A History of American Architecture: Buildings in Their Cultural and Technological Context

by Mark Gelernter

Why did the Victorians drape their buildings in elaborately ornate decoration? Why was the Arts and Crafts movement so popular with the American middle class at the end of the 19th century? Why did Modernism replace traditional architectural styles after World War II? Mark Gelernter provides fresh answers to questions like these, convincingly showing how buildings express powerful cultural forces. Embodying deeply felt attitudes about fundamental issues, buildings express our relationship with nature, our social relations with others, the importance of the individual, the value of science and technology, and our political role in the world. He explains how designers sometimes expressed these ideas with available building technologies, while at other times they invented new technologies in order to realize new ideas. Each of the ten chronological chapters, accompanied by almost 300 photographs, drawings, and maps, begins with a broad survey of the dominant cultural forces and technologies, and then discusses how designers of the day responded with particular architectural forms.

Genres: Architecture, Heritage Preservation, Design

368 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1999

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm studying for the Architect's Registration Exam and needed to brush up on history. I didn't like history in school, but this book is very well written and I can read from it for hours without falling asleep. The examples are the same ones I studied in school, so it's a great review. I wish it had more drawings and photos, but it has more than most which is why I grabbed it in the first place.

I recommend it to others who are studying for the ARE or anyone that wants to understand where the architectural styles in the US come from, both how they've evolved from European influences and how they fit into American cultural periods. It's a much easier read than my school textbooks were, but is still packed with information.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the same vein as Carter Wiseman's Shaping a Nation and Scully's earlier contribution to the genre, this is also a good synopsis of the development of architecture in the US.
Perhaps the cover photo wasn't the best choice?

[Mike Emett · Rating 3 out of 5]

For Art History: American Architecture graduate course.