New York 1960: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial [Hardcover]

Robert A.M. Stern (Author), David Fishman (Author), Thomas Mellins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

This is the third volume (and the fourth chronologically) in architect and historian Robert A. M. Stern's monumental series of documentary studies of New York City architecture and urbanism. New York 1880, New York 1900, and New York 1930 have comprehensively covered the architects and urban planners who defined New York from the end of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century.

The post-World War II era witnessed New York's reign as the unofficial but undisputed economic and artistic capital of the world. By the mid-1970s, the city had experienced a profound reversal, and both its economy and its reputation were at a historic nadir. The architectural history of the period offered an exceptionally abundant and varied mix of building styles and types, from the faltering traditionalism of the 1940s through the heyday of International Style modernism in the 1950s and 1960s to the incipient postmodernism of the 1970s.

Organized geographically, New York 1960 provides an encyclopedic survey of the city's postwar architecture as well as relating a coherent story about each of its diverse neighborhoods. Primary sources are emphasized, including the commentaries of the preeminent architecture critics of the day; the text is illustrated exclusively with a rich collection of period photographs.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The massive New York 1960 is the third installment in a series covering the last 100 years of New York architectural history. Weighing almost eight pounds, it's a seemingly endless parade of images and information woven together into a fascinating tale of the changing urban landscape. The combination of political, social, and artistic commentary of the day culled largely from primary sources, along with sharp period photographs, provide a time machine's experience of the city that was. The historic tour begins with lower Manhattan and progresses uptown one neighborhood (and practically one building) at a time. With stories of buildings that were never built, teams of architects fired from projects, and the influence of the mayor's office, this chronicle offers amazing insight into how decisions were made and their impact on the city's life. The implementation of parking meters, the zoning laws to support retail on 5th Avenue, the movement of artists from Greenwich Village to what used to be Coenties Slip to industrial SoHo are a number of examples. For anyone interested in architecture, urban issues, or the history of New York City, New York 1960 should not be missed. --J.P. Cohen

From Publishers Weekly

Documenting New York City's transformation from manageable metropolis into sprawling megalopolis, this magnificent, panoramic volume sweeps from early 1940s' New York, a world capital of culture, sophistication and commerce, to the mid-'70s, when crime and near economic collapse had tarnished its image. Stunningly illustrated with some 1500 duotone period photographs, the absorbing text focuses on the 1960s and is organized geographically, from the metamorphosis of stretches of midtown into corporate America's headquarters to development projects in Harlem, the construction of Lincoln Center and the United Nations complex and efforts to preserve neighborhoods ranging from Greenwich Village to those in the other boroughs. We also get commentaries by Philip Johnson, Jane Jacobs, Lewis Mumford, Robert Moses, Ada Louise Huxtable and others reflecting on battles over architectural styles and urban-planning philosophies. An unprecedented record of New York City's dynamism and continual adaptation, this study also looks at portrayals of the city in films, paintings, sculpture, music, plays.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1376 pages
• Publisher: The Monacelli Press; 2nd edition (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885254857
• ISBN-13: 978-1885254856
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 2.9 x 11.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #740,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eight-pound masterpiece of architectural history, April 17, 2002

By 

saskatoonguy (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New York 1960: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial (Hardcover)

First of all, the book is just too darned big to handle comfortably. With over 1300 pages, I don't know whether to congratulate the authors on their thoroughness or criticize them for having no sense of self-restraint. This tome could have been divided into three separate volumes, and each would have been a substantial book in itself.

The epic length of the book allows the authors to go into incredible detail. The book is divided into chapters primarily by neighborhood. There are also chapters devoted to the topic of interior decoration, the 1964-65 World's Fair, "Beyond the Boroughs," "Historic Preservation," and "New York and the Arts." The numerous b&w photographs, averaging more than one per page, are stunning.

A chapter titled "Death by Development" walks the reader through the ideology of the era that led to public housing monstrosities, as well as middle-class housing of dubious aesthetic and structural integrity. This same chapter discusses proposals for air-raid shelters, some of which would have had expanses large enough to hold a nine-story building, as well as the 1945 incident in which a US military plane crashed into the Empire State Building. The same chapter shifts to transportation issues, and presents a 1951 proposal for an unconventional "people mover" under 42nd Street, and the beginning of construction in 1972 on the Second Avenue subway (which perhaps, will open sometime in my lifetime). All this in just one of seventeen chapters - gives you some idea of the expansiveness and thoroughness of this book.

Many readers will take special note of the eight pages devoted to the World Trade Center. This book was written before "9-11," and the book's coverage of the WTC is haunting, to say the least.

From our perspective, the era in question (1945-1976) constitutes the "dark ages" of urban planning and architecture. Yet, the beautiful period photographs and accompanying text immerse the reader in the aesthetic mentality of the era. This book is a masterpiece, and maybe later in the day I'll find the strength to move this eight pound book from my table to my desk.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE DARK AGES OF NYC ARCHITECTURE, January 21, 2007

By 

Shannon Deason (Houston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New York 1960: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial (Hardcover)

I guess this book had to be written, it is a series afterall, but it is digusting what kind of buildings were built. Having said that, this is an excellent book and it is scholarly and the images are first rate, but lord these are for the most part terrible buildings that just about ruined the iconic Manhattan skyline, I guess at least we should be glad Jackie O, saved Pan Am from tearing down the breathtaking Grand Central Station, unfortunitely the same cannot be said for Penn Station, I think what you come away with from this book is, greedy developers, awful Mayors and the sinsister Robert Moses, it's a wonder the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building were not torn down.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars AN excellent resource for Architects and Planners, May 19, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New York 1960: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial (Hardcover)

A great book for the coffee table or the library. Concise desriptions of built projects as well as conceptual ideas for the City of New York. Focuses on individual neighborhoods as well as the city as a whole.