Customer Reviews

The Streamline Era Greyhound Terminals: The Architecture of W.S. Arrasmith

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Strongly recommedned...

I bought this book to study the history of bus terminals in the United States. As this volume easily shows, Arrasmith designed his bus terminals (or depots as the book explains) to merge function with art. His plans satisfied all of Greyhound's necessary elements: location of bus bays, street access, in-terminal restaurants, ticket booths, and more mundane features such as administrative offices, water fountains and restrooms. But Arrasmith's plans explored modern styles which were attractive and inviting. His plans far exceeded Greyhound's basic needs for useful space, Arrasmith's terminals were objects of art and became destinations in their own rite. Although the bus industry is far less glamorous than it was in Arrasmith's time (1930s to 50s) his terminals, many of which still stand, deserve as much praise today as ever.

Note: the first half of the book is almost pure biography. For those interested more specifically in the architecture of bus terminals, skim the first few chapters but focus strongly on the second half of the book.