While reading the short article about the loads of money that the rich and famous are pouring into Obama’s Presidential Inaugural Committee, I come across this exquisite break in the text:

Obama’s inaugural donors also include plenty of corporate titans and executives. Among them: Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs; Vicki Palmer, an executive vice president at Coca-Cola; Microsoft’s Steven VanRoekel; and Chicagoan and longtime Democratic donor Fred Eychaner, who owns Newsweb Corp. (Random: the Sleuth attended a small party about seven years ago at Eychaner’s stunning Lakeview home, a modern marvel of concrete and glass, surrounded by gardens and sculptures, built by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Eychaner was a very nice and interesting guy, and worth hundreds of millions of dollars.)

This is the mentioned house:
wrightwood2.jpg

Ando’s first free-standing building in the United States is a introverted house in his signature concrete, steel, and glass style. Very little is visible of the house. A monolithic concrete wall with a large steel door faces the street, while garage doors and more concrete back the alley.

The two-story house is a long U-shape in plan, wrapping itself around a reflecting pool to create an oasis within the city.

Concrete and glass? Less materials; more music to my ears.

But enough is enough! Let’s return to the matter of the little article: It is now time for Americans to break the habit of giving Obama money. It’s fast becoming a bad addiction, this giving and giving to Obama. It’s time to learn other ways and directions to throw our money.

Charles Mudede—who writes about film, books, music, and his life in Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, the USA, and the UK for The Stranger—was born near a steel plant in Kwe Kwe, Zimbabwe. He has no memory...

8 replies on “New Directions”

  1. Charles – this makes me sound a bit crazy, but I thought of you the other day when I was in Hyde Park. There’s some new building, all glass and steel and concrete, just south of the U of C (maybe Blackstone and 61st?). Didn’t have time to stop and see what it was and I can’t seem to figure it out online. But, I did think… boy, that building looks out of place here. Bet Charles Mudede would love it.

  2. I believe that we should be giving money to the care of sick children and I believe Obama should give the money he is getting for this cause as well. You don’t need several fancy balls, you need to show your intention to be a caring leader. Please.

  3. I live just down the street from this place! Someone once mistakenly told me that Obama lived there, but now I know it’s really this Fred Eychaner guy. The mystery is solved, for me at least. From the sidewalk, it just looks like a concrete wall.

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