No comments about Three American Architects: Richardson, Sullivan, and Wright, 1865-1915.

1 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright (First Impressions).

1. Ju st a note - Some of the reviews listed here for Rubin's book seem to be for another author-Thomas Heinz.
   I found that Rubin's book was much too difficult reading for young adults, with too much crammed in as far as space and text.

2 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright's Houses.

1. The standard of quality set by the works of Mr. Heinz is very low. Avoid this book.



2. This is a straight forward examination of Wright home. The photos are clear and straight forward so the lines of the house can be seen. Nothing flashy, but that is not what is needed here. The criticism of the book is that it includes very few interiors, but these are afterall primarily private homes. It is nice to see the houses he designed in chronological order.

No comments about In the Cause of Architecture: Essays by Frank Lloyd Wright for Architectural Record, 1908-1952, with a Symposium on Architecture With and Without Wright by Eight Who Knew Him.

1 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright (Reaktion Books - Critical Lives).

1. As a non-specialist who is admittedly rather ignorant of architectural history, this book was perfect for me. It avoids both excessive detail and incomprehensible jargon, yet covers the principal steps in Wright's 60-year career. I really got an idea of what he did and accomplished and what was so unique about it, which was exactly what I hoped to find. (McCarter's other book on FLW is huge with such long descriptions of interiors that I felt intimidated to open it.)
   
   Essentially, Wright approached his buildings as personal works of art designed for the purchaser after long conversations on their desires (with a few glaring exceptions, due to a sudden excess of FLW's arrogance). He designed them from the inside out, with the greatest attention to detail as total works of art down to the furniture and even the clothes of residents, kind of like Wagner's Gesamtkunstwerk, but for living space and quality of life. He also strove to orient them wrt the sun and other natural contours of the landscape. The range of buildings is far too complex and varied to describe here, of course, and I could have used more pics in the text to supplement McCarter's wonderful descriptions (easily available on the internet). I finally get it and will study his legacy in greater detail. Also, many of his homes were designed for the middle class, rather than exclusively for an aristocracy of the rich.
   
   The wider context is also covered in just the right detail, that is, how Sullivan mentored Wright; how Wright rebelled against the neo-classical fashion as exemplified by the great Burnham; how he hated Corbusier, Mies van der Rowe, and Gropius. Finally, Wright's establishment of the two Taliesin campuses and their unique apprenticeship environment is covered, as are his many writings - a huge part of his legacy as passed on to students. (It makes me wish I had studied architecture.)
   
   While McCarter obviously loves the man and his work, he does not shy from criticizing him, particularly as his self-critical sense seemed to fail him late in life, partially as a result of the constant sycophantic praise of his entourage and the strange domination that his third wife exerted. It is a very rounded portrait that appears fair to me. He also covers Wright's bitterness at what he felt was a lack of recognition, particularly as some of his greatest triumphs came late in life.
   
   Warmly recommended. This book is a wonderfully light though substantial meal, as a preparation for deeper inquiry. It is an ideal intro.

No comments about Frank Lloyd Wright and George Mann Niedecken: Prairie School Collaborators.

1 comments about Unity Temple: Frank Lloyd Wright; Architecture in Detail.

1. Frank Lloyd Wright was mostly a home designer. One of his most important public commissions was for Unity Temple in his then home town of Oak Park, Illinois. The Unitarian-Universalist congregation there had just had its church burn down. As a result, the budget was right. Yet the site was right in the middle of several other large, impressive churchs Mr. Wright had also observed this faith. What could be done?

   Mr. Wright first thought that the steeple could be eliminated. Those of the Unitarian-Universalist faith believe that works on earth are important, so this could fit doctrinally. Also, it would save a lot of money. Instead, the church has a large skylight covering art glass that gives a feeling of looking up into the vault of heaven.

   Second, he realized that concrete was a really cheap material. So he made the church from concrete, and chose a design that would make good use of the material.

   Third, he made the design so that the church would appear as massive as possible while keeping it small. Today, the church is complemented by a similar design of the U.S. Post Office on the adjacent southwest corner done by one of Mr. Wright's students.

   Fourth, he made the inside of the church very intimate, with all pews quite close to the dais, with great sight lines. This also permits a secondary use of the sanctuary for theatrical and musical performances.

   Extensive art glass also gives the inside a soft glow from external light while keeping attention focused internally. You have a quiet, meditative sense inside the church, which I visited yesterday.

   Although the book claims that Unity Temple is in terrific shape, and the photographs reveal that, my experience was different. It is undergoing major rehabilitation to fix chunks of concrete having fallen off, leaks, and areas that need repainting. If you like Mr. Wright's work, I hope you will consider contributing to the congregation's efforts.

   Many of the plans of Unity Temple disappeared when Mr. Wright moved to Taliesin. He did have a chapter in his autobiography about designing the church, so we have much material from that source. The book has many nice photographs (mostly in black and white) of the overall design, the lighting elements, and the window treatments. The appendix has extensive architectural drawings which allow you to see the scale and interplay of elements.

   Although you can take photographs in Unity Temple, I think the ones in this book will be more rewarding than those that most people could take for themselves.

   After you finish enjoying this fine example of Mr. Wright's Prairie style, I suggest that you think about the elements you prefer in a place of worship. What's essential and what's not? What examples of houses of worship do you find most spiritual? Why?

   Find God wherever you are!

1 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel (Dover Books on Architecture).

1. This book is about the Imperial hotel built by Frank Lloyd Wright in Tokyo during the Meiji era. It has been quite famous after the Kanto Big Earthquake in 1923 because it was not collapsed by the earthquake.

5 comments about Richard Meier Architect, Vol. 1 (1964-1984).

1. Do not confuse this Monacelli Press book with the latest Rizzoli book by the same name. This one is an "artsy cofee table book" with slightly out-of-focus artsy black and white photos of a limited selection of his projects, including some of his earlier houses as well as some of his latest works. Large two page photographs are shown, together with 3 or 4 smaller ones per project, in lieu of a more comprehensive exposition of their work. If you are looking for information on their current work or design ideas check out the Rizzoli books instead.



2. This 3rd in a series monograph by Rizzoli is a must-have addition to any serious architectural book library or to fans of Richard Meiers work. The numerous color photos are top rate, and together with a large number of drawings give a thorough overview of one of the top designers of today. The many photos in particular attest as to the successful completion of previously anticipated projects which have been in the pipeline, while new drawings herald new masterpieces to come.



3. The Book is Great. If you love the style of Richard Meier, you sure would love this book too.



4. Only ISBN: 1580930611 or ISBN: 1580930441 published by the Monacelli Press on 304 pages as an exhibition catalog with beautiful only B&W photos and drawings (many 3D) and minimal text.
   FROM FRONT FLAP:
   Over his thirty-five-year career Richard Meier has produced an internationally recognized body of work that reinterprets and recovers the ideals of modernism. With the completion of the landmark Getty Center in Los Angeles, Meier's distinct vision has emerged as architecture that is truly for our time. This catalog, accompanying a major exhibition organized by The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (and traveling throughout the world), beautifully documents Meier's career with exquisite duotone photographs and the architect's own drawings, most of which have never been published.
   Twenty-five of Meier's masterworks are featured, including the Smith House in Darien, Connecticut; the Douglas House, on the shores of Lake Michigan; the Museum for Decorative Arts in Frankfurt; the Canal+ Headquarters in Paris; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona; and the Getty Center. Current projects, including federal courthouses in Islip, New York, and Phoenix, Arizona, and the Church of the Year 2000 in Rome, are also presented.
   A collection of insightful essays and commentaries by, among others, noted scholars Kenneth Frampton and Jean-Louis Cohen and architect Stan Allen illuminates various formal, theoretical, and practical issues at work in Meier's ever-evolving approach to the art of architecture. An extensively illustrated chronology of built and unbuilt work completes this first volume to document the entirety of Meier's extraordinary oeuvre.
   CONTENTS:
   Richard Koshalek and Dana Hutt 6
   Introduction: Richard Meier, Light + Space Architect
   Dana Hutt 8
   Richard Meier's Working Space: The Uses of Abstraction
   Stan Allen 12
   Figures in an Urban Landscape: Meier at the Millennium
   Kenneth Framp ton 28
   Creative Repetition Jean-Louis Cohen 34
   Smith House 40
   Bronx Developmental Center 48
   Douglas House 56
   Olivetti Branch Office Prototype 66
   The Atheneum 72
   The Hartford Seminary 84
   Frankfurt Museum for the Decorative Arts 94
   High Museum of Art 108
   Siemens Corporate Headquarters 118
   The Getty Center 128
   Westchester House 152
   Ackerberg House 162
   Grotta House 170
   The Hague City Hall and Central Library 180
   Ulm Exhibition and Assembly Building 190
   Weishaupt Forum 200
   Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art 208
   Royal Dutch Paper Mills Headquarters 216
   Madison Square Garden Site Redevelopment 224
   Canal+ Headquarters 232
   Rachofsky House 240
   Islip Courthouse 248
   Neugebauer House 254
   Phoenix Courthouse 262
   Church of the Year 2000 268
   The Richard Meier Archive Lisa J. Green 276
   Buildings and Projects 1960-1999 282
   Selected Bibliography 302



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1 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright: His Life and His Architecture.

1. This book is very good to understand the works of Wright. The biography put always in parrallel his life with his works, so it is interesting to understand why he makes one project or another at a certain time. the books has also a good selection of photography and drawings not seen in must of the others books.