A History of American Architecture

A History of American Architecture PDF Author: Mark Gelernter
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 9780719047275
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 372

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Book Description
Why did the colonial Americans give over a significant part of their homes to a grand staircase? Why did the Victorians drape their buildings ornate decoration? And why did American buildings grow so tall in the last decades of the 19th century. This book explores the history of American architecture from prehistoric times to the present, explaining why characteristic architectural forms arose at particular times and in particular places.

A History of American Architecture

A History of American Architecture PDF Author: Mark Gelernter
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 9780719047275
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 372

Get Book Here

Book Description
Why did the colonial Americans give over a significant part of their homes to a grand staircase? Why did the Victorians drape their buildings ornate decoration? And why did American buildings grow so tall in the last decades of the 19th century. This book explores the history of American architecture from prehistoric times to the present, explaining why characteristic architectural forms arose at particular times and in particular places.

Reinforced Concrete and the Modernization of American Building, 1900-1930

Reinforced Concrete and the Modernization of American Building, 1900-1930 PDF Author: Amy E. Slaton
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 0801872979
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
Examining the proliferation of reinforced-concrete construction in the United States after 1900, historian Amy E. Slaton considers how scientific approaches and occupations displaced traditionally skilled labor. The technology of concrete buildings—little studied by historians of engineering, architecture, or industry—offers a remarkable case study in the modernization of American production. The use of concrete brought to construction the new procedures and priorities of mass production. These included a comprehensive application of science to commercial enterprise and vast redistributions of skills, opportunities, credit, and risk in the workplace. Reinforced concrete also changed the American landscape as building buyers embraced the architectural uniformity and simplicity to which the technology was best suited. Based on a wealth of data that includes university curricula, laboratory and company records, organizational proceedings, blueprints, and promotional materials as well as a rich body of physical evidence such as tools, instruments, building materials, and surviving reinforced-concrete buildings, this book tests the thesis that modern mass production in the United States came about not simply in answer to manufacturers' search for profits, but as a result of a complex of occupational and cultural agendas.

American Technological Sublime

American Technological Sublime PDF Author: David E. Nye
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262640343
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
American Technological Sublime continues the exploration of the social construction of technology that David Nye began in his award-winning book Electrifying America. Here Nye examines the continuing appeal of the "technological sublime" (a term coined by Perry Miller) as a key to the nation's history, using as examples the natural sites, architectural forms, and technological achievements that ordinary people have valued intensely. Technology has long played a central role in the formation of Americans' sense of selfhood. From the first canal systems through the moon landing, Americans have, for better or worse, derived unity from the common feeling of awe inspired by large-scale applications of technological prowess. American Technological Sublime continues the exploration of the social construction of technology that David Nye began in his award-winning book Electrifying America. Here Nye examines the continuing appeal of the "technological sublime" (a term coined by Perry Miller) as a key to the nation's history, using as examples the natural sites, architectural forms, and technological achievements that ordinary people have valued intensely. American Technological Sublime is a study of the politics of perception in industrial society. Arranged chronologically, it suggests that the sublime itself has a history - that sublime experiences are emotional configurations that emerge from new social and technological conditions, and that each new configuration to some extent undermines and displaces the older versions. After giving a short history of the sublime as an aesthetic category, Nye describes the reemergence and democratization of the concept in the early nineteenth century as an expression of the American sense of specialness. What has filled the American public with wonder, awe, even terror? David Nye selects the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, the Erie Canal, the first transcontinental railroad, Eads Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, the major international expositions, the Hudson-Fulton Celebration of 1909, the Empire State Building, and Boulder Dam. He then looks at the atom bomb tests and the Apollo mission as examples of the increasing ambivalence of the technological sublime in the postwar world. The festivities surrounding the rededication of the Statue of Liberty in 1986 become a touchstone reflecting the transformation of the American experience of the sublime over two centuries. Nye concludes with a vision of the modern-day "consumer sublime" as manifested in the fantasy world of Las Vegas.

Historic American Buildings Survey and Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER)

Historic American Buildings Survey and Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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Book Description


Architecture in the United States

Architecture in the United States PDF Author: Dell Upton
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780192842176
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
From Native American sites in New Mexico and Arizona to the ancient earthworks of the Mississippi Valley to the most fashionable contemporary buildings of Chicago and New York, American architecture is incredibly varied. In this revolutionary interpretation, Upton examines American architecture in relation to five themes: community, nature, technology, money, and art. 109 illustrations. 40 linecuts. Map.

Historic Preservation Technology

Historic Preservation Technology PDF Author: Robert A. Young
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0471788368
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
This introduction to historic preservation goes well beyond the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and shows how wood, stone, masonry, and metal were used in the past and how adaptive re-use can be employed to bring modern amenities to historic structures. The book covers all aspects of the exterior and interior building fabric, including windows, roofing, doors, porches, and electrical and mechanical systems for both residential and small-scale commercial buildings. Richly illustrated with photographs showing typical elements of historic buildings, decay mechanisms, and remediation techniques, the book also contains a variety of useful case studies and features a companion Website that offers dozens of additional images and resources.

Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record

Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 76

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Book Description


American Building: The environmental forces that shape it

American Building: The environmental forces that shape it PDF Author: James Marston Fitch
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 364

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Book Description
For contents and other editions, see Author Catalog.

Introduction to Early American Masonry

Introduction to Early American Masonry PDF Author: Harley J. McKee
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Building
Languages : en
Pages : 94

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Book Description


Twentieth-Century Building Materials

Twentieth-Century Building Materials PDF Author: Thomas C. Jester
Publisher: Getty Publications
ISBN: 1606063251
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
Over the concluding decades of the twentieth century, the historic preservation community increasingly turned its attention to modern buildings, including bungalows from the 1930s, gas stations and diners from the 1940s, and office buildings and architectural homes from the 1950s. Conservation efforts, however, were often hampered by a lack of technical information about the products used in these structures, and to fill this gap Twentieth-Century Building Materials was developed by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service and first published in 1995. Now, this invaluable guide is being reissued—with a new preface by the book’s original editor. With more than 250 illustrations, including a full-color photographic essay, the volume remains an indispensable reference on the history and conservation of modern building materials. Thirty-seven essays written by leading experts offer insights into the history, manufacturing processes, and uses of a wide range of materials, including glass block, aluminum, plywood, linoleum, and gypsum board. Readers will also learn about how these materials perform over time and discover valuable conservation and repair techniques. Bibliographies and sources for further research complete the volume. The book is intended for a wide range of conservation professionals including architects, engineers, conservators, and material scientists engaged in the conservation of modern buildings, as well as scholars in related disciplines.