Page 116 - Demo

114Height mattersSOME OF THE grain elevators John and I visited were, by far, the tallest things we saw for miles around. This reminded me of an explanation I once heard about the height of a building being proportional to its value in society. In other words, a structure that was high and centrally located typically had a high purpose and was central to that culture.An obvious example occurred in medieval Europe. At that time and place, the Catholic Church was all-powerful. In fact, it was at the core of everyone%u2019s life%u2014and afterlife. These were the years when cathedrals were built with newly invented flying buttresses and Gothic arches. Using these innovations, church roofs soared far above ground level with open, vaulted spaces within. Most of these cathedrals took hundreds of years to complete, requiring the time, labor, and money of many generations of local families. But, to those that gave, it was worth all the costs involved. After all, they believed that the airy heights achieved honored God by rising up toward his heavenly domain.Later, when princely states took prominence over religious life, spectacular grand palaces began to dominate the countryside. Later still, when secular power no longer resided solely with the nobility, massive and elaborately festooned governmental buildings were constructed. Architects of this period created imposing courthouses, capitols, legislatures, and bureaucratic offices that were designed to impress%u2014and they did.Kirklin, Clinton Co. (652.09)