Customer Reviews

Organic Architecture: The Other Modernism

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As an avid collector of books on Organic architects and architecture, I attest there is relatively little available on the specific subject, aside from all that available on Frank Lloyd Wright. Organic architects continue to remain outside mainstream criticism and publications, notably magazines - maybe for good reason - yet there are dozens, if not hundreds, of exceptionally creative organic architects whose designs could be easily celebrated.

I eagerly anticipated the release of this book and wasn't disappointed. Organic Architecture is perhaps among the most authoritative surveys on the Organic history and its attempt to present many seldom published or possibly forgotten worthy architects. Examples include work by Alden Dow, Paul Schweikher, Karl Kamrath, Charles Haertling, and Alfred Browning Parker. Unfortunately, because of so many architects who could have been included in this volume, this book falls far from encyclopedic.

The book is not a perfect study of the subject, due mainly for space limitations. Despite its sweeping title, the author focuses solely on the history of the American Organic (since there is a European Organic to consider) since 1900 and presents only houses. It is a bit heavy on homes built between 1940 and 1960. I hoped more from the 1970's to present could have been included, as well as some significant Organic architects that did not appear at all, such as Arthur Dyson, Vernon Swaback, or Daniel Liebermann, among others. This lacking is not to take away from this book, but rather point out the extent to which this book could have explored. To Hess' credit, his narrative does offer much to be explored for forthcoming authors with more in depth books.

The photographer is well known and many of Mr. Weintraub's photos are exceptional, particularly since photographing organic works of architecture can be difficult at best. However, some of the photos do seem affected from less-than-perfect conditions or timing, such as a "high sun" that casts too sharp of shadows on some of the subjects' surfaces. The photographer's interior shots are best.

Overall, this is a 275-page "must purchase" book for those interested in Organic architecture because of its broad historical survey. I would encourage anyone to research further some of the architects profiled in this book, such as Alden Dow, Lloyd Wright, or Wallace Cunningham. Be advised that there are no illustrations in the book, such as plans and section drawings. In my estimate, this places this volume far from any serious critical acclaim from scholars and keeps it in the "nice coffee table" category. This book on my coffee table suits me fine.

This book offers a broad survey of American organic architecture beginning with, of course, Frank Lloyd Wright. It's chief limitation is that it skips many great architects in the organic tradition (Paolo Soleri, John Randall McDonald, Jim Hubbell, Art Dyson, etc.) and gives many others only fleeting attention. And, as an earlier reviewer pointed out, it's exclusive focus on residential designs omits great masterpieces such as Lloyd Wright's Wayfarers Chapel, Thorncrown Chapel by E. Fay Jones and Soleri's Cosanti complex. Also missing are Cuban, Indian and Hungarian architects in the organic tradition. Ideally, this should be the first of several volumes exploring the continuing relevance of Frank Lloyd Wright and organic architecture in the world of design.

This is a gorgeous introduction to organic architecture, which paralleled, although was never as popular as, the International style, especially among architectural critics. The most famous proponent was Frank Lloyd Wright, but Hess introduces numerous other architects working in the style beginning at the turn of the 19th-20th century and continuing until the present.

"Organic" architecture refers to a match between the architecture, the landscape, and all of the decoration and interior elements. To laymen, the term can reflect designs that almost seem to grow out of the earth and to follow nature. In this sense, Organic architecture often strikes me as an abstract form of Art Nouveau, with its strong lines and mixture of the natural and the machine age. Hess argues that the highly individualistic designs work very well for the particulars of the owners' personal lifestyles.

The book is an introduction because it has very little text and consists almost entirely of wonderful photographs of residential buildings. The less academic among us will have no complaint about that, but others will want to follow up with items from Hess's bibliography.

I saw this book review in a magazine, and it looked to me like the book would be much better than it is. For me, I was looking for photographs and discussion about unique homes that blend seamlessly into the environment...much like the photo on the cover. However, most of the book is dedicated to homes that, in my opinion, do just the opposite. Over 3/4 of the homes discussed are older and not at all what I expected to see in this book. I was expecting much more modern construction, unique shapes, inventive use of space and light, flawless streamlining into the surrounding landscape. Very few homes in the book can be classified in this way. Perhaps it was intended more as a historical overview of how blending homes with nature has evolved. I, however, was expecting to see new and unique ideas for home construction, interesting and environmentally friendly ways to build "into" nature instead of on top of it, and simply how to camouflage your habitat into your surroundings. Many of the interior photos were beautiful, however I was not buying this book for interior design. The majority of photos were of homes that I did not find at all unique. I wish that I would have checked this book out at the library before buying it.