Capital Drawings: Architectural Designs for Washington, D.C., from the Library of Congress [Hardcover]

C. Ford Peatross (Author), Evelyn Sinclair (Assistant)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0801872324 | ISBN-13: 978-0801872327 | Publication Date: November 16, 2005 | Edition: 1

Over the past ten years, the Library of Congress has cataloged more than forty thousand drawings, prints, and photographs that capture important developments in the growth of Washington, D.C., and its greater metropolitan area, including Virginia and Maryland. This elegant volume, a guide to the library's massive collection, offers an introduction to its content and a celebration of the ambitious project of designing the nation's capital.

Capital Drawings features drawings for some of Washington's most important buildings, monuments, and memorials—the United States Capitol, the White House, and the Vietnam Memorial—as well as anonymous structures of everyday life and ambitious projects that were never built. These newly available documents tell the story of the capital's planning and growth. Each of these "capital drawings" reflects some aspect of the lives, history, and values of its creators and sponsors.

Featuring essays from distinguished scholars in preservation, architecture, and history, Capital Drawings invites us to explore the history and development of a city and nation through the buildings, monuments, and public and private spaces that have given them physical form and symbolic meaning.

Contributors: Richard Longstreth, George Washington University; C. Ford Peatross, Library of Congress; Pamela Scott, American University; William Seale, White House Historical Association; Damie Stillman, Society of Architectural Historians; Gwendolyn Wright, Columbia University.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A rare treat indeed... In this book there is much to celebrate, much to lament and an infinite amount to learn.

(Milton Wilfred Grenfell Traditional Building/Period Homes 2006)

The real seduction is in the images.

(Zachary M. Schrag H-DC 2006)

The completed cataloging of some forty thousand drawings, prints, and photographs depicting the greater Washington area is cause for celebration, and Johns Hopkins University Press has produced a fitting volume to mark the occasion. Lavishly illustrated and carefully documented... represents much more than a guide book.

(Howard Gillette Jr. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 2007)

A significant and important addition to the publications on Washington architecture. This guide will be invaluable to architects and researchers. Very impressive.

(Alison K. Hoagland, Michigan Technological University 2009)

The beautifully produced Capital Drawings offers the reflections of six architectural historians.

(Alan Lessoff Journal of Urban History )

About the Author

C. Ford Peatross is curator of the architecture, design, and engineering collections at the Library of Congress.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 1 edition (November 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801872324
• ISBN-13: 978-0801872327
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 10 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,921,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Deceptive Title!, February 26, 2007

By 

history buff "scott" (washignton, dc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Capital Drawings: Architectural Designs for Washington, D.C., from the Library of Congress (Hardcover)

I purchased this book based upon its title and cover imagery; I was disappointed in that many if not most of the images and drawings contained in the book are NOT located in Washington, DC, as the title would have you believe. It's ok to illustrate other images by the same architect or draftsman, but the book includes tens of dozens if not hundreds of illustration that are located thousands of miles away from Washington, DC, the city. A better title would have been "architectural drawings at the Library of Congress" and leave out the reference to the actual City of Washington, which is not well represented.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Drawings of Washington Architecture, January 18, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Capital Drawings: Architectural Designs for Washington, D.C., from the Library of Congress (Hardcover)

Washington DC is one of the few major cities in the world that was designed from the start to be a city. Built on ten square miles of land donated to the nation by Maryland and Virginia, the city was conceptually laid out by L'Enfant. The streets were designed to be wide, straight and long instead of the meandering cow paths of the older cities.

Along with the general plan, the early presidents, Washington and Jefferson especially) recognized the expressive power of the capital's buildings and monuments. The major Government buildings and monuments: the White House, the Capital building, and the Washington monument have become recognized around the world.

This beautiful book consists of drawings from the Library of Congress illustrating these and other buildings in Washington. Some of these are historican and reflect various plans submitted before the final design was chosen. Some are more recent, reflecting the fact that the originals were lost.

This book illustrates the impact that the architecture of Washington has had on American architecture around the country.