The Louisville Guide [Paperback]

Dennis Domer (Author), Gregory A. Luhan (Author), David Mohney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 2004

Louisville is one of the overlooked gems of American architecture, a city of Southern charm and grace with a catalog of buildings by such masters as K.H. Burnham, Bruce Goff, and Herb Greene. An important destination for people interested in everything from colonial to postmodern architecture, this riverfront city is historically rich, while being beautifully planned with a boulevard and park system designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
The Louisville Guide takes readers on a journey through the city, describing its most notable buildings while providing a complete overview of its architectural history. Essays by Louisville scholars Grady Clay and Edie Bingham add color and life to the story of the city and its makers. From Carrere and Hastings's Memorial Hall to Michael Graves's Humana Building, The Louisville Guide offers visitors and residents alike never-before published scholarship of the city's rich architectural heritage.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Mohoney is Helen Edwards Abell Chair in Historic Preservation at the University of Kentucky.

Dennis Domer is the Dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Kentucky.

Gregory Luhan is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (September 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568984510
• ISBN-13: 978-1568984513
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 4.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,204,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Kentucky

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A few holes, but otherwise superb, October 4, 2011

By 

Jon L. Albee "Faulkner Wannabe" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Louisville Guide (Paperback)

Here's a surprise for all you architectural historians out there! Louisville, Kentucky is LOADED with exceptional buildings, and this book does an excellent job of presenting them to you.

This nice, thick, heavy, well-bound and printed pocket guide is a treat. Written in AIA format, though not an AIA publication, this chunky little book brings the diverse architecture of Kentucky's old Ohio river metropolis alive. The catalog is excellent, with about 200 well-chosen entries divided between historic landmarks and important modern sites. Newcomers to Louisville architecture are likely to be shocked by what they find, because Louisville looks like something closer to Cincinnati than, say, Lexington, or Nashville or Memphis.

Each entry comes with a well-written essay which is both historical and interpretive (i.e. critical). A small monochrome photograph is also included with each site, and many of these photographs are interesting and revealing. They're well-chosen, despite being small and exclusively black & white.

A quick note about the coverage of the catalog itself (which explains my 4-star rating): The book doesn't do a thorough job with Old Louisville, and this will disappoint some readers. While it IS included, there are only a few exceptional sites mentioned. Of the 1,100 contributing buildings in this National Historic District, only about TEN are included here. Too bad. A nice feature that ALMOST makes up for this serious omission is the excursion into suburban Louisville, into places where some of the most beautiful early Kentucky plantations still stand. Louisville may look like a miniature Cincinnati, but it's set in the rolling, green, agricultural South. The area surrounding Louisville looks like rural Virginia, and there are some magnificent Federal houses that support the effect.

The book is beautifully bound and printed by Princeton University. Highly recommended for architectural historians, local historians, tourists and travelers.