The Complete Architecture of Adler & Sullivan [Hardcover]

Richard Nickel (Author), Aaron Siskind (Author), John Vinci (Author), Ward Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0966027329 | ISBN-13: 978-0966027327 | Edition: First Edition

 

Louis Sullivan (1856–1924) was a giant of architecture, the father of architectural modernism, and one of the earliest builders of the skyscraper. Along with Dankmar Adler (1844–1900) he designed many of the buildings that defined nineteenth-century architecture not only in Chicago but in cities across America—and continue to be admired today. Among their iconic designs are the former Chicago Stock Exchange, Chicago’s Auditorium Building and Carson Pirie Scott flagship store, the Wainwright Building in St. Louis, and the Guaranty Building in Buffalo. This first-of-its-kind catalogue raisonné of the work of Adler and Sullivan—both as a team and individual architects—is a lavish celebration of the designs of these two seminal architects who paved the way for the modern skylines that continue to inspire city dwellers today.

The quest to pull together a complete catalogue of their work was first undertaken in 1952 by photographer Aaron Siskind and Richard Nickel, one of his graduate students at what is now the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. This intense, decades-long labor of love has resulted in an extensive and unique resource that includes a complete listing of all of the buildings and projects undertaken by Adler and Sullivan. Each listing contains historic photographs, architectural plans (when available), and a description of each project. Alongside over two and hundred fifty essays are eight hundred photographs of their buildings—many of which have since been demolished—including images by Nickel, Siskind, and other noted photographers.

This rich, incomparable reference will be treasured by readers interested in architecture, photography, and Chicago’s rich history as an architectural mecca. 

Editorial Reviews

Review

 “The Complete Architecture of Adler & Sullivan is a work that will quickly become an essential resource for every architectural scholar. . . . [It] is a profoundly moving portrait . . . . For Louis Sullivan, this book, better than any biography, is an epic journey of the progress of a soul.”

(Lynn Becker Architecture Chicago Plus )

“One of the big architectural events in Chicago this fall is a book, not a building. Because a number of Adler & Sullivan’s buildings have been senselessly demolished, the book is, in a sense a work of preservation, its photographs documenting the life of buildings we can no longer experience.”

(Blair Kamin Chicago Tribune )

“One of the big architectural events in Chicago this fall is a book, not a building.”

(Blair Kamin Chicago Tribune )

"The [Richard Nickel] committee has identified and analyzed about 250 buildings for The Complete Architecture of Adler & Sullivan,which the committee has published in conjunction with the University of Chicago Press. With text by Nickel and three other scholars (and more than 800 photos), the book explains how the architects built a reputation in the 1880s for draping tendril ornament on masonry office towers."

(Eve Kahn New York Times )

"In a prolific 15-year period between 1880 and 1895, Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan teamed up to produce an architecture that was stridently American—one that drew from nature for its ornament while creating simple, modern forms on steel frame walls."—Dwell

(Dwell )

"Epic and sweeping, a new book from the University of Chicago Press chronicles the work of three artists from that city whose courageous work intertwined from the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th. Each soared to the height of his profession, and each met a tragic end."

(J. Michael Welton Huffington Post )

"The photos of buildings, those still standing and those later destroyed, reveal that the seductive power of Sullivan’s work lies largely in the tension between form and function—some might say in the tension between the buildings’ masculine and feminine elements—and in the ways Sullivan balanced the severe, massive elegance of his facades with the rhythmic grace of his exuberant, often whimsical ornament. . . . Although the book contains work by a host of photographers, Nickel’s photographs are of course preponderant. They’re both arresting and angry, and in their depictions of decrepit urban cores and of Sullivan’s soot-stained masterpieces festooned with anachronistically garish lighted signs and cheapjack advertisements, they illuminate their time and place as much as they do Sullivan’s work."--Atlantic (Ben Schwarz )

About the Author

Richard Nickel (1928–72), attended the Institute of Design, where he studied with the photographers Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind. His master’s thesis was a continuation of the Sullivan project conceived by Siskind. Aaron Siskind (1903–91) taught photography at the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and later at the Rhode Island School of Design. John Vinci is currently principal of Vinci/Hamp architects. Ward Miller is the executive director of the Richard Nickel Committee.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 472 pages
• Publisher: Richard Nickel Committee; First Edition edition (November 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966027329
• ISBN-13: 978-0966027327
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 1.9 x 12.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #751,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book We Have Been Waiting For! October 31, 2010

By Scott J. Tilden

Format:Hardcover

This is the book we have all been waiting for on Adler & Sullivan!

Richard Nickel gave his life to creating a photographic legacy of the magnificent buildings by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler. While shooting inside the Chicago Stock Exchange building as it was being demolished, he fell to his death. No one was as committed as Richard Nickel to the preservation of Chicago's greatest buildings, and no one captured images of such exquisite beauty and telling detail.

I just visited Adler and Sullivan's Auditorium Building, perhaps the first multi-use high-rise in America, combining hotel, offices, and a theater. So I will treasure this book and the chance to re-visit this building any time I want to open this book's pages and gaze upon this lofty granite pile.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Thorough and Beautiful Book December 8, 2010

By Nate Lielasus

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The "Complete Architecture of Adler and Sullivan" provides a thoughtful and beautiful catalogue of the work of Adler and Sullivan. As a compilation of their complete work, it includes many small and obscure projects alongside the great works. The last 180 pages or so is a chronological list of the firms work. Many of the photographs in the book were taken by Richard Nickel, some in color. The images pop off the page and are very high quality. Many were dug out of archives and have not been seen by the general public for a long time, if ever. A must have for any collector of books on Chicago architecture, or any Louis Sullivan enthusiast.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Complete Works of Adler and Sullivan December 11, 2010

By department chair

Format:Hardcover

This illuminating work written by Miller and Vinci belongs in every architectural historians library. It is the most revealing composite of photos and catalogue raisonne yet assembled to date. The powerful photos by Nickel and Siskind are worth the price of purchase, but the catalogue rasonne compiled by Miller and Vinci provide additional value to the those interested in further researching the work of Adler and Sullivan. It is here the reader finds detailed information on each of the building commisions and unbuilt projects. This is a must have for anyone interested in architecture and the built environment.