Romance of the Mission [Hardcover]

Elmo Baca (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1996

Mission style conjures up the cultures of Morocco and North Africa, Spain, and Mexico. It blends seamlessly with the artistic genius of southwestern, Native American, and a utopian Californian vision. In looking at the style, it is difficult to remember that the Pueblo Indians first crafted expressions of Spanish Mission architecture under the supervision of Franciscan friars in the 1600s.

Even if the Pueblos didn’t recognize the timeless beauty they created, we recognize it now, and this book artfully puts it into perspective. Picking up where Elmo Baca’s Rio Grande High Style left off, this book focuses solely on Mission style and goes into vivid detail both historical and current. The stylish interiors, beautiful gardens, solid furnishings, and graceful architecture continue to make an impact today.

Elmo Baca is the author of Rio Grande High Style: Furniture Craftsman, Native American Style, Santa Fe Design, and Mabel’s Santa Fe and Taos. A historic preservationist, he has been directly involved in the rehabilitation of twenty buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Currently director of Community Development for the State of New Mexico, he is a frequent contributor to West, Southwest Art, and New Mexico magazines.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Baca (Rio Grande High Style: Furniture Craftsmen, Gibbs Smith, 1995) gives an overview of the Mission Style of architecture and interior design in the United States, from its roots in Moorish Spain through the classic missions of New Mexico and California to the contemporary style of Neo-Mission. The book focuses on examples of the Mission style in residential interiors and concludes with sources for furniture, accessories, and the like. Though a more detailed explanation of the turn-of-the-century styles of Mission Revival, Peublo Revival, and the more elaborate Spanish Colonial Revival is needed to distinguish one from the other, this is a good resource for large and regional interior design collections and a colorful companion to Karen J. Weitze's California Mission Revival (Hennessey & Ingalls, 1984).
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Thank such celebrities as Barbra Streisand, who, almost single-handedly, has simultaneously popularized and increased prices for original Mission furniture. Then thank such authors as Baca, who is intent upon preserving and distinguishing between the varieties of Mission style--Prairie, Craftsman, neo-Mission, and so on--for the sheer love of its design. This homage to a linear, somewhat austere (and occasionally uncomfortable) style concentrates on western U.S. contributions: Spanish missions, Texas and California architecture, and Frank Lloyd Wright and his disciples' interior and exterior forays into Southern California. From there he explores the reproductions, so necessary for those who can't afford a Stickley or Wright original, and how to accessorize. Long on pictures, short on scintillating prose. Barbara Jacobs

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith Publishers (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879057408
• ISBN-13: 978-0879057404
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #874,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars exterior "mission" architecture not of the actual period, February 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Romance of the Mission (Hardcover)

this book focuses on the history of actual missions. It is not meant for a person looking for suggestions or ideas on early american architecture/arts and crafts/mission style interiors.

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Chiefly focuses on the history and architecture of mission, August 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Romance of the Mission (Hardcover)

This book goes as far back as the Moors in Spain to explain mission style architecture. There is a great deal of discussion of exterior mission style and relatively little example of interior design. A great reference if you want to study the foundations of mission style, and view current examples of the architecture. Not very useful in interior decorating.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, so it's not about interiors..., October 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Romance of the Mission (Hardcover)

I think the other two reviewers here are kinda missing the point. There are scads of other books out there showing interior decorating ideas for Craftsman houses. This book, while superficially resembling those, has something else in mind. It traces the mission style from the actual missions, through the style's collision with the Arts and Crafts movement, and the subsequent development of what we know as the Spanish style house. It continues on from there, showing how the style then went on to influence Modernism (through Irving Gill). Yeah, so it doesn't have lots of pictures showing A&C interiors. The terms "Mission" and "Arts & Crafts" are used a little too interchangeably by most people. There is a difference, and this book explains it. If nothing else, it's got a little more meat to it than most of the picture books.