A comment I read recently on the internet got me thinking about the nature of art and architecture. (Those who criticize the internet as a wasteland must use a different internet than I do.) The commenter, a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, wrote that aside from pretty details there is nothing to the work of Charles and Henry Greene, the turn of the 20th century architects in Pasadena. He was also quite critical of their architecture for a lack of innovation. One could certainly address his claim directly by illustrating the important contributions and innovations of Greene & Greene. To do so, however, would be to miss an opportunity to address a larger issue. [ . . . ]