Ferruccio Vitale: Landscape Architect of the Country Place Era [Hardcover]

Terry R. Schnadelbach (Author), Horace Havemeyer (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Ferruccio Vitale is America's forgotten landscape architect. Though his works like Skylands and Longwood Gardens are well known, his name has been eclipsed by his contemporary, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. Yet Vitale's influence on the modern direction of landscape design and his promotion of it as a profession is arguably more significant than Olmsted's. His unique designs and philosophy, which challenged the then-dominant pictorial mode of landscape architecture, influenced generations of followers, and is still felt today. Vitale (1875-1933) developed his rationale designs, based on the principles of composition from the fine arts and architecture, in both civic commissions and, most notably, at the country estates of captains of industry and finance. He introduced an idealized and abstracted type of formal design that created beautiful spaces, structured large sites, and reflected informal and relaxed plant compositions. Ferruccio Vitale tours over 40 of his masterworks, photographed by some of the best landscape photographers of the time, including Samuel Gottscho. It recounts the compelling story of a life in the early twentieth century, influenced by immigrant dreams, social clubs, and professional connections, and its culmination in some of the greatest landscapes of the 20th century.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Terry R. Schnadelbach is Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Florida and has practiced landscape architecture for 35 years. He lives in Gainesville, FL and New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568982909
• ISBN-13: 978-1568982908
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 12.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,486,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vitale - a significant figure in landscape architecture, November 29, 2001

By 

Pier d'Hermillon (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ferruccio Vitale: Landscape Architect of the Country Place Era (Hardcover)

Ferruccio Vitale: Landscape Architect of the Country Place Era, covers a critically important, previously unpublished period in the history of landscape architecture. It defines and illustrates, for the first time to my knowledge, the European design philosophy that formed the roots and shaped the art of contemporary landscape architectural design.

The book describes through words and beautiful historic photographs, significant gardens, public parks and landscapes. It presents the professional developments of landscape architecture at the beginning of this century and the amazing accomplishments of Vitale in the advancement of landscape architecture as a profession.

This book should appeal to landscape architects, architects and designers throughout the nation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous photos, June 5, 2003

By 

Gardening Fool "kindsoul" (Southern California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ferruccio Vitale: Landscape Architect of the Country Place Era (Hardcover)

This book is beautiful. The art director should be chastized, though, for overlaying the cover text on a portion of a photo that should have shown a majestic tree, balancing the majestic tree on the left.

I did not find the writing terribly compelling, but I am not an academic.

Buy it for the pictures and you won't be disappointed.