Reprint of rare book contains scores of illustrations and floor plans for 80 charming American homes; among them a spacious Pennsylvania fieldstone colonial; a modest; three-bedroom suburban bungalow; and an artists two-story studio/residence in California. An invaluable primary reference for architects and students of architectural history. 104 black-and-white illustrations.
#2748179 in eBooks 2012-10-09 2012-10-09File Name: B00A44UI5O
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting insightsBy mark lawlerinformative with little known background information provided about some of the Architects included.Sometimes the politics of the projects takes up more space than the critique of the Architect and the project.4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Wrong on Fuller; weird on gayBy Robert FaganVery nice prose in this book. I think the author has a tendency to dwell on the personal and particularly romantic lives of his subjects at time; for example; describing Buckminster Fullers wife of 56 years as "long suffering" but offers no evidence of her or the couples problems; whatever they might have been. Failing to integrate the personal with the professional reduces such content to gossip.Ive not yet finished the book but have finished the chapter on Buckminster Fuller. The author repeats the common mistake of assigning the invention of the geodesic dome to Fuller. It was; in fact; designed in 1926 by Walter Bauersfeld; in Germany. 20 years later; Fuller coined the term "geodesic" to describe the type of dome that Bauersfeld had designed and built. Fuller gave the dome its name and popularized it; but the credit for its invention goes to Bauersfeld.The author finds Fullers popularity as a lecturer puzzling. I saw one of Fullers last lectures; in Boston in June 1983. (He died two weeks later). At the age of 87; with his beloved wife dying of cancer; he was funny; engaging; irreverent; sharp and cantankerous. He asked the Harvard professors in the audience if they had ever seen the sunrise and sunset. Walking into the trap; they raised their hands in affirmation. "The sun doesnt rise or set; you idiots! The earth does! You are doing your students a disservice with this talk of sunrise and sunset." (not a word for word quote; but what I remember after nearly 31 years...) He then looked at his watch; exclaimed; "My time is up - thank you" - and left the stage. The last thing I remember is a Harvard professor who commandeered the microphone to offer up a lame defense of the schools science education. It was embarassing and self-serving and received the boos it deserved. Yet all the author has to offer on his public persona is that he was very short; near sighted and wore thick glasses; and his voice was nowhere near as pleasing as Robert Frosts.. God knows what any of this has to do with architecture.I am not an apologist for Fuller; I know that his geodesic domes are terrible places to live - hard to heat or cool; most of the interior space is unusable; they are next to impossible to add on to; and they leak. The author comes closest to capturing him when he describes him as a "national guru of futuristic technology." So much architectural progress and change devolves into pissing contests; Fuller; one felt; dealt with bigger; more fundamental issues. His chapter is the shortest in the volume and probably belongs in a different book; by a different author.Elsewhere; the author undervalues abstract art and seems to be doubtful of the reality of synesthesia.While discussing Frank Lloyd Wrights supposed homophobia; he also makes the absurd statement that "design students are perhaps more likely to be gay than many other students." This statement is both absurd and clumsy (how many is "many?" Whats with the hesitant "perhaps?" ) A non-literate and simply weird thing to say.