H. H. Richardson: Complete Architectural Works [Paperback]

Jeffrey Karl Ochsner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 17, 1985

This book is the definitive guide to all of H.H. Richardson's work, built and unbuilt, extant and demolished—his municipal offices, educational buildings, department stores, libraries, railroad stations, churches, and private residences. It is heavily illustrated with sketches, plans, and interior and exterior photographs; maps and addresses are supplied for buildings which survive. The paperback edition contains new information on several of Richardson's projects as well as eight supplemental entries for projects uncovered after the hardcover edition was published.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Probably no architect in American history deserves the accolades bestowed upon him more than Henry Hobson Richardson... Ochsner has created nothing less than the first complete overview of all of Richardson's known and unrealized designs."
—Michael Richman, Historic Preservation

"Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886) has held the unquestioned position of one of America's greatest architects for about a hundred years. Yet there have been only three major studies of his work and, until now, no complete catalog... A very model of a catalog is this, invaluable for an architect's library and an architecture buff's delight."
—AIA Journal

About the Author

Jeffrey Karl Ochsner practices architecture in Houston.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (January 17, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262650150
• ISBN-13: 978-0262650151
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,610,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive guide to the work of H.H. Richardson, May 3, 2005

By 

Michael S. McGill (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: H. H. Richardson: Complete Architectural Works (Paperback)

H.H. Richardson is often credited as the first architect to craft a unique American style. He influenced Louis Sullivan, who taught Frank Lloyd Wright, who inspired Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler and John Lautner. That encompasses a lot of American architecture. This guide provides the reader with a succinct description of each of Richardson's works, with addresses and even maps to help the interested architectural tourist to visit the actual sites. Reading the book is informative. Visiting the sites is breathtaking.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Compendium of Richardson's work, January 5, 2009

By 

ct reader "logos.hfd" (ct) - See all my reviews

This review is from: H.H.Richardson: Complete Architectural Works (Hardcover)

Henry Hobson Richardson was the most influential architect in America after the Civil War and can be credited from rescuing much of the country from tepid Victorianism. An alumni of Harvard and the École des Beaux-Arts, he invented a rich, highly evocative, and enduring style that was instantly popular and remains iconic to this day ("Richardson Romanesque"). In addition to a remarkable number of major commissions won in competitions, he also designed some of the best `shingle style' houses in existence (Stoughton House, etc). Richardson also schooled employees that went on to found their own firms and become leaders the profession (Charles Follen McKim and Stanford White for example).

Ironically, few biographies or monographs of Richardson's work or firm remain in publication: this is one of the few, and it's well worth reading. The text includes a Biographical Note, Introduction, Catalogue of Buildings and Projects (151 projects from 1866 individually listed with addresses, brief biographies, illustrations where possible, and their ultimate fate) in a 435 page text, plus an Appendix that includes a Summary of Collections related to Richardson, Maps (geographical distribution of works in the US, MA, CT, Boston, Albany), preservation status (National Historic Landmarks and National Register of Historic Places), and Geographical Index by Zip Code. The author has produced a work worthy of his subject.

Currently the best biography of Richardson remains Henry Russell Hitchcock's `The Architecture of H. H. Richardson and His Times' (first published in 1936: it includes 114 illustrations in small format). `Henry Hobson Richardson and His Works' by Mariana Griswold Van Rensselaer includes some of Richardson's major works - it was first published in 1888 and reisued by Dover in 1969. Finally, `Selected Drawings: H. H. Richadson and His Office' by James F. O'Gorman (published by MIT in 1974) provides a useful selected collection of office drawings.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Complete Work, February 16, 2011

By 

Ryan D. Hayward (Medford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: H. H. Richardson: Complete Architectural Works (Paperback)

This is the most complete work on H.H. Richardson. Purchased for a friend of mine, this book provides a year by year analysis of one of America's most famous architects. It is well illustrated with often rare plans and sketches, a lot of never before seen stuff. Well recommended for any architecture lover!