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I think this speaks for itself.
Soon to be released as Unity Core, a command line interface distribution 115MB in size using 10MB of total memory. But will it install? We've custom written an installer in bash based on Mandriva's installer so that you can boot to a cli live disk and install it. Available at a Unity Linux website near you soon.
A celebration of UNITY BLUE BALL MARKS ITS 15TH YEAR WITH PARTIES AND FUND-RAISING FOR GAY GROUPS.
By Christine Ma INQUIRER STAFF WRITER (see link at end)
Posted: January 28, 2005
In 1991, a handful of supporters gathered for a single night at the first Blue Ball celebration to raise money for AIDS awareness.
Starting tonight, thousands of partyers from around the country will be dancing the weekend away, as Blue Ball Philadelphia celebrates its 15th year of supporting the city's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
And as the event's success has grown, so has its appeal.
"It's a welcoming environment," said Matthew Ray, cochairman of marketing, advertising, public relations and media relations at the Sapphire Fund, the parent organization of Blue Ball since 2002. "It's definitely a very high-energy event."
Now spanning three nights and several nightclubs, the all-volunteer event has raised more than $1.25 million for various organizations. With this year's "Unite!" theme, the group hopes to exceed $100,000, the total from last year's event, Ray said.
And for the second straight year, the weekend's showcase event will be held at the National Constitution Center, a venue some say is ideal.
"It makes a statement, as a declaration of our role as citizens of Philadelphia," said Mark Blecher, president of the Sapphire Fund. "It's a great place. We think that it is a very significant space in terms of what it represents."
But Derek Seder, a previous attendee of Blue Ball, found the venue to be in stark contrast with the state of gay rights in the country.
"It's funny how we're here [at the National Constitution Center] and that people are trying to write us out of the Constitution," he said.
Seder, a doctoral student in psychology at Temple University, understands the importance of supporting Blue Ball's cause. He works as a psychotherapist at the Mazzoni Center, which provides medical, mental-health and education services to the city's LGBT community.
While the main event focuses on dancing, "these parties tend to be more for everyone to have a good time," Seder said.
Blue Ball was created by volunteers in Philadelphia to fund the AIDS Library, a database for information, treatments and resources about the disease. The event has since expanded to assist all nonprofit agencies that support the gay community.
Blecher said that when Philadelphia Fight, which had been the Blue Ball's organizer, decided to stop producing the annual fund-raiser, members of the gay community formed the Sapphire Fund. The nonprofit group is now dedicated to keeping the tradition and, more important, philanthropy of the event alive.
"We're here to support the gay community and to stay on top of the changing needs of the community and how Blue Ball needs to change to meet those needs," Blecher said.
About 6,000 people are expected to join the fun this weekend, and about 2,000 are expected at the main event.
"Most people are in a celebratory spirit, but it's also friendly because it draws people from around the country, and it draws people out who normally don't do the club scene," Ray said. "It's a great way to meet new people and to get reacquainted with old friends."
Tonight at 9, Blue Ball will begin with DJ Alyson Calagna at the "ShamBlue" party at the Shampoo nightclub. The main event, "Unite!," will return to the National Constitution Center on Saturday. DJ Tony Moran will work the turntables from 10 p.m. to dawn.
Post-parties will keep the celebration going. Revelers can head to the Cobalt event at the Pure nightclub following "Unite!" to dance to the mixes of DJ Billy Carroll. The festivities will close Sunday with DJ Lydia Prim at the "Release" party at the Trocadero Theatre from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. and with international favorite DJ Junior Vasquez at the Metallic Blue party afterwards at Transit Nightclub, which will run until 10 a.m.
In between the celebrations, the William Way Community Center will offer a screening of Gay Pioneers from 3 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Glenn Holsten, the documentary tells the story of organized gay-rights demonstrations held from 1965 to 1969, a time when homophobia was widespread. The film includes footage from protests in Philadelphia.
Everyone is welcome at any of the events, and tickets will be sold at the door. A host pass that allows entry into "ShamBlue," "Unite!" and "Release" also is available for $140.
Over the last 15 years, Ray said, the Blue Ball has earned cooperation and support for Philadelphia's LGBT community from individuals and groups around the city and state.
"We hope to move in the direction of a community party and open doors to friends and supporters of the gay and lesbian community, to be a melting pot where everyone can come together."
Contact staff writer Christine Ma
at 215-854-2553 or cma@phillynews.com.
Blue Ball Schedule
Host passes can be purchased for $140 at the welcome center at the Loews Hotel, from 4 to 9 tonight and from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Passes include entry to "ShamBlue," "Unite!" and "Release" events, the Gay Pioneers screening, and a special gift bag. Individual tickets to all events are available, and can also be purchased at the events. For more information go to www.blueballphilly.com.
Tonight
ShamBlue
9 p.m. to dawn at Shampoo,
Eighth and Callowhill Streets.
Tickets: Free with host pass; $20 at door.
Phone: 215-922-7500.
Saturday
"Gay Pioneers" screening,
3 to 4 p.m. at William Way Community Center,
1315 Spruce St.
Tickets: Limited seating. Free with host pass; $10 at door.
Phone: 215-732-2220.
Unite!
10 p.m. to dawn at the National Constitution Center,
Sixth and Arch Streets.
Tickets: Free with host pass; $85 at door.
Phone: 215-409-6600.
Cobalt
After "Unite!" at Pure,
13th and St. James Streets.
Tickets: $30.
Phone: 215-735-5772.
Sunday
Release
6 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Trocadero Theatre,
1003 Arch St.
Tickets: Free with host pass; $50 at door.
Phone: 215-922-5483.
Metallic Blue
After "Release" at Transit,
Sixth and Spring Garden Streets. Tickets: $25.
Phone: 215-925-8878.
Proceeds from the Blue Ball will go to the William Way Community Center, which offers programs for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community; the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, which provides legal services and advocacy for gays and lesbians; and St. Mary's Family Respite Center, which provides child-care services to children and families living with HIV/AIDS.
articles.philly.com/2005-01-28/entertainment/25435771_1_g...
Louis Capet XXVI Laser Shows + Music Publishing - www.LaserLightShow.ORG
SoundCloud - www.SoundCloud.com/Kings-Recordings
Spotify - open.spotify.com/user/louiscapetxxvi
FaceBook - www.FaceBook.com/KingCapetxxvi
Twitter - www.Twitter.com/LaserLightShow
Google+ - plus.google.com/+LaserLightShowORG
Instagram - www.instagram.com/king_recordings
YouTube - www.youtube.com/LaserLightShowORG
E-Mail - MF@LaserLightShow.ORG
Telephone - (215) 888-8080
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA - Employees from the Pennsylvania National Guard and Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs gathered for Unity Day, an annual celebration of diversity, Aug. 27, 2015. Remarks on diversity and inclusion were presented by Jose Molina, executive director of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs. A variety of cultural displays, music and ethnic foods were the highlights of the event. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Ted Nichols/Released)
Just sharing. Made this for a very good friend. Cupcake stamp is from Unity. Sentiment is from Hero Arts. I used a upside down punched heart shape as the flame. I later added some Stickles on the top part of the cupcake to simulate "icing."
Springfield Call 2 Action is sponsoring a rally at the Old State Capital Plaza. We are a Sister rally to the historic Women's March on Washington, D.C. and we will highlight Springfield issues and organizations that help people who are affected by the changing national landscape.
Candle that was lit during the ceremony.
Photo may be used for blogs, Squidoo lenses, etc. with a link back.
Thanks!
Unity windows take advantage of most of the special effects provided by Compiz and other window managers on Linux. This is an example of the Windows XP control panel being all wobbly while moving.
Unity Recovery Services Volvo Rotator Underlift at Avro Ex Recovery Show. Chateau Impney, Droitwicth
TGIF everybody!
This was one of my favorites from this Engagement shoot. I like how the pathway behind their hands' adds a nice Depth of field. Megan and Brian were very happy with this shot!
Nikon D3
Lens: 70-200mm f2.8 VR
3 men with the colours of the Indian flag,
as we should respect each human being with their personality and belief,
may India respect the cultures of each state to preserve Unity in Diversity !
A plea of the farmers for their ancient Pongal Festival Jaliikattu.
Mangulam
Along the Sufi path, I realized the harmonious unity of all existence,
inner refinement as well as a widening of a deeper perception and vision.
In meditation much was unveiled to me, which compelled me to search
for the complimentary aspects of this vision.
This exhibition may be the first step along the path.
Ya Hadret Mawlay … meditation in divine presence, and searching for the path.
Amr Fekry
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA - Employees from the Pennsylvania National Guard and Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs gathered for Unity Day, an annual celebration of diversity, Sept. 5, 2013. The event had a variety of cultural demonstrations, displays and food. (Photo by Tom Cherry/Released)
May 12, 2019 - Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple located at 875 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois. "Commissioned by the congregation of Oak Park Unity Church in 1905, Wright’s Unity Temple is the greatest public building of the architect’s Chicago years. Wright’s family on his mother’s side were Welsh Unitarians, and his uncle Jenkin Lloyd Jones was a distinguished Unitarian preacher with a parish on Chicago’s south side where Wright and his wife Catherine were married. Wright identified with the rational humanism of Unitarianism, particularly as influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s transcendentalism, uniting all beings as one with the divine presence.
Wright’s father had been a Universalist preacher. With their emphasis on a loving God, Universalists were early advocates of abolitionism and were the first church to ordain women. In 1886 Universalist Augusta Chapin became minister of the Oak Park Unity Church, attracting new members to the congregation including Frank Lloyd Wright’s mother Anna. Unitarian Universalist minister Rodney Johonnot succeeded Chapin when she joined the Parliament of World Religions in 1893. A lawyer and graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Johonnot was known for his liberal views, even more extreme than those of Jenkin Lloyd Jones with whom he sometimes took issue.
When Unity Church burned to the ground in June 1905, Wright was awarded the commission, and in 1906 Johonnot published a booklet titled, A New Edifice for Unity Church. He wanted a modern building that would embody the principles of “unity, truth, beauty, simplicity, freedom and reason.”
Wright was a perfect match to these requirements. The design he submitted to the congregation broke with almost every existing convention for traditional Western ecclesiastic architecture. On the novel choice of construction material Wright states, “There was only one material to choose—as church funds were $45,000. Concrete was cheap.” Wright’s bold concept for the building enabled a series of concrete forms to be repeated multiple times.
In harmony with Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture, the concrete was left uncovered by plaster, brick, or stone. Wright’s sensitive handling of materials was a defining feature of his architecture from early in his career. “Bring out the nature of the materials,” Wright insisted in his seminal essay In the Cause of Architecture, “let their nature intimately into your scheme. Reveal the nature of wood, plaster, brick, or stone in your designs, they are all by nature friendly and beautiful. No treatment can be really a matter of fine art when those natural characteristics are, or their nature is, outraged or neglected.”
Unity Temple was a significant commission in Wright’s Oak Park Studio. Charles E. White, who worked as a draftsman for Wright from 1903 to 1906, details the collaborative effort of the Studio to secure the commission, “the chief thing at Wright’s is of course Unity Church, the sketches of which are at last accepted. We have all pleaded and argued with the committee, until we are well nigh worn out. All hands are working on the drawings."
In harmony with Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture, the concrete was left uncovered by plaster, brick, or stone. Wright’s sensitive handling of materials was a defining feature of his architecture from early in his career. “Bring out the nature of the materials,” Wright insisted in his seminal essay In the Cause of Architecture, “let their nature intimately into your scheme. Reveal the nature of wood, plaster, brick, or stone in your designs, they are all by nature friendly and beautiful. No treatment can be really a matter of fine art when those natural characteristics are, or their nature is, outraged or neglected.”
Unity Temple was a significant commission in Wright’s Oak Park Studio. Charles E. White, who worked as a draftsman for Wright from 1903 to 1906, details the collaborative effort of the Studio to secure the commission, “the chief thing at Wright’s is of course Unity Church, the sketches of which are at last accepted. We have all pleaded and argued with the committee, until we are well nigh worn out. All hands are working on the drawings.”
Approached from Lake Street, Unity Temple is a massive and monolithic cube of concrete, sheltered beneath an expansive flat roof. The introspective nature of the building is in part a response to its corner site situated along a busy thoroughfare. No entrance is apparent and the building appears impenetrable, save for a band of high clerestory windows recessed behind decorative piers and shadowed by overhanging eaves.
Entry to the building is via a low hall that connects Unity Temple and Unity House. Above the bank of doors leading into the hall, an inscription in bronze declares, “For the worship of God and the service of man.” The low, dimly lit hall that unites the buildings is a transitional space. To the south it opens directly onto Unity House. Designed for “the service of man,” this secular space includes a central meeting hall, flanking balconies for use as open classrooms, and other special purpose rooms for daily operation. Like Wright’s residential architecture, this congregational parish house is centered on a fireplace hearth.
Situated across the hall from Unity House is the temple. In contrast to the open entrance into Unity House, access to the sanctuary is complex. Wright masterfully manipulates the sequence of entrance; guiding the visitor through low dark passages he termed “cloisters,” before they ascend into the open, brightly lit sanctuary.
The sanctuary is the heart and anchor of the building. At once grand yet intimate, the sanctuary is a masterful composition in light and space. Its elegant articulation and warm colors stand in bold contrast to the grey concrete exterior. Devoid of overt religious iconography, its precise geometric proportions declare a harmonious whole.
The uppermost portion of the sanctuary appears light and transparent. A continuous band of clerestory windows of Wright’s signature leaded glass encircle the flat, coffered ceiling. Set in a concrete grid are twenty-five square skylights of amber tinted leaded glass The effect, Wright states, was intended “to get a sense of a happy cloudless day into the room… daylight sifting through between the intersecting concrete beams, filtering through amber glass ceiling lights. Thus managed, the light would, rain or shine, have the warmth of sunlight.”
While Wright’s innovative use of concrete was chosen for its economy, the completed building ultimately cost nearly twice the contracted price due to complications encountered during construction. In September of 1909, the new building was dedicated. Because its unique design bore little resemblance to the other churches along Lake Street, it was decided to rename it Unity Temple.
The congregation’s board of trustees issued a statement thanking Wright. “We extend to the architect, Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright, our most hearty congratulations upon the wonderful achievement embodied in the new edifice and further extend to him our most sincere thanks for the great service which, through the building, he has rendered to the parish and to the community. We believe the building will long endure as a monument to his artistic genius and that, so long as it endures, it will stand forth as a masterpiece of art and architecture.” Their words were prophetic."
Previous text from the following website: flwright.org/researchexplore/unitytemple
May 12, 2019 - Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple located at 875 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois. "Commissioned by the congregation of Oak Park Unity Church in 1905, Wright’s Unity Temple is the greatest public building of the architect’s Chicago years. Wright’s family on his mother’s side were Welsh Unitarians, and his uncle Jenkin Lloyd Jones was a distinguished Unitarian preacher with a parish on Chicago’s south side where Wright and his wife Catherine were married. Wright identified with the rational humanism of Unitarianism, particularly as influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s transcendentalism, uniting all beings as one with the divine presence.
Wright’s father had been a Universalist preacher. With their emphasis on a loving God, Universalists were early advocates of abolitionism and were the first church to ordain women. In 1886 Universalist Augusta Chapin became minister of the Oak Park Unity Church, attracting new members to the congregation including Frank Lloyd Wright’s mother Anna. Unitarian Universalist minister Rodney Johonnot succeeded Chapin when she joined the Parliament of World Religions in 1893. A lawyer and graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Johonnot was known for his liberal views, even more extreme than those of Jenkin Lloyd Jones with whom he sometimes took issue.
When Unity Church burned to the ground in June 1905, Wright was awarded the commission, and in 1906 Johonnot published a booklet titled, A New Edifice for Unity Church. He wanted a modern building that would embody the principles of “unity, truth, beauty, simplicity, freedom and reason.”
Wright was a perfect match to these requirements. The design he submitted to the congregation broke with almost every existing convention for traditional Western ecclesiastic architecture. On the novel choice of construction material Wright states, “There was only one material to choose—as church funds were $45,000. Concrete was cheap.” Wright’s bold concept for the building enabled a series of concrete forms to be repeated multiple times.
In harmony with Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture, the concrete was left uncovered by plaster, brick, or stone. Wright’s sensitive handling of materials was a defining feature of his architecture from early in his career. “Bring out the nature of the materials,” Wright insisted in his seminal essay In the Cause of Architecture, “let their nature intimately into your scheme. Reveal the nature of wood, plaster, brick, or stone in your designs, they are all by nature friendly and beautiful. No treatment can be really a matter of fine art when those natural characteristics are, or their nature is, outraged or neglected.”
Unity Temple was a significant commission in Wright’s Oak Park Studio. Charles E. White, who worked as a draftsman for Wright from 1903 to 1906, details the collaborative effort of the Studio to secure the commission, “the chief thing at Wright’s is of course Unity Church, the sketches of which are at last accepted. We have all pleaded and argued with the committee, until we are well nigh worn out. All hands are working on the drawings."
In harmony with Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture, the concrete was left uncovered by plaster, brick, or stone. Wright’s sensitive handling of materials was a defining feature of his architecture from early in his career. “Bring out the nature of the materials,” Wright insisted in his seminal essay In the Cause of Architecture, “let their nature intimately into your scheme. Reveal the nature of wood, plaster, brick, or stone in your designs, they are all by nature friendly and beautiful. No treatment can be really a matter of fine art when those natural characteristics are, or their nature is, outraged or neglected.”
Unity Temple was a significant commission in Wright’s Oak Park Studio. Charles E. White, who worked as a draftsman for Wright from 1903 to 1906, details the collaborative effort of the Studio to secure the commission, “the chief thing at Wright’s is of course Unity Church, the sketches of which are at last accepted. We have all pleaded and argued with the committee, until we are well nigh worn out. All hands are working on the drawings.”
Approached from Lake Street, Unity Temple is a massive and monolithic cube of concrete, sheltered beneath an expansive flat roof. The introspective nature of the building is in part a response to its corner site situated along a busy thoroughfare. No entrance is apparent and the building appears impenetrable, save for a band of high clerestory windows recessed behind decorative piers and shadowed by overhanging eaves.
Entry to the building is via a low hall that connects Unity Temple and Unity House. Above the bank of doors leading into the hall, an inscription in bronze declares, “For the worship of God and the service of man.” The low, dimly lit hall that unites the buildings is a transitional space. To the south it opens directly onto Unity House. Designed for “the service of man,” this secular space includes a central meeting hall, flanking balconies for use as open classrooms, and other special purpose rooms for daily operation. Like Wright’s residential architecture, this congregational parish house is centered on a fireplace hearth.
Situated across the hall from Unity House is the temple. In contrast to the open entrance into Unity House, access to the sanctuary is complex. Wright masterfully manipulates the sequence of entrance; guiding the visitor through low dark passages he termed “cloisters,” before they ascend into the open, brightly lit sanctuary.
The sanctuary is the heart and anchor of the building. At once grand yet intimate, the sanctuary is a masterful composition in light and space. Its elegant articulation and warm colors stand in bold contrast to the grey concrete exterior. Devoid of overt religious iconography, its precise geometric proportions declare a harmonious whole.
The uppermost portion of the sanctuary appears light and transparent. A continuous band of clerestory windows of Wright’s signature leaded glass encircle the flat, coffered ceiling. Set in a concrete grid are twenty-five square skylights of amber tinted leaded glass The effect, Wright states, was intended “to get a sense of a happy cloudless day into the room… daylight sifting through between the intersecting concrete beams, filtering through amber glass ceiling lights. Thus managed, the light would, rain or shine, have the warmth of sunlight.”
While Wright’s innovative use of concrete was chosen for its economy, the completed building ultimately cost nearly twice the contracted price due to complications encountered during construction. In September of 1909, the new building was dedicated. Because its unique design bore little resemblance to the other churches along Lake Street, it was decided to rename it Unity Temple.
The congregation’s board of trustees issued a statement thanking Wright. “We extend to the architect, Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright, our most hearty congratulations upon the wonderful achievement embodied in the new edifice and further extend to him our most sincere thanks for the great service which, through the building, he has rendered to the parish and to the community. We believe the building will long endure as a monument to his artistic genius and that, so long as it endures, it will stand forth as a masterpiece of art and architecture.” Their words were prophetic."
Previous text from the following website: flwright.org/researchexplore/unitytemple
“Let Peace be our power, and Light prevail over darkness ...”
This pair of mixed media earrings is a combination of 3 metals; copper, brass and steel. Hanging off each hoop is an old brass bell, complimented with tiny Star Rose Quartz beads and hand-textured copper tags with the words 'Peace' and 'Light'.
* the earrings are approximately 4 inches in length (including earwires)
* the earwires are 20 gauge brass wires handformed and also augmented by fire
find this and other items at alteredalchemy.etsy.com
Workers from Laurel, Miss., immigration raid. They attended the conference despite having to wear monitoring devices on their ankles.
At the third annual Mississippi Unity Conference in Gulfport MS on October 23-25, 2008, sponsored by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance, and Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.
As a local born in this awesome city, I wanted to make something to help us all unite through this tough time. My heart goes out to the friends and families of those who have to endure through this. Stay strong Kalamazoo <3
May 12, 2019 - Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple located at 875 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois. "Commissioned by the congregation of Oak Park Unity Church in 1905, Wright’s Unity Temple is the greatest public building of the architect’s Chicago years. Wright’s family on his mother’s side were Welsh Unitarians, and his uncle Jenkin Lloyd Jones was a distinguished Unitarian preacher with a parish on Chicago’s south side where Wright and his wife Catherine were married. Wright identified with the rational humanism of Unitarianism, particularly as influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s transcendentalism, uniting all beings as one with the divine presence.
Wright’s father had been a Universalist preacher. With their emphasis on a loving God, Universalists were early advocates of abolitionism and were the first church to ordain women. In 1886 Universalist Augusta Chapin became minister of the Oak Park Unity Church, attracting new members to the congregation including Frank Lloyd Wright’s mother Anna. Unitarian Universalist minister Rodney Johonnot succeeded Chapin when she joined the Parliament of World Religions in 1893. A lawyer and graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Johonnot was known for his liberal views, even more extreme than those of Jenkin Lloyd Jones with whom he sometimes took issue.
When Unity Church burned to the ground in June 1905, Wright was awarded the commission, and in 1906 Johonnot published a booklet titled, A New Edifice for Unity Church. He wanted a modern building that would embody the principles of “unity, truth, beauty, simplicity, freedom and reason.”
Wright was a perfect match to these requirements. The design he submitted to the congregation broke with almost every existing convention for traditional Western ecclesiastic architecture. On the novel choice of construction material Wright states, “There was only one material to choose—as church funds were $45,000. Concrete was cheap.” Wright’s bold concept for the building enabled a series of concrete forms to be repeated multiple times.
In harmony with Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture, the concrete was left uncovered by plaster, brick, or stone. Wright’s sensitive handling of materials was a defining feature of his architecture from early in his career. “Bring out the nature of the materials,” Wright insisted in his seminal essay In the Cause of Architecture, “let their nature intimately into your scheme. Reveal the nature of wood, plaster, brick, or stone in your designs, they are all by nature friendly and beautiful. No treatment can be really a matter of fine art when those natural characteristics are, or their nature is, outraged or neglected.”
Unity Temple was a significant commission in Wright’s Oak Park Studio. Charles E. White, who worked as a draftsman for Wright from 1903 to 1906, details the collaborative effort of the Studio to secure the commission, “the chief thing at Wright’s is of course Unity Church, the sketches of which are at last accepted. We have all pleaded and argued with the committee, until we are well nigh worn out. All hands are working on the drawings."
In harmony with Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture, the concrete was left uncovered by plaster, brick, or stone. Wright’s sensitive handling of materials was a defining feature of his architecture from early in his career. “Bring out the nature of the materials,” Wright insisted in his seminal essay In the Cause of Architecture, “let their nature intimately into your scheme. Reveal the nature of wood, plaster, brick, or stone in your designs, they are all by nature friendly and beautiful. No treatment can be really a matter of fine art when those natural characteristics are, or their nature is, outraged or neglected.”
Unity Temple was a significant commission in Wright’s Oak Park Studio. Charles E. White, who worked as a draftsman for Wright from 1903 to 1906, details the collaborative effort of the Studio to secure the commission, “the chief thing at Wright’s is of course Unity Church, the sketches of which are at last accepted. We have all pleaded and argued with the committee, until we are well nigh worn out. All hands are working on the drawings.”
Approached from Lake Street, Unity Temple is a massive and monolithic cube of concrete, sheltered beneath an expansive flat roof. The introspective nature of the building is in part a response to its corner site situated along a busy thoroughfare. No entrance is apparent and the building appears impenetrable, save for a band of high clerestory windows recessed behind decorative piers and shadowed by overhanging eaves.
Entry to the building is via a low hall that connects Unity Temple and Unity House. Above the bank of doors leading into the hall, an inscription in bronze declares, “For the worship of God and the service of man.” The low, dimly lit hall that unites the buildings is a transitional space. To the south it opens directly onto Unity House. Designed for “the service of man,” this secular space includes a central meeting hall, flanking balconies for use as open classrooms, and other special purpose rooms for daily operation. Like Wright’s residential architecture, this congregational parish house is centered on a fireplace hearth.
Situated across the hall from Unity House is the temple. In contrast to the open entrance into Unity House, access to the sanctuary is complex. Wright masterfully manipulates the sequence of entrance; guiding the visitor through low dark passages he termed “cloisters,” before they ascend into the open, brightly lit sanctuary.
The sanctuary is the heart and anchor of the building. At once grand yet intimate, the sanctuary is a masterful composition in light and space. Its elegant articulation and warm colors stand in bold contrast to the grey concrete exterior. Devoid of overt religious iconography, its precise geometric proportions declare a harmonious whole.
The uppermost portion of the sanctuary appears light and transparent. A continuous band of clerestory windows of Wright’s signature leaded glass encircle the flat, coffered ceiling. Set in a concrete grid are twenty-five square skylights of amber tinted leaded glass The effect, Wright states, was intended “to get a sense of a happy cloudless day into the room… daylight sifting through between the intersecting concrete beams, filtering through amber glass ceiling lights. Thus managed, the light would, rain or shine, have the warmth of sunlight.”
While Wright’s innovative use of concrete was chosen for its economy, the completed building ultimately cost nearly twice the contracted price due to complications encountered during construction. In September of 1909, the new building was dedicated. Because its unique design bore little resemblance to the other churches along Lake Street, it was decided to rename it Unity Temple.
The congregation’s board of trustees issued a statement thanking Wright. “We extend to the architect, Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright, our most hearty congratulations upon the wonderful achievement embodied in the new edifice and further extend to him our most sincere thanks for the great service which, through the building, he has rendered to the parish and to the community. We believe the building will long endure as a monument to his artistic genius and that, so long as it endures, it will stand forth as a masterpiece of art and architecture.” Their words were prophetic."
Previous text from the following website: flwright.org/researchexplore/unitytemple
May 12, 2019 - Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple located at 875 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois. "Commissioned by the congregation of Oak Park Unity Church in 1905, Wright’s Unity Temple is the greatest public building of the architect’s Chicago years. Wright’s family on his mother’s side were Welsh Unitarians, and his uncle Jenkin Lloyd Jones was a distinguished Unitarian preacher with a parish on Chicago’s south side where Wright and his wife Catherine were married. Wright identified with the rational humanism of Unitarianism, particularly as influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s transcendentalism, uniting all beings as one with the divine presence.
Wright’s father had been a Universalist preacher. With their emphasis on a loving God, Universalists were early advocates of abolitionism and were the first church to ordain women. In 1886 Universalist Augusta Chapin became minister of the Oak Park Unity Church, attracting new members to the congregation including Frank Lloyd Wright’s mother Anna. Unitarian Universalist minister Rodney Johonnot succeeded Chapin when she joined the Parliament of World Religions in 1893. A lawyer and graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Johonnot was known for his liberal views, even more extreme than those of Jenkin Lloyd Jones with whom he sometimes took issue.
When Unity Church burned to the ground in June 1905, Wright was awarded the commission, and in 1906 Johonnot published a booklet titled, A New Edifice for Unity Church. He wanted a modern building that would embody the principles of “unity, truth, beauty, simplicity, freedom and reason.”
Wright was a perfect match to these requirements. The design he submitted to the congregation broke with almost every existing convention for traditional Western ecclesiastic architecture. On the novel choice of construction material Wright states, “There was only one material to choose—as church funds were $45,000. Concrete was cheap.” Wright’s bold concept for the building enabled a series of concrete forms to be repeated multiple times.
In harmony with Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture, the concrete was left uncovered by plaster, brick, or stone. Wright’s sensitive handling of materials was a defining feature of his architecture from early in his career. “Bring out the nature of the materials,” Wright insisted in his seminal essay In the Cause of Architecture, “let their nature intimately into your scheme. Reveal the nature of wood, plaster, brick, or stone in your designs, they are all by nature friendly and beautiful. No treatment can be really a matter of fine art when those natural characteristics are, or their nature is, outraged or neglected.”
Unity Temple was a significant commission in Wright’s Oak Park Studio. Charles E. White, who worked as a draftsman for Wright from 1903 to 1906, details the collaborative effort of the Studio to secure the commission, “the chief thing at Wright’s is of course Unity Church, the sketches of which are at last accepted. We have all pleaded and argued with the committee, until we are well nigh worn out. All hands are working on the drawings."
In harmony with Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture, the concrete was left uncovered by plaster, brick, or stone. Wright’s sensitive handling of materials was a defining feature of his architecture from early in his career. “Bring out the nature of the materials,” Wright insisted in his seminal essay In the Cause of Architecture, “let their nature intimately into your scheme. Reveal the nature of wood, plaster, brick, or stone in your designs, they are all by nature friendly and beautiful. No treatment can be really a matter of fine art when those natural characteristics are, or their nature is, outraged or neglected.”
Unity Temple was a significant commission in Wright’s Oak Park Studio. Charles E. White, who worked as a draftsman for Wright from 1903 to 1906, details the collaborative effort of the Studio to secure the commission, “the chief thing at Wright’s is of course Unity Church, the sketches of which are at last accepted. We have all pleaded and argued with the committee, until we are well nigh worn out. All hands are working on the drawings.”
Approached from Lake Street, Unity Temple is a massive and monolithic cube of concrete, sheltered beneath an expansive flat roof. The introspective nature of the building is in part a response to its corner site situated along a busy thoroughfare. No entrance is apparent and the building appears impenetrable, save for a band of high clerestory windows recessed behind decorative piers and shadowed by overhanging eaves.
Entry to the building is via a low hall that connects Unity Temple and Unity House. Above the bank of doors leading into the hall, an inscription in bronze declares, “For the worship of God and the service of man.” The low, dimly lit hall that unites the buildings is a transitional space. To the south it opens directly onto Unity House. Designed for “the service of man,” this secular space includes a central meeting hall, flanking balconies for use as open classrooms, and other special purpose rooms for daily operation. Like Wright’s residential architecture, this congregational parish house is centered on a fireplace hearth.
Situated across the hall from Unity House is the temple. In contrast to the open entrance into Unity House, access to the sanctuary is complex. Wright masterfully manipulates the sequence of entrance; guiding the visitor through low dark passages he termed “cloisters,” before they ascend into the open, brightly lit sanctuary.
The sanctuary is the heart and anchor of the building. At once grand yet intimate, the sanctuary is a masterful composition in light and space. Its elegant articulation and warm colors stand in bold contrast to the grey concrete exterior. Devoid of overt religious iconography, its precise geometric proportions declare a harmonious whole.
The uppermost portion of the sanctuary appears light and transparent. A continuous band of clerestory windows of Wright’s signature leaded glass encircle the flat, coffered ceiling. Set in a concrete grid are twenty-five square skylights of amber tinted leaded glass The effect, Wright states, was intended “to get a sense of a happy cloudless day into the room… daylight sifting through between the intersecting concrete beams, filtering through amber glass ceiling lights. Thus managed, the light would, rain or shine, have the warmth of sunlight.”
While Wright’s innovative use of concrete was chosen for its economy, the completed building ultimately cost nearly twice the contracted price due to complications encountered during construction. In September of 1909, the new building was dedicated. Because its unique design bore little resemblance to the other churches along Lake Street, it was decided to rename it Unity Temple.
The congregation’s board of trustees issued a statement thanking Wright. “We extend to the architect, Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright, our most hearty congratulations upon the wonderful achievement embodied in the new edifice and further extend to him our most sincere thanks for the great service which, through the building, he has rendered to the parish and to the community. We believe the building will long endure as a monument to his artistic genius and that, so long as it endures, it will stand forth as a masterpiece of art and architecture.” Their words were prophetic."
Previous text from the following website: flwright.org/researchexplore/unitytemple
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA - Employees from the Pennsylvania National Guard and Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs gathered for Unity Day, an annual celebration of diversity, Sept. 5, 2013. The event had a variety of cultural demonstrations, displays and food. (Photo by Tom Cherry/Released)