A renowned architect and scholar takes readers on a journey across American geography and through history to make the case that America's architectural tradition and political ideals are deeply connected, from modest, single-family homes and statehouses to the courthouse, firehouse, schoolhouse, and jailhouse.
In outlining what, specifically, about American architecture is democratic, and what makes it that way, Architecture of Democracy begins with a close look at seventeenth century building of the early colonies, and then explores the impact of the Revolution on American architecture in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, and shows how political ideals had a formative influence on the development of the American home and on the nation's public buildings.
George P. Schultz refers to his experience occupying an office in the U.S. State Department Building during the Reagan administration to introduce this study of the relationship of American architecture to American ideals. Architect Greenberg (George Washington, Architect, 1999) shares details of his background and enthusiasm for his adopted country. Via numerous color illustrations, he "reads" how the new nation's identity is reflected in its citizens' homes and public buildings. Key themes include the citizen's house as the model for even the President's house, and the American spirit of simplicity. 10x10" format. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Centered on his intriguing synthesis of the American republic's architectural and democratic traditions, Allan Greenberg's essay moves across geography and through history as the renowned architect and scholar makes the case that America's architectural tradition and political ideals are deeply connected.At the core of the American democratic architectural tradition is the modest, single-family house, which gave rise to the statehouse, the courthouse, the firehouse, the schoolhouse, the jailhouse, and the President's house (as it was known before it became the White House).Generously illustrated and skillfully written, Architecture of Democracy traces a common line from the earliest colonial settlements to the Western frontier of the nineteenth century and today's ultramodern city centers. The volume will imbue in its readers a newfound appreciation for the democratic ideals that American architecture strives to express and uphold.
