2 comments about The New Paradigm in Architecture: The Language of Postmodernism.

1. A Wonderful book (like all the Jenck's titles) about the construction and many ways that architecture has driven along the "final" of modern architecture



2. You have to admire Charles Jencks for promoting Post-Modernism in architecture for 25 years. He makes some intriguing commentaries in this book, but his arguments still ring hollow, largely due to his continued denunciation of Modernism.

   He recycles his chapter on The Death of Modern Architecture, filled with the same glaring inaccuracies from the first edition. He admonishes the Modernists for inverting the traditional syntax of architecture, turning boiler rooms into chapels, and chapels into boiler rooms, which he felt was the case with Mies at the IIT campus. Yet, he hails the more recent examples such as the National Museum of Australia (2001) by Ashton, Raggatt and McDougall (ARM) for its crytpic ironic messages that took a text written by Howard Raggatt to help decipher.

   But, it seems that Jencks revels in such complexities and contradictions, alluding to the seminal work by Robert Venturi which got the PoMo ball rolling in 1966. Jencks illustrates the turbulent late 60's when an attempt was made to recapture the past, heeding the call by Jane Jacobs in The Death and Life of American Cities (1961) for a new urbanism based on contextualism. The early PoMo figures seemed to revel in the collision of forms as seen in Venturi's work, or simply inverting Modernist icons like the Schroder House, as Michael Graves did in the Benacerraf House addition (1969). A movement really didn't take hold until the 1970's and seemed to reach its apotheosis in the AT&T Building by Philip Johnson (1978-81). However, Jencks was not content to let it go at that. In the succeeding chapters, he attempts to illustrate how Post-Modernism redirected architecture, infused it with new meaning that went beyond the corporate forms of SOM and the huge Disney resort complexes of Michael Graves and Robert Stern, which dominated the 80's.

   Jencks includes a fascinating range of work, but I am left scratching my head as to whether all this is really Post-Modern. It seems a bit of a stretch to include Aldo Rossi, whose work is firmly based on Italian Rationalist traditions and the urban planning of Camillo Sitte, a 19th-century Viennese urban planner. The Ad-Hoc forms of Ralph Erskine and Frank Gehry seem to recall theories first put forward in the 1950's, notably those of Aldo Van Eyck, than they do a new paradigm in architecture. The fantastic images of Rem Koolhaas seem to recall Futurist visions from before WWI, with later references to Le Corbusier. But, such references seem to allude Jencks, who seems intent on rewriting architectural history from a Post-Modern perspective.

   As he states in his introduction, this is a polemic and it should be read as such. It offers some engaging essays on current trends in architecture but lacks the depth of a thorough survey like that of William J.R. Curtis in his book Modern Architecture since 1900. I guess the ultimate irony is that Le Corbusier is back in vogue, with playful new interpretations of the Domino House by Rem Koolhaas, and architectural one-liners like "The Not Villa Savoye" by ARM, which is painted black apparently representing the antipode of Australia.

1 comments about Houses of Worship: An Identification Guide to the History and Style of American Religious Architecture.

1. This is an outstanding book, but it doesn't quite live up to its title. You can't use it as an identification guide to the style of American religious structures, unless you had absolutely no knowledge of what, for example, gothic revival is. If that's the case, you're probably not thinking of buying this book. But, that said, it is an excellent survey of the best churches and other religious structures in the country. I've read, I believe, all the similar books and this is clearly the best. Perhaps that means simply that I agree with his choices, but he looks at a more thorough cross-section of such buildings than anyone else has. His architectural insights are not profound, but the photography is excellent and the buildings speak for themselves. When I bought this I thought I was simply keeping my collection complete, but it has filled a gap that I didn't realize I had.

5 comments about Grand Avenues: The Story of the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C..

1. This is an insightful book that sheds the spotlight on the planning of our infant nation's capitol city. The central planner in this was the French born Pierre Charles L'Enfant. Berg traces L'Enfant's early years in Paris, his artistic training there, to his joining in the American War for Independence, to his appointment as chief planner for the new federal capitol city on the Potomoc River.
   
   I found the story of his background in France most interesting as we learn of L'Enfant's father's artistic employment in the service of King Louis XV (I believe), to various other aspects of French life at that time period. The son was groomed to follow in his father's footsteps until the war in America shifted Pierre Charles's plans.
   
   Like many in this country, L'Enfant grew to admire George Washington, head of the Continental Army. Berg develops Washington as a sort of father figure to L'Enfant, if only in L'Enfant's mind. We learn of his war service and experiences and his acquaintences with other notables such as Baron Von Steuben and Alexander Hamilton. Through these acquaintences forged in the trials of war would L'Enfant find employment in various architectural and plannining projects after ther war.
   
   The most notable of these assignments was his role as chief planner for a new federal city designated as City of Washington in the District of Columbia. Throughout this venture, Berg shows L'Enfant to be a visionary who envisioned this city to become what it is today. Another fascinating aside to this planning was L'Enfant's consideration of the concept of the national government and the role of the states. A good example of this was evidenced in his plan for diagonal avenues and squares to be named for the individual states.
   
   Through his nearly year long employment in this role we learn of the roles played by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, the city commissioners, and some of the wealthier land owners in the city L'Enfant would contend with. Through these interactions did problems emerge. L'Enfant seemed to be the type who wanted complete control over the project, making exception for his revered Washington's approbation. L'Enfant's personality traits could make him less than endearing to those he had to work with and would play a part in his removal as planner in 1792.
   
   Many realized his talents, but his foibles were also in abundance. His removal left him embittered as he watched changes to his plans for the layout of the city and the removal of his name from these plans. These and other factors can be understood as causing a certain amount of wounded pride. What followed was a sad story of a man whose services to his adopted country had nevertheless rendered him in a state of near abject poverty. He became dependent on the care of others, some of whom would cause him grief, while others like the Digges family would show more solictude for this aging man.
   
   It would be over a century before others would give credit to L'Enfant's work, certainly a deserved, if delayed reward. His body was even removed and brought to lay in state in the capitol building before being taken to Arlington Cemetery. There were several topics of interest brought to light in this book whether tied directly or indirectly to L'Enfant, such as the contoversy over how large and what type of city Washington should be. This can be juxtoposed against the competing ideologies of the adherents of Washington and those of Jefferson. Washington (and L'Enfant) having a more nationalistic view of America, while Jefferson and his adherents having a more limited vision of government. Jefferson did not envision a necessarily grand federal city.
   
   I felt the reader didn't really get to know L'Enfant all that well in this book, for various reasons, but his vision for a grand federal city certainly did come to pass, if not in his lifetime, most certainly today.



2. Most people today would not know of the controversy and opposition to the Statue of Liberty, and the efforts and struggles it took to make a suitable platform for it. Similarly, the full story of L'Enfant's contributions to the original design of Washington, DC, was lost for almost a century before being restored. The US Government was very small in 1791, when work was started on the new capital's design, and one of the more interesting aspects of this historical narrative is the small cast of characters involved. The focus of this book is on these various individuals and how they impacted the evolution of the capital over time. Not surprisingly, all of the human traits, good and bad, march through the story with what seems a preponderance of greed, selfishness and small mindedness. It is interesting that the individuals who restored L'Enfant's reputation and works, and were not from the capital city.



3. Berg has written a fabulous book of popular history, full of intriguing anecdotes and fascinating glimpses of G. Washington, T. Jefferson, and J. Monroe, among others. Perhaps by favorite aspect of "Avenues" is the hissy-fit relationship between L'enfant (architect of DC) and Jefferson, a builder in his own right who despised L'enfant for his petulance, arrogance, and bullheadedness. (At least two of these qualities can be attributed to Jeff, as well.)
   
   I've been visiting DC since I was a boy, but often, as children, we give little thought to something's creation. It just exists. But "Avenues" opens a window into the past that I'm still thinking about. In the beginning, there was L'enfant. Without him (and Rick Olmstead, who carried the torch), DC would be a drastically different city. Bravo to Scott Berg, and thank you!



4. GRAND AVENUES depicts the genius of Pierre Charles L'Enfant and his artistry in designing the capital city of the United States. Rich with biographical, political and historical detail, Scott W. Berg has included 25 black-and-white illustrations that will intrigue Washingtonians, city planners, history buffs and architects. In 1790, Thomas Jefferson commissioned L'Enfant to "provide aid in the form of drawings of the particular grounds most likely to be approved for the site of the federal towns and buildings."
   
   Having served as a Continental Army officer under George Washington and designed Federal Hall in New York City, L'Enfant was immediately entranced with this project. Originally from Paris, he loved breathtaking views and a variety of buildings and space within a metropolitan city. "This first recorded evidence of L'Enfant's inclination toward city planning occurred in December, 1784, when he wrote at some length to George Washington outlining his scheme to establish a peacetime corps of engineers." Prior to his arrival in Washington, L'Enfant also worked on projects in Trenton, New Jersey, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
   
   Jefferson and L'Enfant held completely different viewpoints on the way that Washington, D.C. should be laid out. As L'Enfant continued to evaluate Jenkins Hill as the perfect location for a congressional building, he writes, "From these heights every grand building would rear with a majestic aspect of the country all around and might be advantageously seen from twenty miles off." L'Enfant was proposing that the District of Columbia be designed on an expanded scale, with vistas, rises and boulevards. One major problem arose when George Washington suggested selling lots in the best areas of D.C. as delineated by L'Enfant's plans.
   
   "L'Enfant now was arguing for a fundamentally public city --- in opposition to the motivations behind almost every other American public city --- in opposition to the motivations behind almost every other American place --- and to that end he was committed to the development of the public areas before the sale of the private." One problem was that houses were erected that did not fit with the public buildings in close proximity. In one case, L'Enfant actually tore down the completed home of a very influential Washingtonian, who had built it too close to a major public office building.
   
   L'Enfant had organized a plan to access the Potomac River, allowing materials and supplies to arrive swiftly by water to the construction sites. "Every step in L'Enfant's chronology of construction was destined to reduce waste and conserve time, materials, and money." He wrote a significant memo to Washington, requesting that the project be completed as quickly as possible, using a million dollars, and suggesting that the oversight committee of commissioners be eliminated. Unsuccessful in his attempts to drive the project to immediate action, L'Enfant failed. Subsequently, Jefferson heralded Andrew Ellicott and assisted him in preparing a drawing to replace L'Enfant's plans.
   
   Pierre Charles L'Enfant died in debt, unpaid for his work on America's capital city. "It is sometimes called the City of Magnificent Distances, but it might with greater propriety be termed the City of Magnificent Intentions."
   
   --- Reviewed by Marge Fletcher



5. This is an interesing story of how the basic plan for Washington, D. C. was formed. Pierre L'Enfant, a major in the Revolutionary Army worked with George Washington himself in the original design. L'Enfant was the graduate of excellent design schools in Paris, and he had been trained by his father. He had to fight off the influence of Thomas Jefferson the opponent of Washington and Hamilton in this project. His tenure on the project was short. Politics and land speculation was what really drove the process, little changed from today. A brilliant and far-seeing man who after this brief tenure died pretty much alone and unheralded. His work and his place in history was resurected about 1900. A well written and interesting account that meshes well with other biographical works of the era.

No comments about The AIA Guide to Columbus.

3 comments about The Lost Vanguard: Russian Modernist Architecture 1922-1932.

1. In the West, we often forget the Modernist agenda was rapidly adopted throughout the World. Young architects in the Soviet Union were especially eager to embrace this radical break with tradition. From 1922-32, Soviet architects were on the leading edge of the Modern Movement. This experiment with Modernism came to end with the rise of Josef Stalin. The Iron Curtain soon cut off the Soviet Union from the rise and eventual decline of architectural Modernism in the West.
   
   The collapse of the Soviet Union opened new opportunities for Westerners to explore countries that had been cut off for nearly seven decades. In 1993, architectural photographer and curator Richard Pare first entered the former Soviet Union. Pare's goal was to find these "lost" early Modernist buildings and photograph them. "The Lost Vanguard" is a compilation of photographs of seventry three structures. Richard Pare is a first rate photographer and his images are impressive.
   
   A wonderful companion work to "The Lost Vanguard" is "Havana Deco." While the Soviets were adopting the latest Modernist designs, Cuban architects were embracing Modernism's more sensual sibling, Art Deco. In both Cuba and the Soviet Union, these cutting edge buildings were allowed to fall into the worst kind of disrepair. Yet in Cuba, no matter how greatly neglected the bulding is, there are always sensual bones beneath the decaying exterior. In contrast, there is something nightmarish about the Soviet buildings. In looking at Pare's depressing photographs, I am reminded of the slum photos of the great Chilean American photographer, Camilo Jose Vergara. These early Modernist buildings are not long for this world and we are fortunate the Richard Pare got there in time to document them. Highly recommended.



2. 
   Beautiful modern architecture, beautiful postmodernist photography -- a labor of love, worth the labor that went into it!



3. Richard Pare is one of the best architectural photographers in the world today. In more than ten years he has documented Soviet architecture from after the 1917 revolution (1922-32) and this book is a catalog of that work, some of which is on display at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York (July-October 2007). It is a large (12" x 10.75") and heavy (most plates are in color) volume. An excellent source for those interested in this facet of modernism!

No comments about False Flat: Why Dutch Design is so Good.

1 comments about Sticks and Stones (Dover Books on Architecture).

1. Toward the end of the college course "Introduction to the Humanities", Louis Mumford's book "Sticks and Stones" appeared on the reading required list. It was our introduction to the world of modern architecture, to Frank Lloyd Wright and other glorious makers of modern architecture. Tonight on Public Television he appeared to comment on the Brooklyn Bridge. It has been 66 years since I heard his name, but his comments are timeless. The book "Sticks and Stones" is not only a tribute to modern architecture, but also a historical landmark in the development of architecture.

2 comments about Back of the Big House: The Architecture of Plantation Slavery (Fred W Morrison Series in Southern Studies).

1. This study of vernacular architecture is a great contribution to the social history of slavery. By looking at facets of design such as settlement patterns and the formal qualities of buildings, Vlach shows how patterns in material culture provide clues for understanding the patterns of history that one can read by examining the buildings. This remarkable book not only documents plantation architecture as an important contribution to the historical record, but it also provides a fascinating interpretation of the subject. It is an especially important study because of the dearth of written documents left by slaves.



2. John Vlach's book is a thorough study of the architecture of plantation slavery in the South. He primarily used resource materials from the 1930s Historic American Building Survey and WPA interviews with former slaves to develop a social history. The research is solid and comprehensive. Vlach demonstrates ways to interpret the buildings for information about the life of the people who worked and dwelled in them, and he backs up his conclusions with interview materials. It's a terrific way of studying architecture that merges folklife studies with architectural history. The conclusions expanded my understanding about history, and this book is an essential contribution to learning about black history.

1 comments about Venice, CA: Art and Architecture in a Maverick Community.

1. I love strolling around Venice Beach. This delightful book allowed me to take a glimpse inside some wonderful homes and understand a little more about the quirky, creative people who have made Venice Beach special. If you can't live there, buying this book is the next best thing.

1 comments about Antoni Gaudi, 1852-1926: From Nature to Architecture (Taschen Basic Architecture).

1. A good starter book to introduce someone to Gaudi's work... not a great book and not in-depth. If you're looking for substance, look elsewhere. If you want a basic overview of Gaudi & his work, this is a good little overview book.