When I was in school, Corbu, and Mies (and many others) were still alive. They were all part of the movement to rebuild Europe after WWII. After them came Nemier, Kahn, and others still seeking to exemplify the best of mankind in Architecture. I recall looking our over the city thinking that Architects would play a essential part of the "brave new world".
After more decades then I care to own up to, I still believe, but only to the extend of the simple projects I work on. In the manner that I studied Architecture, Geary is the quintessential "Artist Architect". After all, one comes to see that there are many ways to "skin a cat".