The Place of Houses [Paperback]

Charles Moore (Author), Gerald Allen (Author), Donlyn Lyndon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520223578 | ISBN-13: 978-0520223578 | Publication Date: February 21, 2000 | Edition: 1

With a new epilogue
Richly illustrated with houses large and small, old and new, with photographs, plans, and cutaway drawings, this is a book for people who want a house but who may not know what they really need, or what they have a right to expect.
The authors establish the basis for good building by examining houses in the small Massachusetts town of Edgartown; in Santa Barbara, California, where a commitment was made to re-create an imaginary Spanish past; and in Sea Ranch, on the northern California coast, where the authors attempt to create a community. These examples demonstrate how individual houses can express the care, energies, and dreams of the people who live in them, and can contribute to a larger sense of place.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Place of Houses is a book of dreams. . . . [It] is a beautiful book--beautifully printed, with a clear format, photographs which are excellent in both selection and execution, and superb graphics." -- Robert Sturgis, Landscape Architecture

"A wonderful book which is both mythic and poetic. . . . In Moore, Allen and Lyndon's book the ideal architect comes on as a modest and friendly fellow who pays very close attention to his client." -- Mildred F. Schmertz, Architectural Record

"What's so great about [this book]? . . . the way it says, with rare eloquence, that houses are not about their architects." -- Boston Globe

About the Author

Charles Moore (1925-94) was Dean of the School of Architecture at Yale, Chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, Professor of Architecture at the University of California, Los Angeles, and O'Neil Ford Professor of Architecture at the University of Texas. Donlyn Lyndon, Professor of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, has served as Chair of the Departments of Architecture at Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Oregon. Gerald Allen was an editor of Architectural Record when this book was written; he now practices architecture in New York. All three authors have designed noteworthy houses.

Product Details

• Paperback: 315 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (February 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520223578
• ISBN-13: 978-0520223578
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent residential design process reference. Maybe best., January 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Place of Houses (Paperback)

Ever since its arrival in the mid-1970's as a reference for architecture students and professionals alike, this book has been one of the finest references, also, for budding homeowners as well. It places into beautiful perspective the almost anatomical linkage between large and small scale; neighborhood, house and room. It further discusses, eloquently, the relationship -- the emotional relationship -- between architecture and its users. Moore, et al, uses examples of old American neighborhoods, discussing the evolutionary nature of their success, contrasting it with the tragic results of uneducated development in suburban sprawls. If I sustain one distant criticism, it is that Moore slightly overdid the use of his own design examples which, though helpful, present less variety in style than would have been helpful to the central point of the book. But let there be no doubt, this is quite a little gem for *anyone* interested in what makes for exquisite personal residential lives. It is timeless in its core content.

5 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, January 21, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Place of Houses (Paperback)

Primarily concerned with the design of residences that are appropriate to their settings. Lots of photos of Moore's houses

1 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A classic but not applicable for my needs, July 19, 2008

By 

Mimi (AR USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Place of Houses (Paperback)

This is a great book for a college class or coffee table. I was needing something to help me design a home for today. I took the recommendation from an architect but it did not relly give me enough practical info.