The Houses of McKim, Mead & White (Hardcover)

by Samuel G. White (Author), Jonathan Wallen (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Many great architects achieved fame by way of the public buildings they designed--including libraries, museums, corporate towers, even airport terminals--but the firm of McKim, Mead & White achieved fame in two arenas: great public projects, yes, but also splendid summer cottages and residences for the wealthy of America's Gilded Age. In the third of a century, from 1879 to 1912, the firm designed more than 300 such residences, a third of which still survive and a tenth of which form the basis for this volume of stunning photographs and text written by a great-grandson of Stanford White (thus privy to excellent sources for the creation of this book). These mansions--built for such folk as the Vanderbilts, Whitneys, and Pulitzers and sprinkled throughout Newport, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island--come alive through beautiful color photographs. Not cheap at $70, but the price provides lesser mortals entree into a lush and elegant world. Allen Weakland

Review
[White] offers a fond but perceptive portrait of a team that gave their patrons--fellow patricians--exactly what they wanted. -- The New York Times Book Review, Martin Filler

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 252 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (August 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847820718
• ISBN-13: 978-0847820719
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 10.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #413,210 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luscious Vision of the Gilded Age, January 27, 2001

By	Steven Goldstein (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Speaking as a practicing architect and longtime admirer of the works of Stanford White, I found this book was nonetheless a revelation. Gorgeously photographed, it shows a broader spectrum of the residential work of this illustrious firm. McKim Mead and White have a well-deserved reputation for grand public buildings (Penn Station, Madison Square Garden to name two that have sadly been demolished) but are less known for these spectacular houses built for the robber barons of the Gilded Age among whom Stanford White circulated. What is suprising is the facility with which they moved from lavish and elegantly detailed city houses to surprisingly unpretentious inviting summer homes on Long Island and elsewhere. If you love Beaux Arts architecture, skip this book at your peril.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A minor correction, April 6, 2001

By	Tim Durkin "timmyguy" (East Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews

The point of this review is to correct an error in Steven Goldstein's review of this book. McKim, Mead, & White were not involved in the construction of the Metropolitan Opera, as he states.

This is a wonderful, ravishing book, although I suppose some readers might be disappointed that the author has limited himself to surviving examples of McKim, Mead, & White's work, with current photographs ... all of them gorgeous. Vintage photographs, where available, would have been a nice addition. For example, it would be interesting, if possible, to compare the Pulitzer mansion in New York as originally built with the current photos ... it has been divided into something like 9 condominiums!

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sumptuous photography and insightful text, December 12, 1998

By A Customer

This book combines rich visual appeal with a serious analysis of the residential work of McKim, Mead & White. The introduction is particularly valuable for its succinct survey of the firm's development and its discussion of the collaboration of the partners.