Book Description

Series copy: America's architectural heritage is incredibly rich--from Alaska's log cabins and Iowa's silos, to Michigan's automobile plants and the District of Columbia's monuments. Now, in Buildings of the United States, a monumental project commissioned by the Society of Architecural Historians, we have the first state-by-state survey American architecture reflecting the geographic, climatic, and ethnic diversity of the country.It records the works of national and international masters of American architecture, as well as works by unknown hands. From pre-Columbian ruins to modern skyscrapers, from churches, courthouses, and theatres, to factories, barns, and gas stations, the volumes balance coverage of urban, suburban, and rural architecture. The authors of the volumes are architectural historians with a distinct and thorough knowledge of the states about which they have written. Each volume is profusely illustrated with photographs and line drawings, many of which were commissioned for the work. Destined to become a national treasure, Buildings of the United States is the authoritative reference on our architectural heritage and will become delight to the general reader and traveler as well as an indispensable source book for scholars and students of architectural history, preservation, and urban planning.The public architecture of Washington D.C. is well-known throughout the world. The Capitol, the White House, and other major monuments are familiar to millions of people who have never visited the city. Less familiar are many notable public and private buildings located in the central city and scattered throughout Washington's residential neighborhoods, ranging from the eighteenth-century port city of Georgetown to the mid-twentieth-century urban renewal area known as the Southwest Quadrant. Tracing the evolution of the district's architectrual character from the Revolutionary War to the present, Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee survey major public and government buildings, monuments and memorials, residential buildings and neighborhoods, parks and recreational areas, and commercial and industrial centers. From the Vietnam Memorial, the Smithsonian Institution, and the United States Patent Office to Howard and Georgetown universities, nineteenth-century row houses, and elegant Beaux-Arts mansions, this volume captures the full array of Washington's architecural styles. Containing over 360 magnificent photographs, drawings, and maps, Buildings of the District of Columbia is a compelling source of information for the general reader, and a splendid guidebook for the traveler. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A beautiful, beautiful book
If you love beautiful homes you will love this book. It is full of homes with great bones and lovely details. One is more striking than the other. The photography is excellent, but what makes it different is that these are homes with a wonderful marriage of traditional lines and contemporary design. This is a book for people with a very refined taste in architecture. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This Book Was Very Self Explanatory
It Was An easy to read book ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Why St. Augustine is the great historic city it is today!
This book is written for the average person to understand, it makes sense and yet has enough detail to reconstruct a house from history.

This book is so highly regarded it is the basis of St. Augustine City codes regarding Historic Architecture preservation and restoration and will continue the tradition of Colonial St. Augustine. Not just for the novice, also for the historian, architect or builder.

A fantastic primer to all the history of the Oldest City
St. Augustine is a fascinating architectural anamoly in the United States. I have become consumed with discovering all there is to know about the unique architecture, people and culture of this quaint city. Only last weekend, we spent 5 days, walking and touring much of the historic district, with this book in hand, I might add. If European and American history and architecture are a passion of yours, St. Augustine is the closest, most unique place to find it all. This book is a great place to begin. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Forgotten Heritage-Thankfully no longer forgotten.
The authors and contributors to this book worked deep in the fine details of Houston's past. So much of it has been lost to the ages, but with Houston's Forgotten Heritage, it almost comes back to life through the fine photographs of the opulent homes and even the log cabins. It is a joy to show this book to many of my "old-timer" neighbors, who remember a building here and there, and even the old fixtures, appliances, and ways of life. We should all be grateful to the authors of this book for reminding us of our glorious past. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Brought back great memories.
Growing up in this section of New Orleans,I was pleasantly surprised to see several homes of my childhood friends.No other city in the U.S. has such distinct and diverse neighborhood architecture.Another great volumein a GREAT series.

The best of the series
This volume in the N.O. Architecture series by the Friends of the Cabildo is, in my opinion, the best of the entire series.Perhaps it is because this is the section of the city in which I spend most of my time, a placeto which I've become rather attached.Anyone who enjoys architecture will probably like this book, not just New Orleanians. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

But time and chance
This book is good but, makes to manyassumptions about ethnicity Severino's parents that he no proof of. It also takes much from Chavez's "But Time and Chance" much better book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Representative Overview of New Deal Work Projects
President Franklin Roosevelt, confronted with the hardship of millions of unemployed Americans and radical political ideas blossoming around the world, put millions of unemployed Americans to work building bridges, roads, buildings and other elements of America's infrastructure. These fine work projects are seen across America and represent a hard period in American history, and a period of hope and achievement.

I found this H-Net review of this book on the Internet.

"Carroll Van West. Tennessee's New Deal Landscape: A Guidebook.
Reviewed by Edward Salo, Geo-Marine, Inc.
Published by H-Tennessee (September, 2002)

"Creating a Modern Tennessee through the New Deal
When most people think of the New Deal's impact on Tennessee, the concrete dams of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) are the image that comes to mind. However, like many states, Tennessee's public landscape was drastically affected in other ways by a variety of New Deal projects. In Tennessee's New Deal Landscape, Dr. Carroll Van West, project director for the Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University, examines over 250 of Tennessee's historic sites constructed during the New Deal and uses that information to catalogue how Depression-era federal government work changed the built environment of the state. West's book serves both as a heritage tourism guidebook and as a scholarly work. It also succeeds in illustrating how "New Deal agencies transformed the state's public landscape, leaving in their wake the infrastructure for the emergence of a modern--and different--Tennessee" (p. xii).

"Students of Tennessee's cultural landscapes and historic preservation will be familiar with West's earlier scholarship. Because of his work at the Center for Historic Preservation, West has either written about or is familiar with most of the New Deal historic properties in the state. His previous book, Tennessee's Historic Landscapes, is the definitive study on the different historic landscapes across the state. West's new contribution focuses exclusively on the historic properties that were constructed during the New Deal era in Tennessee. He has mined both primary and secondary sources on Tennessee's New Deal experience, including TVA records, the WPA guidebook on Tennessee, cultural resource reports, and National Register of Historic Properties nominations to produce a similarly authoritative examination of the state during the 1930s.

"In his first chapter, West presents a short thematic history of the New Deal, identifying the ten major New Deal agencies that worked in Tennessee. Unlike his previous book, which looked at the state's regions, he divides New Deal Landscapes into chapters based on the resource's property type. The next seven chapters include discussions of state offices and county courthouses; federal courthouses and post offices; community buildings and institutions; schools; housing; parks, memorials, and museums; and infrastructure. Each chapter contains a short narrative focusing on political, cultural, and social patterns that influenced the resources, as well as individual descriptions of other examples across the state, organized alphabetically by county. By not designating the properties as belonging to West, Middle, and East Tennessee, West makes his information accessible to those unfamiliar with Tennessee's traditional geographic divisions. A bibliographical essay also directs readers to important sources for further research.

"West makes it clear in his preface that the book is not comprehensive. The examples he uses are fairly divided between the rural and urban sections of the state. Many of the properties discussed in the chapters are representative and are not the only examples in the state. The identification and description of New Deal property types, however, is one of the book's strengths, making it easier for local historians to examine Depression-era landscape and distinguish significant buildings.

"The examples that West uses illustrate two interpretations of the New Deal in Tennessee: construction and destruction. Although many projects created new buildings, some, such as the TVA dams, also destroyed rural areas and displaced people from their traditional homes. Additionally, the construction of TVA lakes disrupted rural life, while also laying the groundwork for Tennessee's economic growth during World War II and the Cold War. This dichotomy shaped many Tennesseans' attitude toward the federal government both during and after the New Deal years.

"Although the book's only problems are cosmetic in nature, a few changes would have helped the reader. First, all of the pictures in the book are modern, but many readers would appreciate historic views of some of the buildings. Additionally, sidebars with brief descriptions of architectural elements or styles (for example, WPA Moderne style) would have made the book more accessible to laymen. Also, with the growing interest in environmental history, West's discussion of the creation of state parks and soil conservation only begs for more study.

"The study of New Deal landscape has bloomed during the 1990s. Many state historic preservation offices have developed New Deal theme studies to assist in placing 1930s properties on the National Register of Historic Places. Although these theme studies are helpful for historic preservation planning, they are not easily accessible to the public. Public historians should use West's book as an example on how better to communicate historic landscapes to the general public. The book takes "gray literature" and presents it in a manner that is useful. The framework that West has developed also lends itself to other possible historic themes, such as railroads, military, agriculture, industrial, and ethnic landscapes. This book should be read by public historians not only for the content but also for the methodology." ... Read more

Book Description

"Texas is my favorite country. In Texas there is more interest in carrying out the American dream than anywhere else in the United States--and this leads to wonderful things for architecture." --from the foreword by Philip Johnson"Philip Johnson is unarguably the most influential and best-known American architect working at the close of this century," in the opinion of Frank Welch. For six decades he has been a leading advocate of European-inspired modernist architecture, patron of the Museum of Modern Art, and habitué of elite East Coast cultural circles. Yet his most distinguished large buildings are all in Texas.In this book, Frank Welch draws on interviews with Johnson, his colleagues, and patrons to discover why Johnson has done his best work in the Lone Star State. He opens with an overview of Johnson's formation as an architect, leading up to his pivotal meeting with Dominique and John de Menil, who chose him to build their house in Houston in the late 1940s. Welch chronicles Johnson's long association with the de Menils and other wealthy Texans and the many commissions this produced, including the University of St. Thomas and Pennzoil Place in Houston, the Kennedy Memorial, Thanksgiving Square, and the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, the Amon Carter Museum and the Water Garden in Fort Worth, and the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi.This history of Johnson's work in Texas reveals how the architect's bold, outspoken personality attracted Texas clients and how their referrals shaped his career. It also demonstrates how Johnson's advocacy of architecture-as-art has affected the cultural climate of Texas cities. Perhaps most of all, it records Johnson's ongoing love affair with the state that made him its favorite "out-of-town" architect. As he recently quipped during a slow time in his New York office, "I should have moved there; it's the only place I have any work!" ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Book Design Awards Winner
Book design: Heidi A. Haeuser. This book won book design awards by Publishers Association of the West (2001), and by The Rounce & Coffin Club Western Books Exhibition (2001). ... Read more

Reviews (2)

this is a great book!!!
i loved this book! this is one of the best books on the town of natchez, anyone looking for info on anyone of the many fantastic houses in natchez should bye this book! i looooooooved that one house, longwood, interesting architecture.

A Wonderful Source of Natchez.
This is a fabulous book, filled brillant color photo's of manywonderful ante-bellum homes. I am proud that someone finally wrotesuch a great,detailed, and informitive book. If you like classicsouthern architecture than this is the book for you.I give this book 5stars! ... Read more