Customer Reviews

Kindergarten Chats And Other Writings

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It seems hard to believe that I, or anyone, could possibly dare add to the body of praise (or criticism) of this stunning collection of articles completed by Louis Sullivan right after the turn of last century. Remarkably, even though written by an architect, this work has the beauty, form, and flow of the poetry of deep thought about lessons we can learn from nature - with barely a word about architecture. This book is a must for the romantic. A stimulating and fresh connection spanning 100 years with a truly brilliant mind. It is essential reading for the 21st century. Louis Sullivan developes his arguments with superbly fine points and magnificantly developed reasoning. I am humbled to think I can praise this dear and departed genius. I am in debted to this man's universal thinking, clarity of mind, and depth of soul. Read this book. Love it. Respect it. Re-read it. Cherish it.

Sullivan was a great thinker fighting the customs of his time.
Not something I would have said after taking my required survey courses in architectural history, but since reading some of the kindergarten chats my view of Sullivan has been much improved.
We were mostly told that Sullivan's only contribution worth mentioning was the famous quote "form follows function," and his essay on tall buildings. It's a shame we weren't given a true picture of Sullivan's contributions.
This book contains a strong argument directed toward architects of Sullivan's day (early 1900's). To Sullivan, architects at the time largely worked within certain "styles" and they left little room for real creative thought. His argument to leave the styles to the past when they were still culturally relevant and move onward. This sort of thinking lead to the Modernist movement and toward our current built environment.
His argument is still applicable however, when we find ourselves at another turn of the century and with the built environment running a little stale (with some stellar exceptions of course).
Great read for the young architect and those interested in architecture.