Since the time of ancient Rome, architects, engineers, and builders have struggled with the problem of building domedceilings over large spaces. No one was more skilled at this than the Rafael Guastavino family, a father and son team of Spanish immigrants who oversaw the construction of thousands of spectacular thin-tile vaults across the United States between the 1880s and the 1950s. These versatile, strong, and fireproof vaults were built by Guastavino in more than two hundred major buildings in Manhattan, and in hundreds more across the country, including Grand Central Terminal, Carnegie Hall, the Biltmore Estate, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Registry Hall at Ellis Island, and many major university buildings. Their patented vaulting techniques made it possible for Beaux-Arts architects such as McKim, Mead and White to create the bold, broad spaces that made them famous. Yet, because the Guastavinos served only as contractors on these projects, their firms accomplishments have remained relatively unknown to the public. Guastavino Vaulting traces the development of the remarkable construction technology from its Mediterranean roots to its highest achievements in the United States. This long overdue first monograph features archival images, drawings, and beautiful new color photography showcasing the most incredible Guastavino vaulted spaces. An extensive appendix lists the addresses of all known extant Guastavino vaults, over six hundred masterpieces small and large.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"An absorbing and meticulously researched book... Beautiful photos by Michael Freeman add visual drama to an already fascinating story... A must-read for architects, historians, structural engineers, and any professional who might be called upon to restore a Guastavino installation." --Traditional Building, January 2011
About the Author
John Ochsendorf is an engineer and educator specializing in the history and technology of historic structures. He was the first engineer to be awarded a Rome Prize (2007) and the first structural engineer to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (2008). He currently teaches architecture and civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By David Fox
Format:Hardcover
Anyone who loves the architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries will value this book. For the first time, in my experience, a work describes the history and construction of these extremely thin and strong tile vaults and domes. Gustavino tiles were favored by major architects of the era and appeared in Grand Central Terminal and many works by McKim, Mead, and White. One can learn much from reading it.
In chronological order, the author gives an account of the Gustavino family, their firm and products from the historical precedents to the decline and end of the firm in the 1960s. The various chapters are lavishly illustrated with technical plans, vintage images, company advertisements, and stunning color photographs. This is one of the most visually attractive architectural books I have seen recently.
The work perhaps leaves one with the desire to know in greater detail how the tiles were made and the characteristics of the mortar used. I suppose a good book inspires the reader to want to learn more about the subject.
In chronological order, the author gives an account of the Gustavino family, their firm and products from the historical precedents to the decline and end of the firm in the 1960s. The various chapters are lavishly illustrated with technical plans, vintage images, company advertisements, and stunning color photographs. This is one of the most visually attractive architectural books I have seen recently.
The work perhaps leaves one with the desire to know in greater detail how the tiles were made and the characteristics of the mortar used. I suppose a good book inspires the reader to want to learn more about the subject.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Edward Allen
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
In this lovely book, MIT Professor John Ochsendorf chronicles the architectural legacy of Rafael Guastavino, who arrived in New York from Spain in 1861 and brought with him a technique for building vaults and domes without using formwork, from multiple laminations of flat ceramic tiles. His system was soon being used by the foremost architects of the time. His work is strong visually as well as physically, and ethereally beautiful. None of his many constructions has ever failed structurally, and most are still in service, as fresh and bright as the day they were completed.
Ochsendorf's insightful writing about the technical virtuosity and business sense of the Guastavinos, father and son, is coupled with stunning color photographs by Michael Freeman that reveal for the first time th full glory of their aesthetic achievements. The author gives us delicious surprises throughout the book: In a 1900 poll of U.S. architects to designate the ten most beautiful building in the country, all but two employed Guastavino construction. The 70-foot dome he built for a church in Lowell, MA is proportionally half the thickness of an eggshell. The floor structure of Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion, though not by Guastavino, was spanned with a similar system that is totally out of character with the iconic building that it supports.
This book is a must-read for architectural historians and structural engineers as well as anyone who appreciates beautifully crafted buildings. It is especially recommended to Manhattanites and Bostonians, who have easy access to hundreds of the Guastavino buildings listed in the appendix.
Ochsendorf's insightful writing about the technical virtuosity and business sense of the Guastavinos, father and son, is coupled with stunning color photographs by Michael Freeman that reveal for the first time th full glory of their aesthetic achievements. The author gives us delicious surprises throughout the book: In a 1900 poll of U.S. architects to designate the ten most beautiful building in the country, all but two employed Guastavino construction. The 70-foot dome he built for a church in Lowell, MA is proportionally half the thickness of an eggshell. The floor structure of Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion, though not by Guastavino, was spanned with a similar system that is totally out of character with the iconic building that it supports.
This book is a must-read for architectural historians and structural engineers as well as anyone who appreciates beautifully crafted buildings. It is especially recommended to Manhattanites and Bostonians, who have easy access to hundreds of the Guastavino buildings listed in the appendix.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Ed Saliklis
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Prof. Ochsendorf has provided us with a book to treasure. It is a meticulously researched and carefully written account of a fascinating father and son team, the Guastavinos. The book starts with the Catalan origins of the laminated vaulting technique and the author shares his expertise with us as he draws from all the scholarship available on the Guastavinos while he tells the story of their designs and the impact they had on architecture in the United States. This book uses archival material from Avery Library to show us Guastavino's drawings, patents and some graphic statics as well. The photographs are stunning and make me want to visit all of these sites! Many people may have seen the Oyster Bar in Grand Central or the dome in St. John the Divine, but how many people knew about the miraculously thin masonry spiral staircases or fantastic crypts that are documented here?
The author's excitement and enthusiasm are contagious and he has given us a wonderful book that is truly the definitive word on the subject. And that subject, the amazing Catalan vaults of the Guastavinos, is a story that every architect and structural engineer should know about!
The author's excitement and enthusiasm are contagious and he has given us a wonderful book that is truly the definitive word on the subject. And that subject, the amazing Catalan vaults of the Guastavinos, is a story that every architect and structural engineer should know about!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Guastavino vaulting is one of those magical construction assemblies that seems to defy gravity and easy explanation. How do you span great distances with a system that doesn't need formwork or heavy shoring and end up with something that is both beautiful and extremely strong? As a preservation architect, I have worked in and around Guastavino vaulting for many years, but never completely understood how it went together or it's full capabilities. John Ochsendorf, through his own hands on experience, describes how the system is designed and built. The father and son tile company changed from the largely empirical genius of the father to a more rigorous engineering basis, but ultimately more conventional (and cheaper) structural systems superseded Guastavino. The lucid text is beautifully complemented by new photography that captures the amazing spatial quality of the vaulted spaces.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Lori
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a very good book if you are interested in Guastavino's architecture. It is beautifully illustrated and well written.
By William
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is well written, beautifully illustrated and a useful source to search for significant buildings with Guastavino vaulting when I travel.
By Patrick Heck
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you haven't been lucky enough to visit the touring exhibition (Palaces for the People), this companion book is the next best thing. If you have been there and loved it as much as I did, you probably already own this. Either way, the experience will enhance your appreciation for the American golden era of public architecture.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitive work
If you are interested in Guastavino's design work, technology and projects in America this is the book. Based on a huge amount of work and beautifully produced as well.
Published 3 months ago by janet null
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gorgeous volume on an extraordinary talent
Became interested in this book after attending an exhibit on Guastavino at the Boston Public Library. Read more
Published 5 months ago by M. Swenson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Essential for Understanding Great Design in Architecture Details
A beautifully illustrated book with a scope of work by Guastavino that will give you new appreciation for the craft, design, and collaboration.
Published 6 months ago by Edwin Staats
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating (if obsolete) building method beautifully illustrated
After seeing a PBS special on the Art Schools of Cuba, I Googled around and came upon this book. It's a treasure. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Charles Heckel
4.0 out of 5 stars
Guastavino Vaulting - The Art of Structural Tile
Erudite Author John Ochsendorf has done a Superb job of covering Genius Guastavino's Extensive and Creative tile work in a most Comprehensive and Interesting manner ! Read more
Published on November 3, 2010 by william f. wescott
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