5 comments about Capital Losses: A Cultural History of Washington's Destroyed Buildings.

1. I was given a copy of this book for my birthday several years ago and spent hours pouring over its prose and its historical narratives. I never grow tired of this book.
   
   Credit for this work goes to its author who has accomplished the near to impossible - an engaging and personal history of Washington DC told through the destroyed architecture and the people behind the buildings and their creation. The illustrations are gorgeous, but its Goode's way with worlds that allows the reader to lose themselves in the history of the buildings profiled.
   
   I would imagine that this type of book in the wrong hands would become an academic tome, dry and technical. Goode brings the people of the District to life for the reader, and compels the reader to look for more.
   
   If the book fails, it is in the lack of a comprehensive map of the whole District of Columbia. If you are not familiar with the streets and layout of the city (itself genius) then the book can be confusing.
   
   Ideally, I would suggest this as a gift to anyone interested in history, city planning, government or historical architecture.



2. Lovely book with pictures that will stir memories in the hearts of all native Washingtonians and those who wish they were!



3. As you pour over all the wonderful black and white images and run you eyes over the artistry and talent it took to create most of these long gone structures you can help, but pause and take a deep breath. This book has scholarly, exhaustively researched text that enlighens and educates the reader. I agree with one articulate reviewer that stated that the author did not make allowances for market forces and changing times, but having said that, I do believe that most of these buildings could have been saved and used for other purposes, I mean the retrofited old buildings in NYC and Boston, why not Washington. The destruction of so many buildings is unconscionable, and when you see the buildings that replaced them all you do is stare. I was not around in the sixties so i didnt witness the worst of this senceless destruction, but i know that here in Houston, even today, great old buildings are never totally safe, it's no wonder Europeans don't get us, as an American i don't get us either. Highly recommended..the book and perservation.



4. Unique and engaging, "Capital Losses" is a scrapbook chronicle of Washington, DC-- not as the "nation's capital," but as a collection of neighborhoods, people, and activities.

   The book memorializes dozens of buildings lost to the wrecker's ball. Each edifice is featured in a one- to two-page chapter that includes splendid vintage photographs. The accompanying write-ups always discuss design elements, thanks to the authors' encyclopedic knowledge in this area. The story of each structure is then expanded into a discussion of the designers, builders, and notable inhabitants. "Capital Losses" is a survey of history, intrigue, gossip as well as architectural styles. That's what makes this book so fun.

   The authors' sympathy for historic preservation is to a fault. Narratives hardly attempt to recognize the social, economic, and technological forces that so often make demolition inexorable. For example, the advent of central air conditioning initiated the doom of many hotel and office structures that could not be economically retrofitted. In addition, the post-war demise of downtown commercial areas also accelerated the decay and eventual destruction of many classic structures.

   To be fair, an analysis of causal forces was not the intention of this volume. It pays homage to Washington's folksier history in an elegant manner. This is a wonderful coffee table book.




5. Now in an updated second edition, Capital Losses: A Cultural History Of Washington's Destroyed Buildings by Washington history expert James M. Goode is a carefully presented documentation and chronicle of the great architectural and cultural edifices of Washington, D.C., which have been lost to the endless grind of urban renewal in the years prior to 1978. That was the year in which crucial preservation legislation was passed. Packed from cover to cover with black-and-white photographs, enhancing a text which is extensive in detail, history, unique historical insights, Capital Losses is an exceptional architectural tour and a unique resource offering a kind of "window" into the architectural past of the nation's capital.

1 comments about Big Book of Traditional House Plans: 500 Homes in Full Color.

1. This book is a great start if you don't know what kind of house you want to build. However, the pictures are small and there a very few interior pictures to complement the lay-outs. It does provide an online link to the houses that gives you more detailed information. Overall, it's worth the money, but I think the website is easier to navigate through.

No comments about In Residence: McInturff Architects (House Design Series II).

No comments about The Sense of Unity : The Sufi Tradition in Persian Architecture.

No comments about Dollars & Cents of Shopping Centers/The SCORE 2006 (Dollars and Cents of Shopping Centers).

No comments about Total Landscape, Theme Parks, Public Space.

No comments about Manhattan Style.

No comments about Pacific Island.

2 comments about Historic House Museums: A Practical Handbook for Their Care, Preservation, and Management.

1. In historic house museums, the author provided useful information and tips for the operation of a small museum on a shoestring budget. The authors extensive experience in the museum industry is evident from the suggestions offered. Many resources were listed for the museum staff to consider, however there are no web addresses which severely limits the usefulness of the book.



2. I selected this book for a report for a museum studies class -- and because I volunteer at a small "historic house museum". Because such museums often operate with meager staff and an even more meager budget, I expected the book to be something of the "How-to-do-an-exhibition-with-string-and-Scotch-tape" genre. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that, on the contrary, the author presented what seem to be the currently-accepted professional museum standards, with suggestions as to how the small historic house museum can rise to meet them. I was equally pleasantly surprised to find suggestions throughout the book that the museums also recognize their limitations and if they find that they can't meet minimum standards, to consider turning over their collections to an institution that can care for them properly.
   Information included in the book covers the soup-to-nuts, from the mission statement to housekeeping and with a few minor exceptions (and one surprisingly larger one), the information on caring for the house and items in the collections is virtually identical to that which has been presented to us, by guest professional lecturers, in our grad school classes. One small suggestion which seems to conflict with what I have frequently read and been told was the author's suggestion to use clear nail polish as a base coat in marking objects -- something we were told not to do. The other thing that I would have liked to see left out of the section on cleaning chandeliers was to put several layers of padding and a piece of plywood on a dining room table (if made of "hardwood and in stable condition") beneath the chandelier...then "place a step ladder of suitable size on top of the plywood in order to reach the chandelier". Not on MY dining room table you won't!
   Other than that very surprising bit of information, I found the book to be an invaluable, thorough and professional reference that is going to be a permanent reference at our small museum -- and it is even printed on acid-free paper, for a longer life!

No comments about State capitols: Temples of sovereignty.