A-frame [Hardcover]

Chad Randl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

"A" was the architectural letterform of leisure building in postwar America. Eager to stake out mountain and lakeside retreats, an entire generation of high-end homebuilders and weekend handymen found the A-frame an easy and affordable home to construct; its steeply sloping triangular roof distinctive and easy to maintain )almost no exterior walls to paint!). Fueled by A-frame plans and kits, the style became something of a national craze, with tens of thousands of houses built.
Indeed, the A-frame was an icon for recreation, and acceptable form of modernism (although its origins go back thousands of years), and a convenient tool for marketing a wide range of products, including gas-powered toilets, motorcycles, and canned vegetables; Fisher-Price even made one for children. So popular on the domestic front, the A-frame was eventually adapted to other building types, from roadside restaurants to churches.
In a fascinating look at this architectural phenomenon, Chad Randl tells the story of the "triangle" house from prehistoric Japan to its lifestyle-changing heyday in the 1960s. Part architectural history and part cultural exploration, A-Frame documents every aspect of A-frame living using cartoons, ads, high-style and do-it-yourself examples, family snapshots, and even an appendix with a complete set of blueprints in case you want to build your own!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A-frame architecture was a jaunty symbol of the good life in postwar, mid-century America-easily built and architecturally distinctive, tens of thousands of these triangular-silhouetted residences popped up in vacation sites all over the country. In this prettily designed volume, Randl gives the A-frame movement some context, beginning with its architectural antecedents, and then outlining the A-frame’s populist birth, which started with D.I.Y. building kits such as Campbell & Wong’s Leisure House and Free-Time Homes. (Randl also discusses A-frames made by well-known architects like George Rockrise.) The book’s main strength is its easy dexterity; Randl is as comfortable describing the mechanics of A-frame design (plywood and two-by-sixes dictated angular lines), as he is analyzing the social circumstances (rising wages, increased leisure time) that sped their popularity. It’s in the latter category where the book really takes off, showing the A-frames’ increasing popularity, as well as their expansion in use, from motels to restaurants to churches: "During the 1960s, the A-frame passed from object to idea." Sections like "A-frames in ads" show how home-furnishings manufacturers made use of A-frames to advance their own sales prospects, thus gelling the A-frame as a certified economic success, as well as a pop culture coup. To illustrate the wide influence of the architectural genre, Randl even includes a photograph of Fisher-Price’s toy A-frame house. It’s such careful research that earns this title an A. 150 color & 75 b/w illus.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Chad Randl is an architectural historian working at the National Park Service. He resides in Takoma Park, Maryland.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568984103
• ISBN-13: 978-1568984100
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "A" for A-frame, May 22, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A-frame (Hardcover)

Randl's summation of the A-frame is wonderful. The book contains vibrant photos of the structures from around the country, cartoons, advertisements, and a multitude of other media. The writing was clear and easy to read. This hardcover edition, at first glance, reminds me of a 1960's textbook which is a treat given the era that the book covers. The blue prints included practically inspire me to build my own A-frame. Bravo.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great coffee table book, June 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: A-frame (Hardcover)

Love the retro look of this book. I've looked through all of it and read (with interest) most of it. Love to just pick it up and look again. The pictures and illustrations are eye-catching and help tell the story. Find myself constantly on the look-out for a-frames as I travel through Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Good fun!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A-Frame History, February 3, 2008

By 

Patrick Curren "The no self" (The Happy Dream) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A-frame (Hardcover)

As a kid I remember these things going up. I remember helping others build their vacation home but never got the opportunity to help build an A-frame. When I saw this book, it became the next best experience to building and/or living in one.

The author does a good job capturing the history of A-frames. Of interesting note is R.M. Schindler's A-frame house of 1922. Schindler worked on Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House. You can see the FLW influence in the elevations.

The author also does a good job of explaining the decline of A-frames: The evolution of American lifestyles to make the jump from a "second home" to the consolidation of the permanent home with the vacation home.

The biggest complaint I have is the size of this book. If you buy this book, make sure your bi-focal prescription is current. I found myself having a difficult time reading the tiny little words from this little book.