Customer Reviews

The Campus Guide: Rice University

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the second book in this series that I've read, and it's the second disappointment. While slightly better than the Stanford book from the same series, this book is still plagued with similar problems: Esoteric, pedantic writing. Little historical context, other than detailed descriptions of various campus plans and such. Few really good, comprehensive photographs, and not an interior shot to be found anywhere.

I guess some of my complaint with this book is that it seems to be written for architectural historians, and should not be considered a general campus guide or historical guide. General readers will be confused by the arcane, pretentious archi-speak in which buildings combine to form a "narrative" and building details "communicate" with each other. That's fine for insiders, but it's an irritant for so-called "laypeople." Even more silly is the over-the-top political correctness of the text. Many building designs that are deferential to historical styles and attempt to maintain the continuity of Cram's original Beaux-Arts plan (including those by such famous architects as Watkin, Robert A. M. Stern, Greenberg, Cesar Pelli and others) are inherently flawed, according to Mr. Fox. Instead, he wants us to know that the real substance of good design at Rice (beyond the Cram buildings) is located in the so-called "other Rice" of support structures; parking lots, stadiums, sheds and kitchen buildings. In fact, these buildings are the most valuable because they represent the toils of "people of color." What has this to do with beautiful, artistic design I wonder? I wish sometimes these architectural historians wouldn't take themselves so seriously. Thankfully, Mr. Fox recognizes that Fondren Library is a wart on the arse of this otherwise beautiful university. How that box managed to get itself onto the academic court, and from the pen of John Staub(!), I'll never know.

I don't want to give the impression that the book is horrible. It's not, but I can't hide my displeasure with its relative sloppiness and editorial bent.

Rice is a gorgeous university. Its grounds and buildings are stunning. It deserves a more artistically inclined, and less politically motivated presentation. And Stephen Fox is such an important architectural historian, with exceptional works on Houston (his AIA guide, for example), John Staub and other Texas sites and topics. I wish his treatment of Rice University was more insightful and less pretentious. He can do much better.

This book is good in learning about the gorgeous architecture in this school. What is also unique about this top college is that unlike the other campus guides, Rice is not SO OLD compared to Harvard. The Cons about this book are that the architects/historians seem to only care about how the buildings were made, design, and things like that, rather than seeing how these buildings create a wonderful, diverse, safe, learning environment and the buildings' uses of faculty, staff, and students. I am planning on attending Rice to get my bachelor's and Master's degree in architecture, then when I become an architect I'll show all these architects how to make a great book.

This is a very well done book on one of the most beautiful college campuses in America. The architecture is spectacular, architect Cram created a style for Rice, it was unique to Rice, it is an amalgamation of Byzantine and Venician styles and it suits the Houston climate perfectly. Through the years subsequent architects have created their own interpretation of Cram's architecture, for the most part it has worked. Though the lamented Fondren Library terminates the axis and is an unwelcome intrusion, but it is soon to be completly rebuilt so hopefully it will better suit Cram's buildings on the main quad. The setting of the university is breathtaking, I recommend anyone visiting Houston to take time to stroll the campus, it is symply stunning. Stephen Fox is one of the foremost authorities on Houston architecture, so it is quite fitting that he authored this book. High recommended, beautiful campus and architecture, the crown jewel of Texas higher education and that comes from a die hard Texas Ex.

Sadly, it is the previous reviewer who chooses to 'politicize' this gracefully-written and intricately detailed volume (based on perhaps 2-3% of the volume's commentary) --- and ultimately balanced overview of the stages of Rice's planning and growth. Contrary to what has been claimed, Fox is quite admiring of the work of Cram and other traditionalist' architects who have contributed to the physical fabric of Rice --- and provides a readable and interesting framework for this discussion of intertwining of history, planning and aesthetics. The photography fully compliments the writing.