The Eyes Have It

I remember the first time I saw the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris in person. "Big church" was about the extent of my acknowledgement.

After a job change I decided to take some Architecture classes at the University of Washington. Of course I could only take the introductory classes, but that's all it took. The professor was a seasoned pro who could bring the magic of the ancient Greek buildings to the Space Needle come alive. (He spent his summers in Athens trying to find ways to save the Parthenon from acid rain and other air-borne destructors).

About 3 years later I was again in Paris. This time when I saw Norte Dame with its flying buttresses and vaulted rooftops I was literally stopped in my tracks. What I was seeing this time was an almost unbelievable structure of beauty, grace and engineering that took several generations to complete. For the rest of that day I could not stop marveling at its enormity of both scale and imagination. Norte Dame began with a cornerstone almost 850 years ago but for me it started with an entry level class at the U of W. There I found a new way of seeing and appreciating the world in which I live, which carries on today in my profession.



Listen To Your Eyes. PB



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