Houses of the Berkshires, 1870-1930 (The Architecture of Leisure) [Hardcover]

Richard S. Jackson Jr. (Author), Cornelia Brooke Gilder (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 092649435X | ISBN-13: 978-0926494350 | Publication Date: April 15, 2006 | Edition: First Edition

"Houses of the Berkshires" surveys 35 of the most renowned resort estates of Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, designed by nationally-known firms, including McKim, Mead & White, Carrere and Hastings, and Frederick Law Olmsted. The client list included lawyer and Ambassador Joseph Choate, inventor George Westinghouse, and novelist-social observer Edith Wharton. Illustrated with over 300 archival photographs and floor plans, the book uniquely chronicles a distinctive social and literary colony and now vanished way of life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Not a dry tome extolling Gilded Age architecture and all its excesses. It is chatty, friendly, even gossipy - and it is fun to read. --The Berkshire Eagle

Product Details

• Hardcover: 314 pages
• Publisher: Acanthus Press; First Edition edition (April 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 092649435X
• ISBN-13: 978-0926494350
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 10.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,571,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done but not an entirely fresh view of the Berkshires, April 19, 2006

By 

Peter H. Millen (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Houses of the Berkshires, 1870-1930 (The Architecture of Leisure) (Hardcover)

I found this to be a well researched and mostly through book covering a wide selection of architectural examples from the Berkshires. It has a good mix of numerous previously published historical photos (the Lenox Library put out a photography book of note, too) but also many photos I have not seen before. While many of the properties are still standing today few of the photographs used are current, which is a shame, and fewer still are from the middle of the last century.

The title is more sterile in comparison to the almost Bible-like reference on the Berkshire estates, Carole Owens' "Berkshires Cottages: A Vanishing Era" from 1984. The Owens title came out when architecturally the "Inland Newport" was just starting to awaken from years of abuse and neglect of many of these delightful white elephants of the Gilded Age. Now this title, "Houses of the Berkshires", is being released when the area couldn't be any more desirable and vibrant with almost none of the remaining and covered Berkshires `cottages' in any state of disrepair. A large exception is the in-restoration Rotch & Tilden designed Ventfort Hall. It would be nice, as a means to better appreciate these homes, to also share in such a book as this the state to which many of these homes sank before they rebounded to the condition they are in today.

The book is more brief then I'd prefer on some homes, but often those noted residences have been far better covered in books devoted to the architect or the family. Case in point, Elm Court was best detailed in the 1991 book "The Vanderbilts and the Gilded Age: Architectural Aspirations, 1879-1901" and High Lawn in the 2003 title, "The Architecture of Delano & Aldrich". Although the latter seems to be a place forever cloaked in mystery matching its beautiful fa?ade and vast feudal landholdings.

Published by Acanthus Press who republished the brilliant architect Harrie Thomas Lindeberg's 1940 original "Domestic Architecture" as well as an assortment of reflective regional focused titles with areas of wealth and architectural significance. Among those titles is the delightful "The Main Line: Country Houses of Philadelphia's Storied Suburb, 1870-1930". This book is recommendable for those who enjoy grand domestic architecture mated with true landscaping skill which should be preserved and harkens back to a time when having money did result in good taste - at least for the Berkshires.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rebuttal to Mr. Millen, April 19, 2006

By 

Architecture buff (Blue State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Houses of the Berkshires, 1870-1930 (The Architecture of Leisure) (Hardcover)

Mr. Millen brings up some criticisms that are valid but are misplaced. This is not an ENTIRELY fresh view of the Berkshires but local authors Gilder and Jackson bring to light much fresh architectural and social history. Also, they have found a number of previously unpublished photographs that delight, such as the early view of Naumkeag that appears inside and on the back cover. Ms. Owen's work was groundbreaking, but this work supercedes it, particularly in the great production values for which this publisher is famous.
Most curious about Mr. Millen's criticism is his desire to see the houses in mid-century ruin. There is romance in ruin, but this exquisite book's goal was to show these great estates in their glory days. Perhaps he should approach the publisher to produce his very own "Berkshires in Ruins" volume. That might indeed be a charming tome and one I would consider buying.
I highly recommend this book as an intelligent and distinctive coverage of the great houses of Lenox and Stockbridge and environs.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book, July 24, 2007

By 

Catherine (Burkittsville, Moldova, Republic of) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Houses of the Berkshires, 1870-1930 (The Architecture of Leisure) (Hardcover)

A beautiful book, beautifully written, about a memorable part of American history, architectural and otherwise.