American Architecture

by David P. Handlin

America has always presented a unique challenge to should they emulate the Old World or respond to the demands of the New? David Handlin tells the complex story with lucidity and insight. Almost from its seventeenth-century beginnings, American architecture was subject to two apparently contradictory processesthe practical and the grandiose. The first comes through in the vernacular buildings of rural America, the innovations of Jefferson, Bulfinch's fine civic buildings, the offices and factories of the Industrial Age, and the comfortable domestic tradition that lies behind the houses of the Greene Brothers and Frank Lloyd Wright. The second is seen in the unprecedented daring of the Chicago Schoolgreat engineers like Adler united with great designers like Sullivan; in the majestic state capitols, exhibition halls, and public buildings by firms such as McKim, Mead & White; in the luxury of Fifth Avenue mansions; and in the exuberance of commercial Manhattan.The revised edition ends with a lively account of recent developmentsvirtual architecture, the revival of historical styles (including modernism), the thirst for striking originality, and a new interest in the local, with figures including Stern, Meier, Gehry, and Mockbee. 264 illustrations.

Genres: Architecture, Reference, History, Art

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1985

Reviews

[Zach McSwain · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative and possibly definitive book for the subject of architecture in the United States. Handlin is brief and readable, and provides great visual examples. This is a great start to the topic and I cannot think of a better substitute.

[Saiid Abdul Baqi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great reference about architecture in America for all architects and architecture lovers.