No comments about Designing the World's Best Exhibits.

5 comments about Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center.

1. Although a slow read, this book is well worth having in your history collection. It fills in those annoying gaps in your knowledge of the era and could possibly change your mindset on the Rockefellers per se.



2. Okrent has done a wonderful job in this single -volume history of 20th century architecture. The Center itself is the culmination of a project comparable to the pyramids. Of special interest is the early chapter on the character of the properties prior to Rockefeller's acquisition. Speakeasies and brothels seem to have been the chief occupants of these by by-now hallowed lands. It must have been something. We forget how jsut how great John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was. His accomplishments are so numerous. Incredibly, this is but one of his extraordinary projects. The Center continues, after all, to be THE model for city planning. It is one of the few real plazas in the entire country, where people actually choose to congregate. (Think of LA's awful Century City, where the police pick you up for getting out of your car.) Rockefeller Center continues to be beautiful and unique. From the first chapters that cover the acquisition of properties belonging to a wonderful assortment of eccentric New Yorkers through the lengthy middle chapters on the design and construction of the complex, Okrent's book is filled with personal anecdotes worthy of Chaucer to help dramatize what might otherwise be a dry narrative. It is a story of human egos, failures, triumphs, tragic human destruction, and glory. Again, as in David Rockefeller's "Memoirs," we learn much about the family itself. As always, Nelson comes off as a bully, so unlike his father and siblings. The story of Radio City Music Hall is terribly interesting, especially for those interested in show biz. The biography of a building would not seem the proper lens through which to tell the history of an era, but Okrent's treatment succeeds. The Center is a success story, after all, an enlightening story, finally, about wealth leading to greatness. It doesn't happen often.



3. It was a long read for me, just a little to much information in my opionion. Overall a good book, but wasnt as interesting as I was hopeing it would be.



4. I stumbled across this book after my father in law died. What a gem of a book - so well written, extensively researched and compelling. The book is a dense integration of New York City History, Politics, Architecture, Real Estate and the Rockefeller family's influence on the built environment.
   
   Each chapter is almost a novel unto itself. The author accurately conveys the architectural rivalry and the forced cooperation of the Associated Architects led by Raymond Hood to collectively design this complex. The Rockefeller Center Project was built during the Depression, when there was no other construction, except for the Empire State Building.
   
   So many forward looking urban design concepts were incorporated into the Master Plan of the complex. The story of how the building designs were tailored to match the major Tenant's needs is also fascinating. Also, the decision to include the work of a variety of contemporary artists keeps this complex distinctive to this day.
   
   The information about New York City was enlightening, even though I've lived and worked as an architect in New York City for many years. The biographical sketches and in depth portraits of the hundreds of people involved in assembling, designing, building and leasing the site is amazing in its depth and breadth.
   
   This book is a slow read because of the shear volume of information covered by this fact filled book. A great read for anyone who is fascinated by New York City and its architecture and social history - an excellent book.



5. This lively narrative history is full of fascinating characters and stories. The humbly powerful John D., Jr. (who financed it), the Victorian president of Columbia (who leased the land), Nelson Rockefeller (who took over command of it), and the extraordinary team of builders and architects who designed and built it--they and many others truly come to life. How do you build a vast commercial center in the depths of the Depression? How do you rent out the space? How does it become more than a collection of office buildings and turn in one of the world's great tourist attractions, and a symbol of NYC as the world's modern commercial capital? Okrent tells us with wit, with sympathy and admiration, but without sparing some of the gory details. A great choice for anyone who enjoys reading about business enterprise, architecture and design , the Rockefellers--or about the central character in the tale, the city of New York.

1 comments about Architectural Details and Measured Drawings of Houses of the Twenties (Dover Pictorial Archives).

1. This book is a replica of ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS FOR EVERY TYPE OF BUILDING: A PRACTICAL DRAFTING ROOM GUIDE FOR CONTRACTORS, BUILDERS, LUMBER DEALERS, MILLMEN, DRAFTSMEN, AND ARCHITECTS published in 1921. The original title is an appropriate one, as it was not intended for the general public looking for house plans or ideas for details but more for the building professional. Today, however, it provides a great reference resource for those interested in restoring or improving an early twentieth century building. For houses, there are some complete working drawing sets in addition to various details for stairs, fireplaces, bookcases, and even fences, among many others. Also included are drawings for an Ice House, a Modern Photo Play House (movie theater), and various Barns. It is highly recommended for those who enjoy technical information.

No comments about Swimming Pools.

No comments about Expanding the Center: Walker Art Center and Herzog & de Meuron.

1 comments about Scottish Houses and Gardens: From the Archives of Country Life.

1. With its informative details and beautiful pictures, this book would interest history and gardening buffs alike.

No comments about Schwartz / Silver Architects: Arthouse.

2 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Houses (Wright at a Glance Series).

1. "Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Houses," by Carla Lind, is one of a series of mini-books dedicated to the work of this important architect. This volume focuses on Wright's Prairie Houses. As Lind notes, the Prairie School of architecture was inspired by the "spacious, horizontal feeling" of the American prairie. This book pays particular attention to several of Wright's Prairie masterpieces built between 1900 and 1908.

   This book shares many of the admirable characteristics of other volumes in the series: a profusion of superb full-color photographs (both interior and exterior), Lind's interesting text, illuminating sidebar quotes from Wright and others, and a brief but useful bibliography. Houses pictured include the Bradley House of Kankakee, Illinois; the Darwin Martin House of Buffalo, New York; the Stockman House of Mason City, Iowa; and many more.

   The only flaw in the book is the lack of any legible floor plans. Although floor plans are not a focus of this series as a whole, author Lind does call attention to the distinctive features of the Prairie House floor plans several times in the text. Thus, one or two representative plans would have really enhanced this volume. Actually, one floor plan is included, but it is used merely as a decorative background element: the plan is printed in a pale blue ink and has text superimposed on top of it, so it is not very legible. This matter aside, however, this is a fine volume in an excellent series.




2. Although the entire Wright at a Glance Series is wonderful, this book is especially good. It gives good examples of what made Wright's Prairie home distinctive. The photographs are very fine and the text supports them well.

5 comments about Charter of The New Urbanism.

1. This book presents urban design ideas which are useful, sustainable, and proven by time. Many of the cities that are so loved, for example, Paris, Budapest, Prague, Rome, etc., are built on principles of design that are similar to those that are presented in this book. While this form of urbansim may now seem new in America, it is found in America's past, throughout Europe, and other areas of the world. I really enjoyed reading this book.



2. The Charter of the New Urbanism not only sets forth a manifesto of what future generations of town planners and residential developers may deem the most significant architectural movement of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, but it does so with clarity, precision, and economy.

   This volume is an essential text in an essential field, and should be considered so by municipal planners, developers, builders, architects, and citizens who care about the quality of life in their cities, towns, suburbs, and hamlets.

   In addition to rendering their own analyses in compelling and thoughtful prose, McCormick and Leccese have displayed the deftness of master cat herders by wrangling a passel of leading New Urbanists -- by no means the most egregiously agreeable of architectural types -- into presenting their thoughts in a thorough-going and satisfying manner.

   The reader who delves into this book and rides it to its conclusion will come away understanding a great deal about how we live today, and how we could -- and perhaps should -- be living.




3. This is a very dry and disjointed work. If you are interested in the topic, have a blast and read Suburban Nation and The Geography of Nowhere. Then if you want more, buy Christopher Alexander's works--and savor them.



4. "An important work that defines the tenets of New Urbanism, this book serves as the group's manifesto. The charter illustrates the 27 principles of New Urbanism, from the scale of regions to neighborhoods and buildings, and pairs each with an essay by a different author. Now followers of the movement can use the charter to define their work and detractors can refer to it when presenting their side of the debate. ... Graphically pleasing, the book reads well ... When defining the problems of today's development patterns, the text is clear and seductive. ... The test of the Charter of New Urbanism will be its timeless quality. ..."



5. The Charter of the New Urbanism is an absolutely fantastic book. It should be required reading for all planners, architects, public officials, engineers, and citizen activists. It brings together in one book essays from some of today's brightest minds. Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Peter Calthorpe, Walter Kulash, John Norquist and others describe the Congress for the New Urbanism's (CNU) positions on many important issues, such and traffic congestion, regional planning, environmental issues, affordable housing, civic art, and of course, curbing urban sprawl. New Urbanism is a highly organized and diverse branch of the "Smart Growth" family tree. They have brought a broad range of people together in forming this book, which shows that the problems of sprawl, environmental degregation, inner city decay, and increasing separation by race and income are "one interrelated community-building challenge."

1 comments about Point of Purchase.

1. This book includes many great, creative shopping spaces shown with lots of pictures. I highly recommend if you are interested in retail design. I am a master's student in design, focusing on spaces that are experiencial, artistic, and informative for the visitors. In a word, I am inspired by many of the projects in this book, some more than others, but overall I definitely recommend this book. We should all think about space with more flexibility like the designers featured in this book.