Chicago Architecture and Design, 1923-1993: Reconfiguration of an American Metropolis [Paperback]

John Zukowsky (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Chicago Architecture | Publication Date: April 2000

This is an in-depth survey of the formative years of Chicago's modern architecture and design from 1923-1993.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In 1987-88, the Art Institute of Chicago sponsored a very successful exhibition and book titled Chicago Architecture 1872-1922: Birth of a Metropolis (Prestel, 1988). Also edited by Zukowsky, that earlier volume, devoted to the so-called Chicago School of Architecture of the late 19th century and the City Beautiful movement that followed, is brought up-to-date with this thick book. The last 70 years of Chicago's architectural history are covered in 17 scholarly essays, a small catalog of illustrations, and a biographical glossary of Chicago architects. Essay topics range from the development of transportation facilities, to the emergence of suburban development, to the politics of architecture in the city. The volume is billed as "the first major study of Chicago's architectural achievements in the 20th century," and it lives up to its billing. Highly recommended.
- Peter Kaufman, Boston Coll.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Named the Most Distinguished catalogue of 1993 by the Society of Architectural Historians.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Prestel (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3791323458
• ISBN-13: 978-3791323459
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,038,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Book on Chicago Architecture in the 20th Century, March 11, 2010

By 

Edmund McDevitt "mrquartetman" (River Forest, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chicago Architecture and Design, 1923-1993: Reconfiguration of an American Metropolis (Paperback)

This is one of two books with essentially the same title. This one distinguishes itself from the other by starting the period it covers in 1923, the year of the important Chicago zoning ordinance that allowed towers of any height as long as the tower part didn't exceed 25% of the property footprint.

The first version of the other book, by Jay Pridmore and George A. Larson, was also published in 1993, and covered Chicago's architectural tradition from its beginnings in the 19th century to the year of publication. It was revised in 2005.

The present book, edited by John Zukowsky, is a compendium of essays on Chicago's architecture from the post-ordinance building boom of the '20s, just before the Depression, through the time of the major 1993 exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago for which this book is the companion volume. The Art Institute had had a very successful prior exhibition, "Chicago Architecture, 1827 - 1922: Birth of a Metropolis," and wanted a sequel whose time bracket ended at the 100th anniversary of the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The sequel exhibition was planned by a team of Chicago architects, prominent historians and others involved in the Chicago architecture community and, with significant grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities and various other funders, was mounted and ran from June 12 to August 29, 1993.

This volume is a key one for any student of 20th century architecture in general and Chicago architecture in particular. It talks about the buildings of the Art Deco period, the long hiatus in skyscraper building in the Depression and what went on instead of such construction, and it describes how the emigration of artists and architects from Europe before and during World War II was to affect style and structure in the post-War period. The central figure of post-War Chicago architecture (and ultimately, world architecture) was, of course, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, an emigre whose influence on building and on two generations of architects is immeasurable. The book places major importance on the Miesian style and its derivatives and puts in context how it followed on and partook of Chicago's business/commerce-driven skyscraper culture of the late 19th and early 20th century. It also shows how and why many architects reacted to the Miesian milieu and where they took architecture in Chicago and world-wide after Mies's death in 1969.

The book is not limited to architecture, as the title implies, though the bulk of the book is so concerned. Two essays, one by Pauline Saliga, the other by Victor Margolin, ably address the developments and changes in design and graphics in the period.

A most engrossing section, done by architect Stanley Tigerman, "Chicago Architects: Genealogy and Exegesis," is a time-lined family tree of Chicago architects and architectural firms and how they were or are associated. You have to study it carefully to follow it, but the study is worth it and the connections are remarkable.

The essays are by turn historical, evaluative, and reflective and are well written and very well illustrated, with inter-textual figures both of plans and buildings and with multiple color plates, along with some dramatic aerial photos of the city and two of the most elegant photos of railroad locomotives you will ever see. Though written by specialists in the field, the book is addressed to the casual interested reader as well as to knowledgeable architecture fans and practitioners.

If architecture is your passion, or even if it's just a strong interest, this book is one that you need in your personal library. If you don't live in Chicago or haven't been to Chicago, you still need it. Read it. Then come to Chicago and take some tours.