THE PLASTIC SURGERY PAVILLION The Plastic Surgery Pavilion ws designed in 1955-56 by Frank Lloyd Wright as a medical clinic for Dr. Kenneth Meyer. It has been renovated for the comfort of the patients of Dr. James Apesos. Frank Lloyd Wright, who died in 1959, is considered the greatest architect America has produced. using common brick, glass, wood, plastic, and concrete, he created the first truly American style of architecture. This wide roofed building is set deeply into the ground, and the foundation engineered so that it appears to grow naturally out its hillside site in harmony with the land on which it rests: a faceted gem in its setting. Brick forms the walls inside and out. Concrete chimney caps hold the window glass in a high horizontal band around the building. Glass meets glass at the building corners and flows directly into the brick chimney. Under the broad sheltering eaves, the low ceiling of the vestibule dramatizes the high soaring space of the main room beyond. A wide chimney breast and hearth give a sense of welcome, warmth, and calm. Wright's use of materials without painting, carving or covering them is evident in the bench seating created in 1989 from the original drawings. The forms are simple and direct as he disliked torturing wood with an excess use of tools or covering the grain with paint. Tall glass doors flood the main room with southern light. These open onto a narrow terrace of red pigmented concrete continuing the color of the brick and pulling one's gaze outward to the rolling lawn beyond. To simulate the terra cotta colored concrete floors, modern carpets were specially dyed the exact color. Pure wool covers all seating throughout. Two large custom tables from his 1955 plan were fashioned of plywood as Wright designed them: a simple material treated with dignity. The only decorative element not provided by the architecture itself is the custom pottery made by David Hergesheimer. Wright's love of oriental crafts prompted its use here. The shapes are traditional Japanese forms handcrafted by the potter who studied seven years in Japan. The larger pots required the use of the big community kilns in Yellow Springs, Ohio. After much experimentation, the classic Chinese glaze "Black Heaven" was chosen. The thickness of this glaze determines its color, with thinner washes turning a deep earth red and thicker areas becoming black when fired. The pots are filled with jade plants and other oriental foliage kept low to frame, but not obscure the view beyond. At the center of the building, the carpet was meticulously cut and handfitted by Gary Bockrath around the brick rotunda, and templates were cut to facilitate fitting the pie-shaped examination room radiating from Wright's drawings but covered with laminate rather than plywood for modern hygiene requirements. The rotunda brick which had been covered with white paint over the years is now restored to its natural red color through the tenacious efforts of Paul Unverferth using both chemical and sandblasting processes. Since Wright created very specific spaces for his clients and the requirements of a busy plastic surgery practice differ from that of the original owner, some changes in use were necessary. The windowless room designed for X-rays is now a state-of-the-art operating room. Adjoining this, an office was converted to a recovery room with wall-mounted television and reclining chairs for patient comfort. A former library now serves as the administrative center for Dr. Apesos' staff. These changes of function were made with a sincere effort to retain the form and character of Wright's structure. Dr. Apesos hopes you enjoy the history and beauty of this work by America's greatest native architect.