Book Description

In an evocative sequel to the acclaimed New Orleans: Elegance and Decadence, author and photographer Richard Sexton returns with an in-depth visual journey through the hidden mansions-some inhabited, many now long abandoned-of Louisiana's River Road. Bordering the Mississippi, these antebellum landmarks were once the epitome of gracious living in the Deep South. Over the past century, these grand dwellings have slowly succumbed to time, humidity, and the reclamation of the land: first by nature, then by real-estate developers who built subdivisions, oil refineries, and strip malls where curtains of Spanish moss once swayed from the live oaks. This collection-featuring over 200 haunting color photographs with extensive captions explaining the architectural signi_cance and history of each structure-is a beautiful elegy for a rapidly disappearing landscape and its ghosts.

This book was conceived by Richard Sexton, who is the primary photographer and wrote the text and photo captions.Alex S. MacLean provided the aerial photographs and Eugene Cizek wrote the Introduction. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Most in depth book about River Road Architecture
I am fascinated with New Orleans and the River Road area and it's history .This has to be one of the best publications about this subject. Sexton seems to capture so much of it's history in the pages of this book, more so than any other author has. The photography is also wonderful and straight forward. I recommend it to any one who wants to learn more about southern Louisiana plantations.

A FINE TRIBUTE TO RIVER ROAD!!!!!
Although I've never been on River Road I feel this book brought me an authentic glimpse of life during the plantation era. The photographs are amazing and the book kept me spellbound for hours!! What fascinanted me most was how some plantations looked as if their inhabitants literally walked out the door and never looked back. Fine furniture, pictures, personal posessions were just left to slowly rot under leaky ceilings and caving roofs. On my next trip to New Orleans I will make it a priority to take a trip down River Road.

Spectacular presentation of the River Road Plantations.
I spent many summers on St Joseph's Plantation which is next to the more famous Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie,La. I was pleased to see that Richard Sexton was able to bring to life the many beautiful plantation homes in his book. The photography is spectacular! I would recommend this book to anyone considering a tour of the River Road. Mr. Sexton accomplished the difficult task of presenting the "grandeur" of planation life in this book.

Wonderful Record of River Road
I was looking at books in a book store in New Orleans when I picked up this book. I was surprised that it had so many Planations in it along River Road. I am a desendent of the St. Joseph's P & M Corp., Ltd. Simon Family. This is the first book with such detail of the Planations along River Road. I had to have a copy.

Haunting and Beautiful
I became facinated with plantation culture as a child and regardless of its wrongs it was a time that we will never see again. The monuments to this time are the great plantation houses that are still being lost at an alarming rate. Some of the greatest examples have already been gone for decades and are all but forgotten like: Belle Grove which was a greater house than Nottoway or Uncle Sam which would have put Oak Alley to shame. Thankfully we still have some traces of that time still with us but what are we doing to save what we have left? That is the nature of this most execellent book and the best to come along for a long time. Not since "Ghosts Along the Mississippi" by Clarence J. Laughlin has this subject been covered with more sympathy for the loss of these treasures from the past. A perfect companion book for "New Orleans-Elegance&Decadence" by the same authors. ... Read more

Book Description

Miami's South Beach, an international playground and urban neighborhood in one, is known throughout the world for its dazzling style. Casual, colorful, and sensuous, it draws artists, writers, and world travelers. This compact, color-drenched book is a panorama of South Beach architecture, interior, and garden design. Readers will find houses, penthouses, clubs, shops, museums, bay-front gardens, and courtyard landscapes. The senses of style range from resort glamour to the urban edge, and from the sublimely modern to the ridiculously hedonistic. ... Read more

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Reviews (1)

Very disappointing
Once upon a time, Rizzoli was a publisher of beautiful and definitive books. How the mighty have fallen. "Old Florida" is sadly typical of Rizzoli's current product: hit-or-miss photography accompanied by text barely worthy of a tourist brochure. Recommended only if you need some eye-candy to glance at while clicking between A&E and the TravelChannel.
If you really want to learn about Florida history and architecture, consider these books instead: "Speedway to Sunshine: The Story of the Florida East Coast Railway" and "Mizner's Florida: American Resort Architecture." ... Read more

Book Description

The great architectural significance of Albemarle County and Charlottesville, Virginia, rests, not surprisingly, on the continuing influence of Thomas Jefferson. Not only did Jefferson design the State Capitol in Richmond, his home Monticello, his country retreat Poplar Forest, and the University of Virginia; after his death, master builders continued to construct important examples of Jeffersonian classicism in Albemarle County and beyond.

But what is less well known are the many important examples of other architectural idioms built in this Piedmont Virginia county, many by nationally renowned architects. At the turn of the twentieth century, the renewed interest of wealthy clients in eclectic architectural styles attracted some of the finest Beaux Arts architects in the country to the Charlottesville area. Grand new buildings complemented and competed with the Jeffersonian models of a hundred years earlier. In addition, throughout its history Albemarle County has seen construction of a great variety of public architectural landmarks: mills and churches, movie theaters and hospitals, gas stations and taverns.

For many years K. Edward Lay has been teaching, guiding tours of, and writing about this rich architectural legacy. Here at last is his definitive treatment of a topic that has been his life's work, presented in an elegantly illustrated volume. Following a general introduction by John S. Salmon, Lay divides his book into six chronological chapters: "The Georgian Period," "Thomas Jefferson and His Builders," "The Roman Revival (1800-1830)," "The Greek Revival (1830-1860)," "Beyond the Classical Revival," and "The Eclectic Era (1890-1939)." He discusses over 800 buildings, from a Sears house to grand estates, the Abell-Gleason house and the Albemarle County Jail to Wavertree Hall and Zion Baptist Church, with 26 color photographs and 369 black-and-white illustrations complementing his text. A final chapter discusses the University of Virginia. Maps of the area allow readers and visitors to trace the locations of individual buildings and to recognize trends of settlement and construction in the area.

Available to supplement The Architecture of Jefferson Country is a comprehensive CD-ROM inventory of over 3,000 images identified with 2,400 buildings. The CD-ROM allows its user to scroll through county and town maps and click on important buildings to access individual records. The records, drawings, and photographs are searchable by building type or characteristic, surname, or other keyword. As an important bonus the CD-ROM includes the 1907 Massie Map of the county, a large, detailed wall map showing historical data and the locations of buildings. The map is definitively indexed and has never been reproduced since its origin.

With the CD-ROM or alone as an elegant giftbook or reference, The Architecture of Jefferson Country gives architects, historians, visitors, and residents an unprecedented view of the wealth of buildings in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Lifetime of Study and Work in One Beautiful Book
Beautifully written and thoroughly researched, this book offers a glimpse into the history of the architecture of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia. Additionally, the reader can learn of the fascinating personalities who have lived and worked within the walls of these works of art. It is a lifetime endeavor and a real treat for the local, the traveller, the Jefferson enthusiast and the historian. ... Read more

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Radiant Virtual Visit
Open the pages of this book to feel the heat on your face and sand between your toes. You're looking at some of the most whimsical and delightful architecture in the world. Imagine approaching this country for the first time from the water and being greeted by these buildings. They are a testament to this country's creativity, humor and ability to dream into the future. And the best part is that they are so well preserved so that you can experience them in person inside and out. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Following the extremely popular Charleston Style, Susan Sully has brought us another book about a southern city, Savannah Style. In this collection of photographs and stories of 20 houses, inspired by Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (who gives a charming introduction), she builds a dark atmosphere in words. Her writing is intelligent and lyrical, and brings to the mind images that, unfortunately, the photographs cannot compete with--oddly disconnected, they seem to be the result of a botched mandate to capture the rich shadiness of her writing. Most of the exteriors are too much in shadow to see details, and a suspicious yellow-orange cast looms over many of the interiors. Weighed down by its predecessor, Berendt's novel, and its gloomy photographs, Savannah Style seems to have too much weight to bear for one book. Still, the imagery of Sully's writing make this coffee-table book a surprisingly good read. --Juliette Cezzar ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Eccentric and Brooding
I believe that the photographs capture the essence of Savannah. Susan Sully has provided us with a sketchbook of Savannah's mystery and charm. The over the top decorating schemes are perfectly matched to the quirky and brooding characters who inhabit these fabulous southern mansions. Every photograph evoked a glimpse of a place we would all secretly love to share. ... Read more

Book Description

Introduction by Charles W. Moore Between 1951 and 1957, a group of young men came to teach at the University of Texas School of Architecture in Austin. These "Texas Rangers," as they later came to be called - Bernhard Hoesli, Colin Rowe, John Hejduk, Robert Slutzky, Lee Hodgden, John Shaw, and Werner Seligmann, among others - created an unprecedented teaching program that challenged the important pedagogies of the time, and that contained in large part the origins and explanations for a postmodern revolution in architecture. Ten years in the making, Alexander Caragonne's lively, fully illustrated story documents one of the most significant chapter in the history of postwar American architectural education. Challenging the anti-intellectual tendencies both of the pragmatic, regionalist American tradition and of the modernist pedagogy inspired by the Bauhaus, the new curriculum proposed that a workable, useful body of architectural theory could be derived from an ongoing critique of significant buildings and projects across history and cultures. Visualization and organization of architectural space was emphasized over the shaping of mass, along with the recognition and development of the architectural idea. Gestalt psychological concepts for evaluating and describing architectural form and space were encouraged, and the value of historical precedent in the design process recognized. Caragonne pulls together the disparate strands of a program - a critique of a mainstream architectural culture and education - that has for many years remained a kind of dimly perceived underground. Figuring largely in his account are the mythical figure of Colin Rowe and Bernhard Hoesli, whose collaboration provided the intellectual basis of the new curriculum. Caragonne, who witnessed the events as an undergraduate in the School of Architecture, describes Rowe's background and his reintroduction of architectural history into the design studio. He also provides a detailed analysis of the teaching program and its subsequent influence on architectural education and thought. "Centered around the charismatic figure of Colin Rowe, an English architect and former student at the University of Liverpool, a critic and theorist of the generation of James Stirling, Colin St. John Wilson, Robert Maxwell, and Alan Colquhoun, The Texas Rangers reconstructs the peculiar conjuncture of high formalism, modernism, revived historicism and regionalism that informed this group, and pieces together the original curriculum they forged. It is a history of critical interest to the subsequent development of architectural teaching, theory, and practice in England and the United States." - Anthony Vidler, Professor and Chair of the Department of Art History at the University of California, Los Angeles ... Read more

Book Description

The Garden District epitomizes the beauty and mystery of New Orleans; the stately residences and gardens of this historic area are known worldwide for their graciousness and ease.

The financial prosperity of nineteenth-century New Orleans, a center of commerce and culture, enabled wealthy newcomers with similar values and tastes to construct a neighborhood of opulent homes, creating a suburb with a unified style. This neighborhood--the Garden District--was situated along one of the first street railway lines in the country, and became one of the earliest commuter suburbs. It remains an enduring achievement of architectural and residential planning.

Southern Comfort details the magnificent architecture and planning of the Garden District. Through the histories of the developers, owners, architects, laborers, and craftspeople who shaped this district, the book creates a picture of a uniquely cosmopolitan city in the American South.

This title, first published in 1989 and long unavailable, has been carefully updated by the author. It includes 90 new color photographs, showing the brightly painted facades for which this neighborhood is famous, domestic interiors that have never been published, and restoration efforts that have occurred in the past decade.

S. Frederick Starr is the founding chair of the Central Asia Institute at the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.He has served as the president of Oberlin College and the vice president of Tulane University. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Pictures
When I went to New Orleans, I only had time for a quick driving tour. This book allowed me to see what I missed, and learn more about the architecuaral styles that surround the area. The book has great info on the styles, and tells how they came to be and why. The iron work in the area is to be experienced! The charm of the homes in the Garden District are brilliantly displayed in this book.

beautiful photography
this republishing of the late 1980's version is a delicious remake made better by the new color photographs. Brantley and Brantley have out done themselves with this edition. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

In 1979, a small art college with 71 students opened its doors in a renovated 19th-century building in the urban heart of colonial Savannah, Georgia. One of the most historic cities on the eastern seaboard, Savannah is noted for its architectural treasures, urban forest and verdant squares, and for the unique 1733 city plan designed by General Oglethorpe. The campus fabric of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) grew from the Romanesque revival Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory, designed by Boston architect William Gibbons Preston in 1892, to comprise some 60 rehabilitated historic structures situated within four historic districts. Currently, more than 6,200 students pursue their dreams in this wonderful setting. ... Read more

Book Description

Old Dominion's built environment has grown and changed extensively since its beginnings and the Buildings of Virginia reflects those changes. The book chronicles Williamsburg, a restored eighteenth-century town with the Governor's Palace and the Christopher Wren building. And journeys farther west to Richmond, the state capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson. It then captures the many historical sites including the birthplaces of George Washington and Robert E. Lee in Westmoreland County. Along with this, the chapters delve into the agricultural history of the state, the expansion of the railroad, and construction of deepwater facilities. And, finally, to the times during and after World War II when manufacturing, military activities, and the growth of the federal establishment accelerated the trends toward industrialization and urbanization.Virginia's influences are truly far reaching--virtually every American city shares some of its architectural style. Approximately 800 buildings and 450 photographs and maps are included in this volume's discussion, truly exhibiting the range of architecture that make up this region. Written by the voice behind A&E's America's Castles, this book is an ideal source for research in architectural history and sociology. Travelers and general readers can also utilize the book as a companion to the many fascinating sites throughout eastern Virginia. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

French Quarter Manual: An Architectural Guide to New Orleans
As a part-time resident of the Vieux Carre, and one who very reluctantly leaves to return to New York, I keep this book in my New York home to look through when I long for New Orleans. This book, with its elegant balck andwhite historic photos and its vivid descriptive text, captures the best ofthe Vieux Carre.In fact, I have had great fun trying to match thehistoric photos to the contemporary Vieux Carre sites on my visits to theQuarter.

I love this book, it's a wonderful gift to anyone who lovesthat amazing and magical place known as the Vieux Carre.

A must for preservationists and architectural historians
Tender in prose, painstaking in research, passionate in creation. A worthy addition to any architectural library. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An absolute must if you love architecture and Charleston.
Mr. Poston has done an excellent and exhaustive job with this book. To my knowledge it is the most comprehensive compilation to date. As well as photographs of the houses plans are also shown for many. A 9+ only because I'm reluctant to say that the "perfect" book has ever been published. ... Read more

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Reviews (1)

A treasury of classic Southern architecture
"Plantation Houses and Mansions of the Old South," by J. Frazer Smith, is an informative celebration of the home architecture of the southern United States. This volume is actually an unabridged reprint; the book was originally published in 1941 with the title "White Pillars: Early Life and Architecture of the Lower Mississippi Valley Country." The book includes a foreword by Leicester B. Holland.

The book contains drawings and floor plans of many historic homes. These visual elements are accompanied by a generous text. Smith not only profiles important homes, but also illustrates the evolution of the southern home from a single one-room cabin into "dogtrot" homes, and eventually into larger structures.

Some of the homes presented in the book are Cragfont (1820) of Tennessee, with its impressive second-floor ballroom; Andrew Jackson's "the Hermitage" (1831); the Forks of Cypress (1820), an Alabama house with a 2-story wrap-around portico; and the Walter place (1855), a Mississippi home with twin octagonal towers.

Unfortunately, a perspective drawing and floor plans are not included for every house presented in the book. Also, an unpleasant racist subtext shows up at points in the book. Holland's foreword notes that the book "is a survey of the habitations of man of the Caucasian race [...] of the south." Elsewhere in the book are offhand or patronizing references to "niggers," "darkies," and an "old Mammy."

Since this book is an historic reprint, I believe that these racist remarks should be placed in proper context (but not ignored or excused). But if you want to see the majestic Greek-inspired pillars, covered porches, imposing staircases, and other elements that characterize classic southern architecture, check out this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Florida Architecture of Addison Mizner
A thoughtful, and general overview of the work of this eclectic and influential resort architect. While the text is well written, the total lack of any siteplans, floorplans, and elevations cause this book to provide only a partial understanding of Mizner's work. All photos are black and white, and while this serves to keep the book modestly priced, it also severely limits the reader's enjoyment. Still, for the cost a worthwhile bargain. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

fantastic photography
This is a great book for anyone who is interested in plantation homes. It has over 80 wonderful photographs, and tells the story of each home shown. There are even two or three victorian style homes, built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Very interesting and informative. I would recommend this book to anyone, wether your buying it for the information or the photographs!

beautiful photos
the book has lovely photos and briefly tells about each home. It would have been nice if there were more photos of the interior of homes. But the book has beautiful photography and is overall: GREAT!

Breathtaking Photography, Interesting Commentary
This book is hands-down one of the most beautiful picture books on Louisiana's remaining plantation homes. While most are in exquisite condition, there are a very few which aren't. The short story of each plantation home is interesting and the photographs are gorgeous! It makes one want to go out, find a plantation home, buy it and restore it! The reader will be amazed at the wealth these planters accumulated, manifested in these awesome homes. Not all of the homes are huge antebelllum mansions, though. I personally found the Creole plantations wonderful examples of a simple albeit beautiful home. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves old homes, Southern architecture or photography in general. ... Read more

Book Description

In this visually delightful book, laced with quotations from one of the best chroniclers of Florida Cracker Life, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ronald Haase takes us on an intimate tour of the utilitarian wooden structures constructed by early settlers in North Florida. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent summary of one of Florida vernaculars
Brief, but very informative, well documented and organized summary of a neglected (and marginal) theme in architectural history.

Excellent guide to vernacular architecture
A well-designed and thorough examination of Southern vernacular architecture. With its concetration on Florida 'Cracker' design, Haase discusses the unique limitations of the Florida climate and the adaptations made to regional styles. His clearly labelled diagrams and enthusiasm for the subject bring a welcome light to architecture that is too often overshadowed by the flamboyant designs of Addison Mizner and other South Florida styles. ... Read more

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Reviews (5)

How about all the other rooms ?
It's unfortunate this is the only hardcover picture book of the Biltmore, available at the time of this review. Because it was the best one I could find, I bought it albeit, reluctantly as I like to have a picture book keepsake when I visit these places. There are many beautiful and often full page colour photographs, but there are also many black and white. Some of the latter are historical, so that is understandable, but others are not. With a predominance of construction pictures and the emphasis on the actual building process which of course ties into the history. This focus veers away from the main objective of a picture book momento, to include plenty of photographs of both the interior and exterior, preferably at least one colour photograph of each room. The estate boasts 255 rooms, and hardly 10% of them are represented. I would like to see this book enlarged to 3 times the size, with about 200 more interior pictures, then Rizzoli, who usually produces outstanding books of this genre, could up the price, but it would be worth it.

The Magic of Biltmore!
I found this book on George Washington Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate in Ashville, North Carolina, to be extremelly through. This book includes sketchs of many of the considered facades for the home, and what their floorplans would have been.

Pictures of all of the beautiful rooms in the house are included in this publication. Also included are sketchs of the many details of the home, included are the east facade, the Gate House, the gates that set next to the house, the Biltmore Village Church, and sketchs of many of the statues from Biltmore's gardens.

Also included in this book is the histories of many of the principal players in Biltmore's creation, including Fredrick Law Olmsted the landscape designer, Richard Morris Hunt the arcitect, and of course George Vanderbilt the home's owner.
Included is many of the landscape designs of Biltmore's gardens, and beautiful pictures of many of them. Pictures of Biltmore's Conservatory are included which sits in Biltmore's Walled Garden, to the north of Biltmore House.

All in all, this book is great, and a great companion to a day long visit to Biltmore! If you loved Biltmore Estate, you'll love this book, I garentee it!

Too much black and white?
I enjoyed the story, don't get me wrong, but as for the pictures, yes it had numerous colors, but mainly black and white. I was surprised. Even pictures that weren't historic were in black and white.

When I purchased this book, I had hoped for a good floorplan of the home, instead I got a little sketch that could hardly be read with a magnifying glass.

Overall, very factual. It makes you realize just what went into the building process. Even if the paragraphs are a little too wordy.

Great Information but with a high price!
After recently visiting Biltmore, I was curious about how it all began, relating to the ideas of construction and architecture. I enjoyed this book immensely, but finished it in about 2 hours. [In relation to theprice], this is expensive reading.

The most interesting book on the creation of Biltmore.
Few people realize what effort it took to design and construct the largest private residence in the United States, but this book details it all from the breaking of the ground to the designing of the curtain rods. This book is one of the best written and most appealing architectural history books ever. The photographs and drawings in it are also to be commended. Many of the pictures offer breathtaking views of the mansion and its grounds as well as showing many vintage photographs taken at various times throughout its construction and times of residence. It also contains many pictures of Richard Morris Hunt's and Frederick Law Olmsted's original drawings and sketches. This book truly lives up to the impressive heritage one finds at the Biltmore. I would also recommend The Vanderbilts and the Gilded Age: Architectural Aspirations 1879-1901, by John Foreman, et al. ... Read more