Usonia: Frank Lloyd Wright's Design for America (Hardcover)

by Alvin Rosenbaum (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The fascinating parallel narratives of three men who influenced the era between 1920 and 1950--Wright, Henry Ford and Franklin D. Roosevelt--are interwoven with provocative details about other lives, historic events and personal insights to demonstrate how Wright's ideas have shaped modern America. Describes how the architect's vision failed and succeeded and how Usonia was realized in expected and unexpected ways.

From the Publisher
The fascinating parallel narratives of three men who influenced the era between 1920 and 1950--Wright, Henry Ford and Franklin D. Roosevelt--are interwoven with provocative details about other lives, historic events and personal insights to demonstrate how Wright's ideas have shaped modern America. Describes how the architect's vision failed and succeeded and how Usonia was realized in expected and unexpected ways.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Preservation Press (August 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471144304
• ISBN-13: 978-0471144304
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,516,731 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Rosenbaum Usonian Experience, October 25, 2000

By	Robert Ekiss (La Mesa, CA USA) - See all my reviews

In 1993 my wife and I visited Florence Alabama and learned that there was a Wright Usonian home that was built in the 30's. My wife qualifies as a true "Househugger" so we called and made an appointment to tour the home. We were met at the door by Mildred Rosenbaum, a delightful person, who shared the experience of having Mr. Wright design and build the house(of course through his assistants). This home is a piece of art that has been kept true to FLW's ideals and with the exception of the furniture (Mrs. Rosenbaum said the original furniture was very uncomfortable)which is compatible with the original construction. Oh, the story she told. . . This book enhances that story and puts all in perspective with the times and the area. In Sheffield there is a building that Henry Ford built when he wanted to buy the Wilson Dam Generating Dam to create an industrial empire in the south.

Mrs. Rosenbaum no longer lives there and the City of Florence owns the house. Read this book and visit the home. Both will give you an experience that you will not get anywhere else. The author was born there and raised there. He shares experiences that happened in the house and the diversity that existed in this small part of the south.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Usonia: Frank lloyd Wright's Design for America, April 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Usonia: Frank Lloyd Wright's Design for America (Hardcover)

The architect Frank Lloyd Wright was eager to jump on the New Deal bandwagon in the 1930s to help reshape America across a sprawling countryside. His anti-urban regional planning ideas are well documented in this fascinating story that identifies the influences on Wright's sensibilities, from Lewis Mumford, Henry Ford, FDR, and others. Rosenbaum, who grew up a Frank Lloyd Wright Usoinan house built by his parents in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, weaves the story of the house (now a house museum open to the public) with early developments in manufactured housing, the Tennessee Valley Authority, greenbelt communities, and other federal initiatives of the era.

14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat disappointing, August 12, 1999

By A Customer

If you are an absolute Wrightophile, then I guess you might want this book. You will not learn anything new about Wright, and you wont see any outstanding photography either. 195 pages of double spaced text. Not much bang for your buck.