Icons of American Architecture: From the Alamo to the World Trade Center (Greenwood Icons)

Cover......Page 1
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 8
List of Photos......Page 10
Series Foreword......Page 14
ON THE MEANING OF ICONS......Page 16
ARCHITECTURAL ICON? OR . . .......Page 18
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 19
The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas......Page 22
WHAT IS THE ALAMO?......Page 23
THE MAKING OF AN ICON......Page 24
THE ALAMO: TO START AT THE BEGINNING . . .......Page 28
MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE AND THE RISE OF ANTONIO SANTA ANNA......Page 31
TROUBLE IN TEXAS......Page 33
THE PANTHEON OF FRONTIER GALLANTS......Page 34
THE BATTLE OF THE ALAMO......Page 37
THE FALL AND FALL OF SANTA ANNA......Page 40
NOTES......Page 42
FURTHER READING......Page 43
INTERNET SOURCES......Page 44
Alcatraz, San Francisco, California......Page 46
THE YEARS WHEN LITTLE HAPPENED......Page 47
FORTRESS ALCATRAZ......Page 48
FROM CANNONS TO CONVICTS......Page 50
A “DEVIL’S ISLAND” OF OUR VERY OWN......Page 52
THE WHAT-MAN OF WHERE?......Page 54
THE ROCK OF DESPAIR......Page 55
AN ARISTOCRAT AMONG CRIMINALS—NO LONGER......Page 57
THE “WORST OF THE WORST”: LIFE IN ALCATRAZ......Page 58
“GETTING THE TREATMENT”......Page 60
ON THE OTHER HAND . . .......Page 62
CLOSURE......Page 63
“WE HOLD THE ROCK!”......Page 64
NOTES......Page 66
FURTHER READING......Page 67
Brooklyn Bridge, New York City......Page 70
BEFORE THE BRIDGE......Page 71
OVER THE RAINBOW......Page 72
STANDING IN THE WINGS......Page 73
A BRIDGE WITH NO NAME......Page 74
“HARP AND ALTAR, OF THE FURY FUSED”......Page 76
A BRIDGE GROWS IN BROOKLYN......Page 78
EMILY WARREN ROEBLING: “SURROGATE CHIEF ENGINEER”......Page 80
“THE MAN IN THE WINDOW”......Page 81
“THE CROWNING GLORY OF AN AGE”......Page 84
THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD......Page 85
NOTES......Page 88
FURTHER READING......Page 89
INTERNET SOURCES......Page 90
Empire State Building, New York City......Page 92
THE TALL BUILDING HISTORICALLY CONSIDERED......Page 95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK......Page 97
A QUESTION OF STYLE......Page 98
AND THE WINNER IS . . .......Page 99
THE LIGHTHOUSE OF MANHATTAN......Page 101
“THE LOONIEST BUILDING SCHEME SINCE THE TOWER OF BABEL”......Page 102
“THE PARAGON OF EFFICIENT BUILDING CONSTRUCTION”......Page 104
“SKY BOYS”—THE HIGH STEEL WORKERS......Page 106
THE “EMPTY STATE BUILDING”......Page 108
NOTES......Page 111
FURTHER READING......Page 112
INTERNET SOURCES......Page 113
Fallingwater, Bear Run, Pennsylvania......Page 114
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: ARCHITECT AND ICON......Page 116
EDGAR JONAS KAUFMANN SR., “MERCHANT PRINCE”......Page 120
IN HARMONY WITH NATURE......Page 121
CREATIVITY EVER”—REALLY?......Page 124
A WORK OF ART BEYOND ANY ORDINARY MEASURE OF EXCELLENCE......Page 126
A “GENTLE NOD TO THE INTERNATIONAL STYLE”—NOT!......Page 129
A FALLING FALLINGWATER......Page 131
NOTES......Page 134
FURTHER READING......Page 135
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California......Page 136
FINDING THE GOLDEN GATE......Page 138
MEANWHILE, ACROSS THE WATER . . .......Page 139
A BRIDGE—TOO FAR?......Page 140
“WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS [?]”......Page 144
“I BEEN AN IRONWORKER ALL MY LIFE.”......Page 147
“THE HALFWAY TO HELL CLUB”......Page 149
“OPEN UP THAT GOLDEN GATE!”......Page 150
“PLANNING FOR THE BIG ONE . . . ”......Page 151
“BEAUTY THAT TAKES LIVES BECOMES UGLINESS”......Page 152
STAR OF THE SILVER SCREEN......Page 154
NOTES......Page 156
FURTHER READING......Page 157
Graceland Mansion, Memphis, Tennessee......Page 160
ELVIS THE PELVIS......Page 161
ELVIS IS BACK......Page 165
VIVA LAS VEGAS!—AND ELSEWHERE......Page 166
THE SINGER, NOT THE SONG......Page 168
GRACELAND: LIFE BEFORE ELVIS......Page 169
WHERE ELVIS LIVES......Page 170
ELVIS’S SWINGIN’ BACHELOR PHASE......Page 172
FROM A MEDITATION GARDEN TO A MECCA......Page 173
THE RED PHASE......Page 174
“ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING”......Page 175
GRACELAND IN POPULAR CULTURE......Page 177
NOTES......Page 181
FURTHER READING......Page 182
Grand Central Terminal, New York City......Page 184
MOVING THROUGH MANHATTAN......Page 188
CORNELIUS VANDERBILT AND GRAND CENTRAL DEPOT......Page 189
WEALTH FROM THE AIR......Page 190
WHAT ABOUT THE ARCHITECTURE?......Page 193
THE MAIN CONCOURSE: HEART OF THE TERMINAL......Page 195
GATEWAY TO THE CITY......Page 196
BY THE SKIN OF ITS TEETH......Page 198
NOTES......Page 204
INTERNET SOURCES......Page 205
Hearst Castle, San Simeon, California......Page 206
ORSON WELLES, ICON MAKER......Page 208
LARGER THAN LIFE: WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST......Page 210
“THE RANCH”......Page 216
JULIA MORGAN: “A REVOLUTIONARY IN A FLOWERED HAT”......Page 217
“THE SOCIAL LIVES OF PROMINENT PEOPLE. . . ”......Page 225
“DISNEYLAND MEETS HOLLYWOOD”—SO WHAT?......Page 226
FURTHER READING......Page 227
Hoover Dam, Colorado River, Nevada/Arizona......Page 230
THE COLORADO RIVER: EUROPEAN EXPLORATION......Page 231
TAMING THE COLORADO......Page 233
WHAT KIND OF DAM?......Page 236
FIRST, HOUSE THE WORKERS, THEN BUILD THE DAM......Page 239
BUILDING THE DAM......Page 241
A WORD ABOUT ARCHITECTURE: “TAKING THE PLAINNESS OFF”......Page 243
THE “WORKING STIFF”......Page 246
POPULAR CULTURE......Page 248
NOTES......Page 250
FURTHER READING......Page 251
INTERNET SOURCES......Page 252
Hotel del Coronado, San Diego, California......Page 254
CORONADO......Page 255
THE CORONADO BEACH COMPANY......Page 257
CROSSING THE WATER......Page 259
“THIS GORGEOUS STRUCTURE OF ORIENTAL MAGNIFICENCE”......Page 260
CHANGES......Page 265
“THE PRINCE OF WALES NEVER SLEPT HERE”......Page 267
POPULAR CULTURE......Page 268
“PUTTING YOUR GHOSTS TO WORK”......Page 270
NOTES......Page 275
FURTHER READING......Page 276
Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania......Page 278
A PLACE IN POPULAR CULTURE......Page 279
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE HOUSE......Page 280
STYLE AND SOURCE......Page 283
INDEPENDENCE: THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE......Page 285
TRANSMUTATION FROM STATE HOUSE TO NATIONAL SHRINE......Page 288
THE LIBERTY BELL: AN ICON WITHIN AN ICON......Page 294
A CHANGING ROLE......Page 296
NOTES......Page 298
FURTHER READING......Page 299
INTERNET SOURCES......Page 300
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.......Page 302
CHANGES TO THE CAPITAL: THE McMILLAN COMMISSION......Page 304
STANDING ALONE, DISTINGUISHED, AND SERENE......Page 306
“THE QUALITY OF UNIVERSALITY”......Page 307
THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL......Page 309
AESTHETIC CONFUSION: MISUNDERSTANDING HISTORY......Page 310
“GETTING TO KNOW MR. LINCOLN”......Page 312
THE WRITING ON THE WALLS......Page 314
THE MURALS......Page 315
ICONIC SIGNIFICANCE: THEN, THE SALVATION OF THE UNION......Page 317
ICONIC SIGNIFICANCE: NOW, EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL......Page 319
NOTES......Page 323
INTERNET SOURCES......Page 324
Monticello, Charlottesville, Virginia......Page 326
MORE THAN A RENAISSANCE MAN......Page 327
BUILDING MONTICELLO: THOMAS JEFFERSON AS ARCHITECT......Page 332
MONTICELLO MARK I, 1768–1784......Page 335
MONTICELLO MARK II, 1796–1809......Page 336
FROM “ESSAY IN ARCHITECTURE” TO NATIONAL SHRINE......Page 340
NOTES......Page 345
FURTHER READING......Page 346
INTERNET RESOURCES......Page 347
Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia......Page 348
THE SOUND OF DISTANT DRUMS......Page 350
“DYNAMITE IN A TIFFANY BOX”......Page 352
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE......Page 353
A BUILDING IN SEARCH OF A SITE......Page 355
AN APPROPRIATE AESTHETIC......Page 358
BUILDING THE PENTAGON......Page 360
THE PENTAGON INSIDE AND OUT......Page 364
NOTES......Page 369
FURTHER READING......Page 370
Sears Tower, Chicago, Illinois......Page 372
DOES BIGGER MEAN BETTER?......Page 373
“THE MOST DISTINCTIVELY AMERICAN THING IN THE WORLD”......Page 375
THE GERMAN CONNECTION: THE SECOND CHICAGO SCHOOL......Page 378
BRUCE GRAHAM (1925– ): “SIMPLE STATEMENTS OF THE TRUTH”......Page 380
ENGINEERING”......Page 381
“SHOP AT SEARS AND SAVE”......Page 383
“THE NATION’S WISH BOOK”......Page 384
“THE GENERAL’S GENERAL STORE”......Page 386
A NEW HOME......Page 387
NOTES......Page 393
FURTHER READING......Page 394
Statue of Liberty, New York City......Page 396
THE LAMP BESIDE THE GOLDEN DOOR......Page 398
A TANGLED SKEIN......Page 399
LIBERTY AND IMMENSITY......Page 400
WHEN “PROGRESS” BECAME “LIBERTY”......Page 403
THE FACE IS FAMILIAR . . .......Page 405
REALIZATION......Page 406
MEANWHILE, ACROSS THE ATLANTIC . . .......Page 407
HANDS ACROSS THE SEA......Page 410
LIBERTY HAS HERE MADE HER HOME......Page 411
REDUCING THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS......Page 413
NOTES......Page 414
INTERNET SOURCES......Page 415
United Nations Headquarters, New York City......Page 416
THE UN IN POPULAR CULTURE......Page 417
AN IDEA THAT FAILED: THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS......Page 419
“THE LEAGUE IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE UNITED NATIONS!”......Page 422
NEW YORK! NEW YORK!......Page 425
INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTS......Page 428
CONFLICT WITH THE CRITICS: ROUND ONE......Page 432
CONFLICT WITH THE CRITICS: ROUND TWO......Page 434
“AN INTERNATIONAL SYMBOL OF NEGLECT”......Page 435
NOTES......Page 439
FURTHER READING......Page 440
INTERNET SOURCES......Page 441
United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.......Page 442
THE CAPITOL IN POPULAR CULTURE......Page 444
WHAT’S IN A NAME?......Page 446
BEGINNINGS......Page 447
“THE MOST APPROVED PLAN”......Page 449
A JEALOUSY OF ARCHITECTS......Page 451
BUILDING THE CAPITOL......Page 452
NOTES......Page 464
FURTHER READING......Page 465
INTERNET RESOURCES......Page 466
USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii......Page 468
PEARL HARBOR IN POPULAR CULTURE......Page 470
THE RISE OF THE RISING SUN......Page 475
TORA! TORA! TORA!......Page 477
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF USS ARIZONA......Page 479
THE USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL......Page 481
REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR!......Page 485
FURTHER READING......Page 489
INTERNET SOURCES......Page 490
Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.......Page 492
A DIFFERENT KIND OF WAR......Page 494
“GOD HELP ME, I WAS ONLY NINETEEN.”......Page 498
THE VISION OF JAN SCRUGGS......Page 499
THE WALL......Page 503
ORTHODOXY AND OPPOSITION......Page 505
COMPROMISE......Page 506
“THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL IS NOW DEDICATED.”......Page 507
A FINAL WORD......Page 508
NOTES......Page 514
SUGGESTED READING......Page 515
INTERNET SOURCES......Page 516
Washington Monument, Washington, D.C.......Page 518
GEORGE WASHINGTON: SURVEYOR, SOLDIER, PLANTER, PRESIDENT......Page 520
BLENDING “STUPENDOUSNESS WITH ELEGANCE”......Page 523
WHO WAS ROBERT MILLS?......Page 527
CORNERSTONE, “POPE STONE,” CRUMBLING STONES......Page 530
A LITTLE LATE FOR THE CENTENNIAL!......Page 532
NOTES......Page 538
FURTHER READING......Page 539
White House, Washington, D.C.......Page 540
A “STYLE PROPER FOR THE CHIEF MAGISTRATE”......Page 542
JAMES HOBAN: “WASHINGTON’S MAN”......Page 544
FROM REVERIE TO REALITY......Page 547
A HOUSE FOR “HONEST AND WISE MEN”......Page 548
“A UNIQUE AND POWERFUL SYMBOL”......Page 550
MAKING THE HOUSE INTO A HOME......Page 552
MUCH AS IT DOES PROTECTION.”......Page 553
THE THIRD FLOOR......Page 554
A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER......Page 555
WHICH HATCHET? WHICH WHITE HOUSE?......Page 556
ICON OR ILLUSION?......Page 557
POPULAR CULTURE......Page 558
FURTHER READING......Page 560
INTERNET SOURCES......Page 561
World Trade Center, New York City......Page 562
A WORLD TRADE CENTER......Page 564
THE TALLEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD......Page 566
A “DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY.”......Page 570
WHAT DID HAPPEN TO THE TWIN TOWERS?......Page 573
THE WTC IN POPULAR CULTURE......Page 574
THE IMPERATIVES OF COMMERCE......Page 577
A PARENTHESIS......Page 579
MEANWHILE, BACK AT FREEDOM TOWER . . .......Page 581
NOTES......Page 585
FURTHER READING......Page 586
Glossary......Page 588
Selected Bibliography......Page 596
Index......Page 598
About the Author......Page 612