigma building on Dickson St, to the residences on Mount Sequoia, Skyline Driveand other areas around town. His buildings have become a part of Fayetteville’s identity, and Jones work somehow has both captured and shaped Fayetteville’s personality.

This is one of my favourite quotes about his works,

“The work of Fay Jones is a local treasure. He was a thinker and architect that developed and engaged a keen sense of how to live and build in the Ozarks to create intelligent, beautiful, and relevant architecture which is rooted in, and draws inspiration from, nature and place. He ultimately elevated the presence of Northwest Arkansas and the University to a national level and no one should pass on an opportunity to experience one of his brilliant buildings.”

Chris Baribeau, AIA of Modus Studio in Fayetteville

One of my favourite images I found while researching this article is the breakfast room in a nearby house. Everything pieces so well together, and like many of the fittings in the churches he designed, Fay Jones designed the light fitting for the breakfast room below.

I've walked past this house many times, and vied for the chance that someone might be going in or coming out so that I might grab their attention and weave my interest into the conversation and be invited in for a mug of coffee or a cold beer.

I still havent given up. I'm away off for a walk. Thanks Box7 for the invitation.