Terra-Cotta Skyline: New York's Architectural Ornament [Hardcover]

Susan Tunick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

Any city walker knows the delight that a flash of colorful ornament can bestow on an otherwise gray promenade. More often than not, these glazed splashes of color are made of terra cotta, which, for more than 100 years, has been an integralÑbut largely unknownÑpart of America's architectural legacy. Beginning in the nineteenth century, peaking in the Art Deco period, and enjoying a renaissance today, terra cotta has been used to ornament facades, rooflines, doors, and windows and create many of the most famous and fanciful architectural reliefs.?

?Terra-Cotta Skyline presents the history, manufacture, and art of architectural terra cotta through documents, drawings, archival photographs, and brilliant new color images commissioned exclusively for this book. Also included is a catalog of 200 extant terra-cotta buildings in New York, as well as directories of terra-cotta manufacturers and preservation organizations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As any urbanite can attest, it is often those inspired instances of architectural ornamentation--on facades, rooflines, doors, windows, and relief work--that can bring a dull gray cityscape to life. Many of the ornaments gracing historic New York buildings are made of glazed terra cotta, which has been an integral (though largely overlooked) part of America's architectural legacy for more than a century, particularly in the art deco period. This volume, which is firmly on the side of preservation rather than demolition, reveals and celebrates the splendor of those architectural treasures. Offering a fascinating history, the book chronicles the development of terra-cotta ornamentation from the artisans of the late 19th century, to the revival the medium is enjoying today both in restoration projects and in new construction, to the efforts of preservationists to save this threatened aspect of architectural history. Also included is a detailed listing of 200 significant terra-cotta buildings in New York City.

Review

... a first-rate Baedeker to the astonishing variety of terra cotta decoration in the city.... Some technical chapters on how terra cotta is actually produced may make the average reader's eyes glaze over, but the enthusiasm of Tunick ... for her subject is contagious. Peter Mauss's photographs are breathtaking. -- The New York Times Book Review, Eric P. Nash

A riveting safari through New York's "clay jungle" ... Reveals the exotic, enchanting, and energetic realm of New York's architectural terra cotta heritage. -- Anthony C. Wood, Chair Emeritus of the Historic Districts Council of New York City

Susan Tunick's book, Terra-Cotta Skyline: New York's Architectural Ornament, examines architectural terra-cotta, that is, glazed or unglazed fired clay used to face or ornament buildings' surfaces, as opposed to structural terra-cotta used for partitions, floors, and insulation. While the book is primarily about the use of terra-cotta as a cladding for tall office buildings constructed in New York City between the 1890s and 1930's, Tunick occasionally expands her account to included the establishment of the terra-cotta industry in other parts of the United States and buildings in other cities clad in tiles supplied by New York area firms. This flexible focus enables Tunick to illuminate both an important component of New York City's built environment as well as the history of the industry nationwide. -- Journal of the Society of Architectural Historian

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568981058
• ISBN-13: 978-1568981055
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,380,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Such a simple material...., October 3, 2000

By 

Shannon Taylor (Hamburg, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Terra-Cotta Skyline: New York's Architectural Ornament (Hardcover)

Terra-Cotta Skyline provides the reader with a very competent overview of the history of architectural terra cotta, the base material and techniques, the companies involved, and the buildings themselves. The photographs of buildings are almost exclusively of New York City buildings, but the archive materials dealing with the history of the trade covers the country. I found this book to be a fine blend of information and illustration. The bibliography, partial listing of significant buildings in NYC, and the list of former companies are wonderfull source materials. My major complaint with the book is that it deals primarily with the history of the trade. I wish that more time had been spent with modern techniques, with more photographs of same. I do admit to being prejudiced however,as I am a finisher of terra cotta, working with one of the two remaining producers of this product in the USA. Perhaps current restoration/new buildings would be material for a another book. If Susan Tunick writes it, I would buy it, as she really knows her stuff.

5.0 out of 5 stars Terra-Cotta Skyline, January 9, 2007

By 

L. L. Darling "Track 44" (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Terra-Cotta Skyline: New York's Architectural Ornament (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic book on this historic building material. The author, Susan Tunick has provided the definitive work on this subject, covering all aspects of history, manufacturing and ultimately a gorgeous collection of photographs of terra cotta buildings.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I expected more for the money...., April 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Terra-Cotta Skyline: New York's Architectural Ornament (Hardcover)

From a book of this size and price, I expected more. Cervin Robinson's paperback book "Skyscraper Style" has better pictures of many same buildings. Too bad there isn't more info about terra-cotta across the country. Some of the best is out here in the Southwest. Just because most books are published in New York, do they mostly have to be about New York?