By the 1880s; American architecture had turned to a heavily formal; almost grandiose style; forsaking the more delicate ornamentation and graceful line of the previous decade. Just prior to the shift; A. J. Bicknell Co. published a handsome volume of contemporary designs; plans and specifications for a wide range of public and private buildings from many parts of America. Their intention was to feature a complete village which could be constructed at moderate cost; in fact they published one of the last inclusive documentations of that style of mixed Gothic; Romanesque and classical cornices; pedestals; spires and gables known as "Victorian."Forty-five buildings of all sorts mdash; cottages; villas; suburban houses; town houses; a farm; a jail; courthouses; banks; store fronts; churches; schools; even stables mdash; are portrayed in beautiful architectural drawings of scaled elevations and floor plans. Large-sized details show the principal corners; panels; railings; arches; finials; window and verandah sections; scales range from 3/32 of an inch to the foot for the elevations; to 1/2"/1 for the details.The designs come from architects in Boston; Philadelphia; Chicago; St. Louis; Nashville; and were built in many large and small communities. Along with the private homes and standard public buildings; there are plans for the first completely fireproof courthouse (built of marble and cast iron) in the United States; at Macoupin County; Illinois; the Bay County Courthouse in Bay City; Michigan; may also be numbered among the noteworthy inclusions. A three-story home in this book; with four bedrooms; dining room; kitchen; parlor; verandah; hall; portico; and cellar (with servants quarters; if necessary) cost; at that time; $5000 to build; a series of specifications; both general and particular (for carpenters; plumbers; painters and masons) and sample contracts (with provisions for bad weather and striking workmen) offer some idea how such buildings were possible at such prices.The detailed measurements and specifications provide modellers; miniaturists; set designers; woodworkers; or even full-scale builders; with the information necessary to recreate these designs. Historians of architecture; home restorers; anyone who delights in the felicities of American Victorian; will find this book a superb primary source of authentic building style.
#1999287 in eBooks 2012-12-27 2012-12-27File Name: B00A735IWU
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Some useful information; but by no means a "guide"By David Lee HudsonVery disappointed in this book. It is nothing more than a bunch of pictures of different observatories which I can see online by searching google images. The book is not well organized; has the feel of a book written in the 1950s on a typewriter; and honestly doesnt present a lot of useful information to help you plan out building an observatory. Instead it just seems to present a bunch of random tidbits on various aspects. The subtitle says "A complete guide...." yet there is no list; plan; step by step guide or other "checklist". It does go over most aspects such as walls; roof; electrical; etc. but I found information on the Internet much more useful in actually giving me a practical step by step "guide" that says "make these decisions; then take these steps".3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. READ BEFORE YOU BUILDBy Eric RachutIf you tire of setting up all the time; youll opt for an observatory. That means a roll-off; unless you live in the tundra and want a domes protection from winds in the wintertime. Roll-offs are cheap; easy to construct and allow star-hopping.Ive had two built - the second by a contractor using this book and it is a joy.If you explore online; and anybody planning an observatory is going to do that; you will find that despite the copyright; this entire book can be downloaded from a (Red) Chinese source. Dont lose your soul.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Observatory reviewBy Gary TThis is a great source of information about the subject. It is well illustrated and the text correctly references the pictures. There is helpful information about location; design; and other things you might not have though about. I highly reccomend this book to anyone considering building a backyard observatory. It also comes with a CD that contains all the illustrations in the text along with detailed plans for construction.