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The Charnley House: Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the Making of Chicago's Gold Coast
Situated in Chicago's famed Gold Coast, just north of the Magnificent Mile, the Charnley house is one of the finest dwellings in the city and considered worldwide to be a stunning example of avant-garde architecture. Now the headquarters of the Society of Architectural Historians and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998, the house was built in 1892 at a critical moment in urban and architectural history. The Charnley House is the first authoritative publication on the building, which has long been discussed in surveys but never before examined in detail.
In this collection of original essays, six well-known architectural historians illuminate various aspects of the house, both inside and out, as they consider its remarkable formal and spatial qualities, its historical significance in the development of Chicago's elite residential neighborhood, and its place in the context of American domestic architecture. Equally important, the contributors tackle the knotty, decades-old issue concerning the building's designer. While many have ascribed the scheme to Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan's chief assistant at the time, this book sheds new light on how the house relates significantly to the work of both master and apprentice.
The continuing debate over the house's "authorship" highlights the importance of the Charnley house in the history of modern architecture as the seminal work of residential design in the United States. These thoroughly researched interpretations, supplemented by an abundance of never before published illustrations, analyze this house of distinction with the care and detail it deserves. Beautifully restored in late 1980s, the Charnley house now has a book worthy of it.
In this collection of original essays, six well-known architectural historians illuminate various aspects of the house, both inside and out, as they consider its remarkable formal and spatial qualities, its historical significance in the development of Chicago's elite residential neighborhood, and its place in the context of American domestic architecture. Equally important, the contributors tackle the knotty, decades-old issue concerning the building's designer. While many have ascribed the scheme to Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan's chief assistant at the time, this book sheds new light on how the house relates significantly to the work of both master and apprentice.
The continuing debate over the house's "authorship" highlights the importance of the Charnley house in the history of modern architecture as the seminal work of residential design in the United States. These thoroughly researched interpretations, supplemented by an abundance of never before published illustrations, analyze this house of distinction with the care and detail it deserves. Beautifully restored in late 1980s, the Charnley house now has a book worthy of it.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2004
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May 14, 2021
An architectural look at on e of Chicago's most famous residences. The debate still exists over whether Sullivan or FLW designed it. The book combines sketches, photos, and old documents with analysis of both men' prior and subsequent work to arrive at its hypothesis.
If nothing else, this book makes a lovely coffee table addition. The bonus is that the narrative inside it is easy-to-read and engaging. For not having any background in FLW's work, I was drawn into the mystery of who really decided on the design of the home - as well as why either man would hide the truth!
If nothing else, this book makes a lovely coffee table addition. The bonus is that the narrative inside it is easy-to-read and engaging. For not having any background in FLW's work, I was drawn into the mystery of who really decided on the design of the home - as well as why either man would hide the truth!
Displaying 1 of 1 review