I found it impossible to walk through the lobby of the Bank of America Building in Houston without stopping. The giant Gothic cathedral-style window is spectacular at any time of the day, I’ll bet, but my timing on this trip was perfect.

For me, the play of light and shadow and the contrast between medieval and modern suggest the timeless and spiritual nature of great art at work in architecture. The patterns and lines reflect in an urban setting the geometric harmony of nature at the cellular level. The picture reminds me of a favorite quote from Bill Wilson, “Hold your face up to the light, even though, for the moment, you cannot see.”

The window opens onto a carefully-planned view of the modern building across the street, the old Penzoil Buidling, also the design of architect Phillip Johnson. Johnson said once that he wished that someone would ask him to design a cathedral, but I’m glad that he talked someone into letting him build this window.

This picture was made on a tour of Houston conducted by my cousin, Joe Patterson, who works for the Bank of America, and gets to experience this window almost every working day. Joe was kind enough to drive the get-away car while I stole images of the great architectural art collection that is downtown Houston. Johnson said that he saved his best buildings for Houston, and these two are the cream of the crop.