Mary Colter: Builder Upon the Red Earth (Grand Canyon Association) [Paperback]

Virginia L. Grattan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Grand Canyon Association | Publication Date: March 13, 2007

An architect for the Santa Fe Railway and the Fred Harvey Company, Colter laid the groundwork for female architects who followed. Seven of her remarkable structures are preserved in Grand Canyon's historic district. This is her story.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Grand Canyon Association; Revised edition (March 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938216457
• ISBN-13: 978-0938216452
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #939,194 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mary Colter facinating but often overlooked architect., August 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mary Colter: Builder Upon the Red Earth (Grand Canyon Association) (Paperback)

"Builder upon the Red Earth" is not the slick tome of expensive color photographs and analytical drawings that Mary Colter's unique contribution to Twentieth Century American Architecture deserves. However, this essentially biographical book is the only one in print showing pictures and telling the history of Mary Colters extrodinary talent.It is not clear if Mary Colter's obscurity is due to the fact that she was a woman practicing architecture in a time when the field was dominated by men or if the remote Southwestern locations of her most interesting works kept them hidden form view, but it is high time more people took a serious look at her work. Colter's projects, which are "built ruins" foreshadow the work of Western deconstructionist architects like Antoine Predoc or Tom Maine. Showing the work of Colter which is almost 80 years ahead of its time "Builder upon the Red Earth" should be in every young architects library.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bland, February 25, 2002

By 

Robbie Port "Rob Port" (Minot, ND United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mary Colter: Builder Upon the Red Earth (Grand Canyon Association) (Paperback)

This book is exactly what you'd expect from a book purchased at a gift shop at the Grand Canyon, bland.

It is by no-means in-depth and spends more time describing the antiques that Colter decorated her buildings with than with her life. Colter was a fascinating woman and I would have liked to learn more about her than this book provided.

Being as how Colter isn't exactly someone you're likely to read more than one book about, I would recommend purchasing something with more pictures and information than this one, which is more just a basic outline.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Ground Breaking Architect, November 6, 2007

By 

J Martin Jellinek (Memphis, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mary Colter: Builder Upon the Red Earth (Grand Canyon Association) (Paperback)

Mary Colter was an amazing woman. As an architect, she built structures that blend into the native landscapes in ways that enhance the landscape rather than detract from it. Her sense of style is still very much with us today in her love for Native American furnishings and artifacts. Her attention to detail has been largely responsible for the recognition of Southwestern art by those of us who live outside the region.

That said, the book is a bit lean. It seems to be written for the casual reader rather than the scholar. But, given that it is marketed to the reading tourists, this is most probably appropriate. The many pictures (about half the pages) really help to bring the text to life.

This book is a wonderful souvenir from the southwest, especially the Grand Canyon. This is its scope. Much more could have been written about Colter as one who broke through gender restrictions, about the spirituality that informed her work, and other topics. Depending on the reader's interests, this could be a plus or a minus. To this reader, it was just about the right level of detail.