Book Description

Walter Groppius, granddaddy of steel and glass, conceived his architectural vision in the rubble of WW I and the decadence of Weimar in the decade after.

His doctrine found fertile soil in America, where it was time to adopt a clearly defined and suitable representative architecture.

Tom Wolfe, author of THE PAINTED WORD and THE RIGHT STUFF, treats us to a chronicle of the trends that ultimately brought us the ubiquitous and baffling "glass box" of modern commerce.

"Delightfully witty, biting history of modern architecture...scintillating high comedy of big money, manners and massive manipulation of public taste." (Publishers Weekly) ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Great! but...
Wolfe hits the nail on the head with most of this book. But I also agree with the reviewer who says that he generalizes too much. Granted, he does give Wright due praise, but he seems to lump the rest of the modernists together as if they were all the same (Kahn is treated as just another International disciple and Aalto is conveniently left out altogether). I disagree with a lot of his analysis of early modern architecture, and I happen to think some of the ideas of the Bauhaus guys were very important. But any Corbu-bashing is music to my ears; his late work in particular is just hideous and anyone who doesn't admit at least that much has to be hiding behind pretentious theories or hero-worship. The real prize of the book is Wolfe's excellent take on postmodernism. He basically confirms the suspicion that today's artists are pulling the wool over our eyes, and he exposes the blatant stupidity and intellectualization of Venturi and his cronies. A great read, lots of fun!

Tom misses the target
This is Wolfe's second book dedicated exclusively to the fine(r) arts. The first one was "The Painted Word" where he skewers the art world. That was a *great* book. This one is not.

In this book, Tom misses a good opportunity to skewer the architectural world. (Whether or not such world should be skewered is irrelevant to Tom Wolfe. His goal in life appears to be to criticize all aspects of modern culture. Is he a Republican? :)

His major mistake is his oversimplification of the history of modern architecture. By failing to critically distill the difference between movements, he paints himself in a corner of contradictions. He praises Frank Lloyd Wright, but fails to mention that Frank incorporated elements from the Bauhaus school Wolfe loves to hate. He criticizes some of these "paper" architects for designing buildings that are never built, but fails to mention Lloyd Wright did the same too. (In all fairness, Frank did not get famous because of these drawings, unlike Le Corbusier.)

In "The Painted Word", Wolfe took several movements that to the untrained eye appeared different (compare Rothko and Pollock with Warhol) and found the common thread. He then was able to skewer the entire modern art world by criticizing the common thread.

On the other hand, because most of modern architecture (at least during the period the book covers) is organically related rather than a seemingly-obvious break with prior movements, Tom cannot skewer architecture and its follies in the same manner. Instead, he has to attack modern architecture as a whole. Well, that was more than he could chew, so the book is muddy at best. Too bad. It could have been a fun book to read.

Wolfe tries to make us care about Modern Architecture
Tom Wolfe focuses a jaundiced eye on the sphere of 20th Century Architecture in this slender volume. More a historical summary than an artistic statement, Wolfe examines how socio-economic forces led to the formation of the European art compounds of the twenties, and follows how they led to the state of architecture in America as it existed when this book was written, at the close of the 1970's. The major players are portrayed as arrogant, untalented, and self-serving theorists who have no interest in pleasing the hard-working, money-grubbing bourgeoisie, who after all, are paying to have these structures built, and there is no attempt to garner our sympathy by humanizing them in any way. Fans of Wolfe will already be familiar with this formula, and may still appreciate his caustic views on the topic, but this book is rather too superficial to be good scholarship, and as entertainment, it's only as captivating as its subject matter.

As a writer, Wolfe is Wolfe, and can not be faulted for his irreverent style, his mastery of sarcasm, and his delightful ability to ferret out anything that smells of authoritarian doubletalk. Himself a master of the written word, he is never shy about ridiculing the nonsense that has often passed for scholarship in this field, but is this the fault of the writers, or merely an inadequacy of language itself? As Frank Zappa has pointed out, "writing about music is like dancing about architecture", and writing about architecture probably can't be much more effective. A structure has to be seen to be appreciated, and the dozen or so plates included in this book seem far too few for so essentially visual a medium. In particular, Wolfe's basic premise, that all the architecture of the past fifty years is dull and repetitive, would have been better served by page after page of ugly, cookie-cutter building projects that passed as great architecture.

Disclaimer: no one old enough to actually remember the seventies has any less knowledge of modern architecture than this reviewer, who not only has relatively little interest in the subject, but is notoriously unobservant at the macro level, generally. The relevance, of course, is that anyone who has strong opinions (positive or negative) about modern architecture, or any architecture, for that matter, will surely find this book more interesting than I did.

Don't bother if you LIKE modern architecture
For the rest of us who find cold, modern architecture to be...well...cold and modern, this book will briefly explain why you feel that way...and why some people seem to like it so much. It is a book that is clearly only skimming the surface (look at it sideways, how could it purport to be otherwise) but it's a fun surface to skim. I also wouldn't read this if you're a devout post-modernist. You'll find uncomfortable parallels between Wolfe's jabs at architecture and jabs others make a po-mos. A fun read that will enlighten someone who never hopes to be an "expert" on architecture, but would like to know why some God-awful, very expensive buildings ever got built.

Modern Architecture debunked
I live a few blocks from the marble lollipops at 2 Columbus Circle: Huntington Hartford's Gallery of Modern Art. And as I read the impassioned articles in the New York Times about its impending destruction, I have wondered to myself "What is this strange building, and why do so many people care so deeply about it?".

Tom Wolfe is just the man to tell me. And while he's at it, he put a whole field of endeavor into perspective.

I grew up disliking the "modern" residences that disfigured Haddonfield New Jersey in the 1960s, but being too insecure to say so, and feeling vaguely uneasy about Waterfalls and puzzled about The Fountainhead. Wolfe to the rescue!

It's short; it's sharp; it's funny; it's topical, still; it's entertaining. Buy it, read it and you'll never look at modern architecture in the same way again. ... Read more

Book Description

Detroit is the most thoroughly modern city in the world. Built to service the single-minded imperatives of automobile production, Detroit has come to represent the temporary nature of urbanism in the context of increasingly mobile capital. In the first half of the 20th century Detroit served as an international model for industrial urbanism arranged to maximize profits from the investment of speculative capital. In the second half of the century, the city lost much of its population in the face of increasingly global capital markets and decentralized production methods.Stalking Detroit is an anthology of essays, photographs, and projects, each offering an intellectual purchase from the urban millieu of Detroit at the end of the century, and attempting to document the residue of its material history.
Editedby Georgia Daskalakis, Charles Waldheim, and Jason Young. Essays by Jerry Herron, Dan Hoffman, Patrik Schumacher and Christian Rogner.
50 color and 60 duotones.
9.5 x 11.75 in. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

stalking detroit
This book is an extraordinary intellectual effort that compiles landscape projects (landscape urbanism), essays, articles as well as photographs of Detroit. Perhaps this is the first time in which the radical notion of Detroit as the most modern city has been proposed. No nostalgic attemps to go back in time as if it would have been a better time. In addition to the depth of the writing and the projects, this is a beautiful book published by Actar with great photos of the city. ... Read more

Book Description

Featuring 275 full-color photographs, this is the first book to reveal the privately owned mansions and gardens of Newport that are closed to the public and not part of the tours given by the Preservation Society. Never-before-published photos of these homes, which have been designed by distinguished architects and landscape designers, are stunning examples of Newport's 375-year old-world architectural heritage. ... Read more

Book Description

What are the unique characteristics that make a house Colonial or Craftsman, Modern or Deco, or any of the other approximately 20 styles of domestic architecture common in the United States? At a time of near-obsessive attention to home design and renovation, this compact, easily accessible guide-the only book of its kind with all color photography-makes the identification of house styles a breeze. Each style is described by author William Morgan, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated architectural historian, in a short historical summary, alongside a list of its distinguishing features. Multiple examples of each house style are provided-the book includes 350 houses from more than 40 states-so the reader can see the region-specific variations. Complementing the beautiful color photographs is a selection of line drawings highlighting each style's key attributes.

Both at the desk and in the field, for a wide audience of discerning house hunters, homeowners, and realtors; architects, builders, and students; and the ever-increasing public with a seemingly insatiable curiosity about residential design, this elegant, informative, portable volume will be an invaluable resource for years to come. AUTHOR BIO: William Morgan has taught at Princeton University, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, and he is the author of Abrams' American Country Churches. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island. Radek Kurzaj is a travel and architecture photographer based in Sczecin, Poland, and New York City. His books include Abrams' Living Large in Small Spaces, American Country Churches, and Treehouses of the World. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

Overpriced and disappointing
Since the author touts himself as a descendant of Stanford White, one doesn't expect much in the way of critical perspective from the text of this book. More disappointing are the contemporary photographs - although reproduced at enormous size, they are oddly flat and lifeless. For a better book at a better price, check out "The Architecture of McKim, Mead & White in Photographs, Plans and Elevations"

Masterworks Still Vital to the American Landscape
When captains of industry like Morgan, Astor, or Vanderbilt chose to build grand edifices they engaged the services of the architecture firm McKim, Mead, and White. During the firms most inspired period (1879-1915), it built nearly 1,000 commissions, including many famous and important buildings that are still vital parts of the landscape and include: The Morgan Library, Boston Symphony Hall, Columbia University, and the American Academy in Rome.

Written by Samuel G. White (great grandson of Sanford White) and Elizabeth White, McKim, Mead, and White: The Masterworks documents non-residential works of America's greatest classical architects. This new book showcases twenty-four public buildings in remarkable detail. The majority of the buildings included in The Masterworks are still in use however several notable examples; Madison Square Garden, Penn Station, 4 pavilions at the World's Columbian Exposition, and Madison Square Presbyterian Church were demolished long ago.

The architects spared no expense when they created their masterworks and it is apparent that Rizzoli Publishers spared no expense in producing this lovely book. Contemporary color photographs by Jonathan Wallen document the buildings as they are today capturing the totality of their grandeur as well as their finest details. Fascinating archival photographs illustrate how the buildings appeared were when their doors first opened. And almost every building profile is augmented with elevation drawings, sketches, watercolors, and other rare background material. An informative text accompanies each profile. It sheds light on the personalities of the architects, their sources of inspiration, the personalities who commissioned the buildings, and the times when they lived and worked.

The Rule of Taste
One of the most handsome books on architecture of recent years, beautifully written in a style that is concise without being in the least off-hand. You may find yourself mourning the passing of an age when so much distinguished architecture enhanced our cities, and mourning equally the fact of so much of it being taken for granted (and in many cases, heartlessly demolished)

One regrets, however, that the book's designers have gone the fashionable route of having its pages printed in a nearly matte-finish.
Rather than being the velvety ideal, here the photographs seem compromised by this technique. A good example is the photograph of the library at the University Club,( New York). What must be the most complexly rich and improbably Italianate room in North America comes off looking disapointingly murky and flat.( The author/photographer's previous book, Houses of Mc Kim Mead White, while employing the same approach, was rather better printed.)
But this is a quibble; the book is ravishing.

A lavish, beautiful book.
This is one of the most gorgeously photographed and inspiring works on American architecture available. Page after page of elaborately embellished interiors await the eye; a true feast of beauty, and a "shame on you" to the priests of pre-fab who have dominated our architectural heritage since McKim Mead and White. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Palm Springs Weekend could have been just a breezy look at the celebrity culture of this California desert playground. Instead, Alan Hess offers an authoritative yet refreshingly nondoctrinaire view of the various ways European and American architects--some famous, some not--adapted the canons of modernism to suit the desert climate, landscape, and lifestyle. With evocative vintage photographs and an engagingly retro design by Andrew Danish, this is one of the most enjoyable popular architecture books in years.

The story begins with "the panorama of brown rock... peppered with ever-changing shadows and the unexpected desert plants that turn this great natural wall into a tapestry of texture and color." Then came the wealthy industrialists and Hollywood royalty who wanted vacation homes and were more or--at least initially--less amenable to modern design. Car culture and casual living morphed the international style into new silhouettes and textures fit for a modern oasis.

Swiss émigré Albert Frey designed minimalist houses "like tents staked in the desert." Richard Neutra's famous Kaufmann House has polished glass walls, flat, floating roofs, and luxury finishes, while John Lautner's Elrod House--seen in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever--is a futuristic concrete cave. Tract homes by William Krisel and Dan Palmer for the Alexander Company offered a mass-market modernist solution, with butterfly roofs and patterned concrete block walls crisply defined by the intense sun.

By the early '50s, local projects also included civic and commercial buildings. Memorable nonresidential projects range from William Cody's Huddle Springs restaurant, with its bold angled beams, canvas awnings, and open plan, to Victor Gruen's City National Bank, on which a sweeping curved roof reminiscent of Le Corbusier's Ronchamp chapel meets the desert opulence of gold filigree. --Cathy Curtis ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Palm Springs Local
well as an avid collector of Mid-Century artifacts. I was very impressed by the book. Palm Springs is an amazing city and to just drive around in your car and look at the fascinating architecture is so awesome. To me being here and loving that style of design is just a bonus. But when some tourist saw me driving my beloved 62 Valiant wagon yelled out of their window "We saw you in Palm Springs Weekend" I asumed that they ment with my band. Until they said "With this car" That is when I realized The photograph I had candidly posed for a year before. I got a hold of the book and sure enough there I was. It makes me proud to be in the book. And I hope that Alan Hess and Andrew Danish Have great success with their careers. And I pray that the book will open peoples mind to the likes of Albert Frey and Richard Neutra and the many other designers who have shaped the deserts amazing style which needs to be preserved and not demolished as society grows. An awesome book and a must have for every Mid-Century modern enthusiust.

Enjoyable historical and architectural tour
While I initially bought Palm Springs Weekend as a coffee table book, it is much more substantial -- a great read, with the historical perspective necessary to appreciate the architectural legacy. Hess and Danish provide a tour from the beginnings of the desert resort in the 1930s, through the Hollywood migration of the 1940s and '50s and continue with the decline and then reawakened interest in modernism. And yes, it is a handsome book to have out for guests.

PSW earns high marks for balance, not focusing unduly on celebrity homes but instead providing a survey of significant commercial buildings, architectural trends and the personalities (Cody, Frey, the Alexanders) that brought the modernistic vision to life. Because of this, most readers interested in architecture will find it more useful than glamour-shot books of multi-million dollar homes behind gated walls. Several of the buildings noted are readily observable to visitors.

In addition, the authors illustrate the aspects of the culture that spawned Palm Springs. It is a remarkable journey because it is only recently that we have begun to view the 1950's, for example, as a period that has left us 'historic artifacts' worth appreciation. Less affected than neighboring LA or San Diego by overwhelming population growth, Palm Springs is something of a monument to the way things were. Hess and Danish do not overlook this.

While it is disappointing to see the cookie-cutter tract homes being built as the desert communities expand eastward, Palm Springs retains many of its unique homes, many of which are accessible to those of moderate means. PSW helps us appreciate the imaginative architects of the 'midcentury oasis', in their successes and even manages to evoke a bit of appreciation for some of the eyesores. A must read for anyone restoring or considering the purchase of a special home in this fascinating place.

More than a weekend
If you like mid-century architecture you'll love this book. Showcases not only on the 'finest' (and familiar) works of some extraordinary architects/builders in this resort town, but also offers up a bit of kitsch too. Often neglected but valuable nonetheless and is part of what makes Palm Springs the town it is. Very well written with lush photographs. I came away with insights into the making of an American resort town. Almost as good as being there. ... Read more

Book Description

A hundred miles north of San Francisco on California Coast Highway 1, the Sonoma County coast meets the Pacific Ocean in a magnificent display of nature. Waves crash upon the rocks or wash up on beautiful stretches of sandy beaches. This is the location of The Sea Ranch, an area covering several thousand acres of large, open meadows and forested natural settings interspersed with award-winning architecture. When the area, a sheep ranch well into the last century, was rediscovered for its beauty in the 1960s, it came to be envisioned as a home community that harmonized with the environment.Renowned landscape designer Lawrence Halprin's master plan for The Sea Ranch community accordingly incorporated a set of building guidelines that minimized the visual as well as physical impact upon the landscape. Subsequent buildings by architects such as Joseph Esherick, Charles Moore, William Turnbull, Obie Bowman, Donlyn Lyndon, and others have been recognized worldwide for environmentally sensitive planning and architecture. They sparked a generation of imitators that became part of what is known as "The Sea Ranch style," epitomizing what many people imagine when they think of Northern Californian architecture.This beautiful monograph, lavishly illustrated with over 300 newly commissioned photographs and including maps, plans, detailed descriptions of the houses, and essays by Donald Canty and Lawrence Halprin, presents the definitive record of The Sea Ranch community. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fine house-by-house considerations of design
Essays by Donald Canty and Lawrence Halprin accompany beautiful black and white and color shots of California's architectural wonders of the coast which comprise the exclusive Sea Ranch community of homes. Ecologically inspired planning and innovative architectural dreams and designs went into the formation of the California's Sea Ranch community, which sprawls across several thousand acres of land. This could easily have been a picture presentation alone, but the fine house-by-house considerations of design, plan, and history makes it much more, and The Sea Ranch will be revered by architectural reference collections in art libraries. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

Comprehensive view of California Missions
This was very interesting to read, as well as a terrific photographic reference for the California missions. The landscape-page layout lent depth to photos of the beautiful colonnades and porches these missions are famous for. I am proud that my native state of California has done such an outstanding job of restoring these missions, and enjoyed the skill Young and Levick used in crafting this volume.

Best Pictures of California Missions
I've looked and I've looked, but I still haven't found a better pictorial representation of California's missions. If you appreciate architecture, you'll love this wonderful, definitive reference source. Bravos to Melba Levick for her terrific photos - they capture the very essence of each mission in a way I've never seen. Minor quibble - earlier editions were elegantly art directed and printed on glossy stock. The design work on this edition is heavy-handed and the photo reproduction on matte stock isn't nearly as brilliant or as sharp. Ah, but those gloriously composed photos! Nothing can deter their splendor. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This book is a guide to the architectural styles of American houses. Highly illustrated with photographs and overlays to identify key recognition features, it covers a variety of architectural styles from colonial to modern America. In a section by section treatment, The Houses We Live In details how the various styles were developed, its originators and proponents, the main dates when the style was popular, and the main houses and regions that saw the style. Detailed photographs show variations of the style from all angles and close-ups of key points. Contents include: Vernacular architecture (Native American, log cabin, etc.); Colonial; European Revival (Greek, Gothic, etc.); Victorian (Second Empire, Richardson Romanesque, etc.); Pre-WW2 (Neoclassical, Beaux Arts, Tudor, Mediterranean, etc.); and American Modern (Prairie, Craftsman). ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great overall reference
Like the previous reviewer, I found this book on sale at the local store. It's a super survey book, unambiguous and well illustrated with each type of house discussed in the text. It has a glossary of architectural terms, and a chapter of architect bios, including pictures of the houses they lived in. Better than a [money] Abrams art book!

Big book - Great value
I saw this in a bookstore and scooped it up without checking online prices. Its a huge book for the small price. I'm no historian, but this book seems very comprehensive. Awesome color photos, floorplans, sketches, etc. History, details of construction technics. Pretty much every photo has a description with location, date, and many times the architect. Beautiful examples of houses from each period... something for everyone. Tons of info. ... Read more

Book Description

Newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst and his legendary California estate occupy a place in the public imagination through Orson Welles's Citizen Kane, but Kane's brooding Xanadu was merely a caricature of Hearst's exuberant castle at San Simeon. This new book sets the record straight and proves that, for once, truth is better than fiction.

Here for the first time is the real story of Hearst Castle, and of the productive 28-year relationship between Hearst and his architect, Julia Morgan, who collaborated on the magnificent 165-room estate set on 250,000 breathtaking acres near the remote seaside hamlet of San Simeon, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Drawing on previously unpublished correspondence, and illustrated with never-before-seen historic photographs as well as more than 150 stunning color pictures, Victoria Kastner chronicles the evolution of this extraordinary hilltop, with its two spectacular pools and its astounding collections of fine art and antiques. Sprinkled throughout with stories of the famous parties hosted by Hearst and his companion, movie star Marion Davies, and their celebrated guests, this book brings to life America's most glamorous country house.

259 photographs, 157 in full color, 9 x 113/4" ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Hearst Castle Fans Should Not Miss This!
A first rate account of the building of "La Cuesta Encantada" with new information I have not found in other Hearst Castle books or by taking the castle tours many, many times since I was a little girl. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't wait to visit the castle again with this new knowledge.

The life and times of an American castle.
This book gives an intimate look at one of "America's Castles" from inside and out. The history of the building site is covered, as is the design and construction of the buildings. The life and times of W.R. Hearst and his friends and loved ones are presented in such a way as to flesh out the character of the house.

I just finished reading this book, and I'm tempted to pick it up and start all over again. This is one that I'll reread often.

The layout of the book is interesting and eye-catching, but the tints used on the pages sometimes make the text difficult to read. Make sure you sit down with this book in a very well-lit room -- not only will light make it that much easier to read, you'll be able to enjoy the wonderful pictures more easily.

This book is useful on several levels.
I do not know about you? But I do not notice things in front of my face unless someone points them out to me. When I go to museums I need to go twice once with someone to point things out and again for my own exploration. I used this book for the point out phase. It is more intricate than a biography film.

There are several color pictures (259 illustrations) that point out items of interest, many more with maps and history (157 plates in full color). There is an expansive preface, forward, introduction, and prologue. There are twelve chapters that carry you on a historical tour of the castle.

I am not going to go through the book, as that is why you are purchasing the book and not the review. However on a personal note after looking at the book I went to the castle. I stayed overnight on the San Simeon coast to complete the tours in two days. As with all pictures the pale compared the real thing. However you now can use the book for memories. I did bring a camera. However you are not allowed to use a flash. And I have to admit that Victoria Garagliano is a better photographer. I think the cover shows the most impressive part of the castle. The Roman pool is located inside and under the tennis court. Just like the picture it is cool quiet and reflective. I did want to jump in just for the fun of it.

Now I leave the book on the coffee table so some unsuspecting person (and they are rare) will ask me about it.

A Splendid, Comfortable Home
Ever since the estate at San Simeon became the property of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, anyone can pay to see it and take the various tours through Hearst Castle. It's worth the trip down from San Francisco; if you can't make it, there is now _Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House_ by Victoria Kastner, with photographs by Victoria Garagliano. As befits its larger-than-life subject, this is a big book with gorgeous pictures, but the pictures are within a very helpful historic text, so even if you have seen the house, there is much to learn. There have been tourist picture books of the house before, but this is the first book to tell the house's full story. The story largely concerns the partnership between the architect Julia Morgan and her famous client. Miss Morgan is regarded as the first woman architect of any prominence in America. She and Hearst worked on the huge castle, adjacent guest houses, pools, and gardens over three decades. She had responsibilities even for his zoo animals, and he was essentially her patron. They were superbly able to work together, and to have obvious fun in accumulating and displaying the riches illustrated in this book. Morgan put up with Hearst's changeability, with every building turning out quite differently from how it was first planned. Given his impulsiveness and the span of time of construction, it is astonishing that the site has any architectural unity, but she managed to make it a real showplace.

The book also documents the entertainments held by Hearst's lover, Marion Davies, with whom he had a longstanding, loving, and happy affair. She was a perfect hostess at the Castle; guests and staff loved her. Hearst loved fun in his own way, but spent much of the time at the Castle managing his business affairs by phone, leaving Davies to show hospitality to all visitors. It was very unusual for their time, but they rejected socializing with the established money and society of the East coast, preferring to have Hearst's own business associates and movie stars as guests. Pictures in the book show Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and many others.

Much of _Hearst Castle_ is taken up with pictures to document the astonishingly rich gothic interiors. Unlike most castles, however, this one feels like a home. There are comfortable overstuffed chairs and sofas throughout, and a poker table jostles with Renaissance-style sculpture. It is clear that Hearst and Morgan had fun tearing down and building up, and collecting the artifacts that range from ancient bric-a-brac to priceless masterworks. _Hearst Castle_ is a lovely homage to a great American house. ... Read more

Book Description

In the tradition of the Bungalow series, here is a marvelous celebration of the twentieth century's most delightful and whimsicalarchitectural style

Storybook Style, the rambunctious evocation of medieval Europe inAmerican housing, was born in the early 1920s and almost forgotten by the late1930s. It took its inspiration from the Hollywood sets that enthralled Americansof the period and that still appeal to our jaded modern eye. Half timbered andturreted, pinnacled and portcullised, these houses owed their fanciful bravurato architects and builders with theatrical flair, fine craftsmanship, and humor.In Storybook Style, architectural information enhances the stunning colorpictures by Bungalow and Painted Ladies photographer Doug Keister to impart awealth of information and enjoyment.

Photography by Douglas Keister. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Living in fantasyland - wonderful!
This is exactly the book I was looking for. I love this style home, but I never knew exactly how to describe it (or that it was even a 'true' architectural style). This book has not only given me some ideas about what I'd love to have in a home, but also made me aware that there are such homes in my area :) The pictures are really wonderful. A lovely book for anyone with a sense of whimsy.

Wonderful Book - From a Builder
This is the best compilation of pictures of Storybook homes, elements of Storybook architecture and the history of this wonderful style of building I have seen. As a builder of Storybook homes it is gratifying for me to see a quality book bringing attention to this subject. From my experience I know there is material for another edition, perhaps with more details of each home and the people who own them.
Thank you for publishing this treasure.

Rare original idea
My first impression of this book was that it was a trifle; once I started to read it though, I discovered it was surprisingly substantial. What a joy to look at these quaint medieval-inspired houses. Lots of them, and all those turrets! You won't find mention of this phenomenon in any of the popular books on house styles, and the author deserves credit for documenting it.

The book displays a professional knowledge of architecture, unlike many in this category which seem to be written by art historians, and you can rest assured the author will not confuse a mullion with a muntin, or claim, as another one once did, that Tudor is an early Rennaissance style. (Although he happens to be incorrect in saying "terra cotta" means "hollow tile"; it means "baked earth".)

No vacant catalog-esque prose here; the author knows his subject and enjoys telling others about it.

Whodathunkit - a page-turner architecture book!
5 stars plus! A book to delight the heart! It's so well-written you don't want to stop reading, yet you want to see what delight awaits on the next page. My suggestion - page through and look at all the pictures - then go back and read it all. Great job - please do another one!
These guys did a similar book called Red Tile Style, on spanish revival architecture - if you like this one, check it out- it's also very well done.

Homes out of Hollywood fantasy land
Idea books for cottages and cottage detailing don't get much better than this. This book tells the story of the emergence of the Storybook style in the early part of the 20th century-- a style that came right out of the fantasy world of Hollywood. In fact, many of the homes featured in this book were commissioned by the movie folk of this era. This is a larger format book-- and you'll be glad it is when you see the pictures! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

imaginary photographs of unbuilt buildings
So I'm looking through this book of photographs of unbuilt projects, and gradually I realize. . . I'm looking at photo. . . . graphs of. . . unbuilt projects. They're great-looking photos, too. There's a building at the Salk Institute in La Jolla which I know isn't there, and another Jewish memorial NYC which I don't think exists, and they look great.

What Kent Larson has done is a simple, powerful, cool idea that took a lot of time, energy, MIT architectural thinking, and SGI computing power to accomplish. Larson first pieced together a reasonable paper version of each structure, then assembled a 3-D virtual model of that structure, then had to choose the best virtual camera angles under the best false sunlight for the best portraits. Larson went as far as using high-resolution photographs of existing Kahn walls to skin these virtual surfaces, and added a patina of wear and tear, just to make it more convincing.

So Larson's work is the result of a lot of a helluva lot of choices. It helped the interpretation that Kahn preferred a limited palette of building materials - like concrete - which helped Larson orchestrate this score. It didn't help Larson that Kahn was known for his close attention to lighting effects. All that lighting took the most sophisticated possible CAD/CAM rendering on SGI hardware.

But the payoff is - shocking. You get bright sunlight, soft counter-reflections, complex reflections in glass (the glass-block Jewish memorial is the showboat piece in that respect). You have to see them to know how much you want to believe them, if that makes any sense. To know how much you'd like to visit these six new Kahn buildings that will never exist. In a weird way, this project advances Kahn's career and reputation, not only from beyond the grave, but lapsing over into architectural cyberspace.

Architecture & computer at it's best ......
Larson has not only demonstrated superb skill in computer rendering but also a much deeper understanding of Kahn's architecture. Reviews by Scully demonstrate the histrorical development of Kahns work & Mitchell has done a fine job of giving the analysis. This book will help in establishing some standard for presenting unbuilt works of architecture in the future.

Format of the book is good in its simplicity although some reference to drawings would have made it a more comprehensive study. Great book ... a collecter's item for all "Kahnian's" across the world.

Beautiful Book!
This is not just another architecture book. It is also a beautiful photography book. It is astounding that these luminous images are of spaces that were never built!

Extraordinary
I have known the eight projects presented in this book for over thirty years, but now realize that my understanding was only superficial. This extraordinary volume reveals aspects of the buildings impossible to perceive from drawings and models: the layering of space, the rich materiality, and - most of all -Kahn's genius for manipulating light. Delightfully, this ambitious and unorthodox study is sure to rattle those who regard Kahn as an unapproachable icon.

Presumptuous
Kent larson presumes he can show a finished Kahn using a computer. As we all know, the building process is evolving. It certainly was for Kahn. Larson's leaden computer graphics shed not even the glimmer of a candle on the genius of Kahn. ... Read more

Book Description

Architectural style is defined as a definite type of architecture, distinguished by special characteristics of structure and ornament.
This revised edition of What Style Is It? includes new sections on Neoclassical, Romanesque and Rustic Styles. It also provides more examples of how pure styles vary by geographic region across the US.
* Includes sections on 25 of the most significant architectural styles including Early Colonial, Federal and Second Empire
* More than 200 photos and line drawings make this a visually rich resource. 300f photos and drawings are new to this edition
* A glossary offers quick access to architectural terms
* Includes an added guide to using the Historical American Buildings Society online catalogue of more than 30,000 historic structures, giving access to more than 51,000 measured drawings, 156,000 photographs and more than 30,000 original historical reports ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Not so useful
Not nearly as good, useful, or comprehensive as A Field Guide to American Houses by McAlester.

Good for my class...
I'm not that into architecture but this book was pretty good. I had to use it for my local history course. The images were good and helpful in the explanations on each of the pages.

A Sketchy Overview of American Architecture
This book is fine if you are looking only for a very brief look atAmerican Architecture. It does not organize architectural styles to give acomprehensive overview of them. It does, however, present example photos ofvarious styles with easy-to-read text briefly describing the styles. If youwant a book that is handy and comprehensive, no other book can compare to AField Guide to American Houses, by Virginia and Lee McAlester (ISBN0-394-73969-8). This book will give you a comprehensive framework of thedevelopment of American Architecture so that you can build yourunderstanding as you become exposed examples in the field. Everything fromwindows and doors to contruction techniques are covered. The book isorganized in such a way that you can find what you need quickly. It is thecornerstone in the study of American Architecture.

Short and to the point!
This is a very handy, pocket sized book which can be easily used in the field!Different historic architectural styles are divided into small chapters with helpful photos for identification.I particularly love theuser-friendly "Glossary" which identifies architectural featuresin a short and to the point manner.Since this is published by theNational Trust for Historic Preservation, a person can feel assured thatthis is accurate information!Makes a great gift too! ... Read more

Book Description

Celebrating the American Home brings together the best 50 houses featured in books from the Taunton Press in the past five years. These houses, which range from the irresistibly cozy to the magisterial to the daringly innovative, were selected by a panel of distinguished residential architects who are members of the American Institute of Architects including Jeremiah Eck, Duo Dickinson, and John Connell, who chose the houses based on how well they reflected the core qualities of great home design.

Each house is showcased in four to six pages and shown from a variety of views, with a brief introductory text explaining what makes the house unique and color photographs illustrating the key design features. Sidebars elaborate on why the architects selected each house, while an introductory chapter provides a detailed explanation of those core qualities that distinguish a great home: human-size scale, livability, quality of craft, connection to site, and distinctive design. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Spurred by grief, hope and pragmatism, architects, artists and others have envisioned myriad new looks for the site of America's greatest devastation. Imagining Ground Zero: Official and Unofficial Proposals for the World Trade Center Site compactly yet vividly documents more than 100 proposals that range from the utilitarian to the Utopian. Drawings and models by world-famous architects (including Tadao Ando, Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaus and Bernard Tschumi) rub shoulders with work by obscure firms. The book opens with a capsule history of the World Trade Center and its neighborhood, a chart showing the various entities that have jurisdiction over the 16-acre site and a description of the design process as of Spring 2004. Proposals of finalists in the official juried competition are represented by clusters of photographs and succinct descriptions. The winning proposal for the memorial (Michael Arad and Peter Walker's "Reflecting Absence") and Daniel Libeskind's winning site plan are allotted more space, with brief summaries of the architects’ various revisions and major critiques by the architectural press. Imagining Ground Zero also offers a sampling of entries to contests sponsored by The New York Times Magazine, New York magazine and Max Protech (an art gallery), as well as submissions received by other outlets, including the professional journal Architectural Record. Included are proposals for the master plan, the memorial and a transportation hub, as well as a few designs intended primarily as political commentaries. Grouped together, the entries' similarities become especially noticeable (for example, towers that entwine or otherwise abut one another). Lucid, attractively designed and copiously illustrated with 252 color photographs, the book offers a concise visual history of the most extensive design competition of our times. However, the lack of an index of participating architects makes Imagining Ground Zero less useful as a reference book.—Cathy Curtis ... Read more

Book Description

Architectural trends come and go, but stone endures. It speaks a rich visual language of texture, color, and pattern that no other material can convey. Stone has inspired American builders for more than three centuries, and today's architects continue to refer to the traditional construction methods and regional styles that connect stone structures to their natural surroundings. In 200 gorgeous color photographs of a vast repertoire of residences, inside and out, this glossy, handsome tome traces the development of domestic stone architecture in the United States. Providing general descriptions of featured styles and building techniques, as well as intriguing personal histories of the private homes, the informative text crosses the country as it covers everything from Dutch colonial farm houses to eclectic Victorian mansions to whimsical stone cottages to modernist expressions by Frank Lloyd Wright and others. For anyone interested in design, old houses, or American history, the book is a must. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

History of Amercian Stone Houses
Full of beautiful photo's of exteriors and interiors of 43 different Stone Houses built in America from prehistoric times through the twenty-first century, along with descriptions of each house and discussions on each time period, this is a great book for anyone interested in stone work of any kind.

The Magic Of Stone
Stone Houses is a splendid survey which focuses exclusively on residential architecture in the USA. The book begins with several breathtaking photographs of historical sites in the Southwest where the Anasazi built beguiling settlements out of local stone over one thousand years ago. It then proceeds to document numerous stone structures of interest from colonial times right through to the present. Moreover, in addition to his commentary on the buildings presented within the pages of this beautifully realized volume, Lee Goff provides a thoughtful discussion of the qualities of stone itself which makes for such a superb, durable building material in the first instance as well as an inspirational source for imaginative residential design. To quote briefly from the introduction: "Stone has different moods. It can be warm or cold, protective or inhospitable. Before all else, however, stone evokes an image of power, strength, impregnability and endurance. Even more subliminally it conveys a sense of the primordial...Instinctively, we feel the millions of years ago the stones were formed. Thus, the materials of nature become the material of shelter, and the form the shelter takes in turn reflects the origin of the stone and the house's setting, connecting the dwelling and its inhabitants to the most permanent world of all-the natural world."

Stone was the first material used for shelter. It can be (and has been) assembled in any number of creative, aesthetically pleasing ways. Stone Houses takes us on a wondrous tour of many of the possibilities inherent to this medium of construction. "Whether cottage or château, cabin or castle, stone houses embody feelings of romance and the picturesque. Their walls speak of permanence and history; their stones give whispered accounts of their prehistoric creation. They are an ongoing part of what Tennyson referred to as 'the eternal landscape of the past.' " ... Read more

Book Description

Since the AIA Guide to New York City was first published in 1967, it has been recognized as the ultimate guide to the metropolis's buildings, in all five boroughs -- Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island -- from nineteenth-century brownstones and tenements to modern high-rise apartments and museums. The latest edition of this urban classic takes a fresh look at the architectural treasures that define New York -- from its most characteristic landmarks to its less famous local favorites.

To prepare this edition -- the first revision since 1987 -- Norval White has visited and revisited more than 5,000 buildings, making this by far the most complete guide of its kind. This generously illustrated handbook presents the structures of the New York City--from the magnificent to the obscure -- in over 3,000 new photographs, more than 130 new maps, and hundreds of revised and new entries. Beyond the skyscrapers and historical buildings, the guide also leads the way to the city's bridges, parks, and public monuments.

From the tip of the Empire State Building to the brownstones in Brooklyn, the AIA Guide to New York City reveals how the city's spirit, fortitude, and character are captured and expressed in its architecture. Thoughtful and humorous descriptions include fascinating bits of local information that bring the city's history to life, telling the stories behind the bricks and mortar. Together, the maps, photographs, and expert critiques invite you on a special grand tour of the city at your own pace.

This guide is a definitive record of New York's architectural heritage and provides a compact, authoritative directory for lovers of New York City all over the world. Its portability and encyclopedic quality make it an ideal traveling companion for any walker in the city. For the sightseer, the architect, or anyone on a casual stroll, the AIA Guide to New York City is the book to grab on your way out the door.

... Read more

Reviews (14)

A truly classic treasure trove of NYC info.
This book is amazing in its depth of analysis and thoroughness of its study of the vast amount of architectural treasures in all five boroughs. As a native New Yorker (born in The Bronx, raised in Queens, high school in Manhattan) I was pleasantly surprised to find so many buildings that I admired to have a history behind them. A lot of little tid-bits are included in the book, for example did you know the park benches in the Battery Park Promenade are from the 1939 NY World's Fair? I didn't! Did you know that the same Guastavino tile vaulting found outside the Oyster Bar in Grand Central can be found at the Municipal Building at Centre Street? And at the NY Telephone Building at 140 West Street?

A must-have for anyone who loves New York. A true walker's handbook that includes suggested walking tours all over the city. Find out the story behind that old building you walk by on your way home to your Flushing apartment! I also found it fascinating to compare this third edition with the earlier "revised" edition of 1978 to see how much had changed and been lost. The 3rd edition was almost twice the size by the way! I hope a 4th edition is in the works by now.

Definitive
If you live in New York or you are fascinated by its architecture, you really should buy The AIA Guide to NYC. It is a remarkable tome, including more than 5000 buildings and 3000 stamp album style photos of structures in all five boroughs, ranging from Brooklyn to far Queens and from Staten Island through Manhattan and up to the extreme Bronx. It will hit your coffee table with a serious thunk, and provide endless browsing enjoyment. If you're visiting New York on a quick trip or want a selective overview, I discovered a new book that makes a good companion volume: The Architecture Traveler, by Sydney LeBlanc, which covers 250 American buildings. The author is evidently a New Yorker. About 60 of the buildings are in and around the city. It presents fewer buildings but presents a full page story on each of them. I bought both books: the AIA guide for comprehensiveness, the more selective Architecture Traveler for it's intriguing stories and for the rest of America, which it also includes.

Keep it close
I have been a New Yorker all my life and thought I'd known it all. There were buildings/structures that I knew to be older than most and probably landmarks, but never got around to checking them out. Then I picked up the AIA Guide to New York City sometime in 2001. Ever since, I have kept it with me at all times: in my back pocket, my briefcase, my jacket... Sometimes I go to some of these places in advance, with the intent of looking at them after I'd read about them. Other times, when on my way to or from work or lunch, I will see a building, stop, and look to read about what it is. My hunches aren't always correct, of course: not all the buildings I think are landmarks are. But I always keep this Guide on hand to find out.

Written in a difficult English
I am going to be straightforward: the book is written in a slightly overblown language, which is not easy to understand for non-native English speakers. If you are a non-native English speaker, think twice before getting this book.

Ultimate of its Type
I absolutely devour the 4th edition, though I am familiar with all previous editons as well. As one of the Principal Editors of the "Guide to Cleveland Architecture," 2nd edition (readers: please seek out our great book), a lover of New York and this book type in general, and a professional librarian and architectural historian, I can certainly appreciate the gigantic amount of research that went into creating what is actually a massive volume like this. Therefore I forgive some details such as inconsistency of Index selection, some date inaccuracies (very, very little percentagewise) or actual typo's, or details such as some maps of which the lettering goes in too many directions. I do wish there were some way suburban areas could be included - for the "total picture." Perhaps a companion volume? But - wow - what that would involve!
The text has so very many splendid sentences, phrases, and attitudes I can really appreciate the strong subjectivity in this case. Our text was actually criticized by our main Cleveland newspaper architectural critic as not being sufficiently opinionated like the NYC book... I did counter-criticize that critic in the "Plain Dealer" in that there are reasons for more objectivity in an urban architectural guidebook but, I can surely appreciate the magnificent writing of this book. Of course I can't agree with some of it either but, so what? The point is this book gives architectural, urban design, etc. the major, major significance it deserves. They're sure a big part of my life! Bravo!
The book also takes on an even higher relevance after 9/11, as the entire fabric in that fair-sized area of Manhattan is covered.
Nothing anywhere near up to it (Chicaco's AIA guide is the closest I've seen) and there are times I can barely put the book down! Now if I could only get to New York more... ... Read more