Centerbrook: Reinventing American Architecture

by Michael J. Crosbie

The architecture of Centerbrook defies easy classification. The work is romantic in its regional roots, carefully calibrated in its human scale, genuine in its sense of permanence, deceptively simple in its form and detail, evocative in its imagery, gentle in its humor. The dreams, history, and spirit of the people who inhabit it are always present in Centerbrook's creations. The breadth of the firm's work - houses, schools, laboratories, museums, libraries, stores, urban precincts - is in part a reflection of its five partners, each of whom follows his own design direction under the sheltering roof of Centerbrook.
The firm has grown from its early years under the award-winning architect Charles W. Moore (who wrote the book's Afterword) into an independent cadre of designers who pursue their art in a converted 19th century mill beside a waterfall in a small New England town. As the book's author, Michael J. Crosbie, "Centerbrook's home is emblematic of the firm's respect but not veneration of buildings that have come before and attention to architecture's habitation in the landscape. It is a world in miniature that demonstrates the architectural values of its designers, and their attention to the creation of place."

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1993

About the author

Michael J. Crosbie, PhD, FAIA, has made significant contributions in the fields of architectural journalism, research, teaching, and practice.
Having served as an editor at Architecture: The AIA Journal, Progressive Architecture, ArchitectureWeek.com, and is editor-in-chief of Faith & Form, a quarterly journal on religious art and architecture, he is also a frequent contributor to Architectural Record and writes about architecture and design for the Hartford Courant.
While he has appeared as an architectural expert on The History Channel, he is also the author of more than 20 books on architecture (including five books for children) and has edited and contributed to more than 20 others. Crosbie's work is also frequently featured on CommonEdge.
Additionally, he has served as an adjunct professor at Roger Williams University and Catholic University and has lectured and served as a visiting critic at architecture schools in North America and abroad, including the University of California (Berkeley), the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and the Moscow Architectural Institute.
Crosbie is a registered architect in the State of Connecticut and has practiced with Centerbrook Architects & Planners and Steven Winter Associates.