Lost in America: Photographing the Last Days of our Architectural Treasures

by Richard Cahan, Michael Williams

Lost in America documents the life and death of America's architectural and historic treasures. The book is based on a remarkable archive created by the Historic American Building Survey (HABS), a Works Progress Administration project that still documents the nation's most important buildings. Lost in America focuses on 100 buildings that have been torn down over the past 90 years. Some―like New York's Penn Station and Chicago's Stock Exchange―were majestic. Others―like a tiny bridge in rural Montana and a small farmstead torn down for Denver's International Airport―were modest. But they all reflected America's story before they were razed. Using haunting black-and-white images by the nation’s top architectural photographers, the book presents a timely look at what we’ve lost.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, History, Architecture, Art

208 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 2023

Reviews

[Stephanie Dargusch Borders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idk, I think this could have been better. I liked that there was a decent mix of lesser known buildings and those that are better known. I think there could have been more pictures utilized where possible, and color as well.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book at my library and expected it to be about abandoned buildings. I wasn't aware of HABS (the Historic American Buildings Survey) and their mission to photograph historic buildings before they are demolished.

The photographs, for the most part, are lovely (some that look more utilitarian than artistic). I would have loved to see multiple photographs of each building, because at most there were 2, while a majority of buildings got one photograph. I did not read most of the descriptions / captions unless the building picture interested me, because the ones I did read left me feeling very melancholy about the loss of these places. Still, an overall beautiful book.

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to imagine anyone producing a better book about the misguided destruction of beautiful or historic architecture in the United States. Nevertheless, the overall impact (on me, anyway) is sad - these vividly illustrated lost opportunities.

I enjoy black and white photography of cityscapes - I do recommend "Berenice Abbott: Changing New York"; "New York in the Forties," John Von Hartz; "New York in the Thirties," Berenice Abbott; and especially "I See A City: Todd Webb’s New York" - but those books are uplifting somehow. "Lost in America" just leaves me with the feeling that we Americans can be pretty stupid about our surroundings and the cultural and architectural world that actually sustains us.

Read, but prepare to have your heart broken.

P.S. The picture on the cover of the book is President Grant's summer cottage.

[Kayla Zabcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the more depressing books I've encountered; letting such gorgeous works of art - because that's what these building were, really - crumble and be demolished is a crime against humanity and our shared cultural history. European cities are stunning and moving because of their living history - the feeling of standing in the same place as thousands of others before us have for decades, even centuries is a humbling one - and we just let that same history die in America over and over and over again. it's fucking tragic and disgusting.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4* book. I liked the information about HABS / HAER / HALS, the historic building images survey groups. Each building usually had a single photo with accompanying paragraph of description, and the general layout went from "places in better condition" -> "places in worse condition". Nice coffee table type book.

[Ramona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really hoping this book would contain some of the many lost, architectural gems I am familiar with. The photography and information about the buildings, was interesting. So much is lost because of buildings being abandoned, uncared for. "New" replacing old, robs us of a lot of architectural beauty that is no longer popular with the masses.

[Ana Bitere · Rating 5 out of 5]

They paved paradise, put up a parking lot 😓

Sad to see how often historic demolition intersected with the growth of interstate roads. Didn’t know about HABS and so grateful I got to learn. Will explore their archive online sometime.

[Carmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

So very sad to see what we've lost to 'renewal' and neglect, but what an important collection of photographs. I had never heard of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and was glad to have come across this book.

[Ray LaManna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is both beautiful and depressing, since it depicts buildings which have great architectural value which have all been demolished of the past eighty years.

So in one sense it’s good that we have a photographic of these buildings, but in the other sense, it’s sad that they are gone.

[The Unglitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for a architectophilia like myself!
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The Unglitch Marketing Studio
https://unglitch.io)

[MKF · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use to love books on abandoned places and had no problems but now they're too depressing to read.

[Meandmy Tea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget reading A Little Life to make you Cry, Just read this and it will have you going "WHY did we get Rid of this BEAUTIFUL Building for a PARKING LOT!?!?" :'(

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forgotten buildings photographed on the brink of their destruction. A fine architectural history of what we've lost, why we've lost them, and sometimes, what we've gained through that loss.

[James M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just enjoyable to see some of the incredible architecture and read some of the stories behind them or the stories about them and the the demolition or destruction of them.

[Katra · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing beautiful and melancholy tribute to places that are no more.

p-n, s-n, v-n, a-n

[Kurt Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, always glad to see the old home town making the cover, even if it isn't for the best reasons.

Second, this book makes me mourn once more for the America I never got to know.