Shingle Styles: Innovation and Tradition in American Architecture 1874 to 1982

Bret Morgan, Roth, Leland M

There are very few purely "American" genres of architecture, but the Shingle Style is certainly one of the most original of them. The style was fed by medieval and Japanese influences and was closely linked to the Aesthetic and the Arts and Crafts movements. Prominent architects, including H. H. Richardson, William Ralph Emerson, and Frank Lloyd Wright, were all influenced by the style and eventually directly contributed to its milieu. Architects and architectural movements, including postmodernism, have continued to be influenced by this style. This lavish volume begins with a well-documented history and then focuses on some of the more noteworthy examples of the style, in its original and modern manifestations. Some of the more notable buildings featured are Wright's Home and Studio, Julia Cameron's Sausalito Woman's Club, and Richardson's Watts Sherman House. For each of the 30 structures featured, there's delightful commentary and luscious photographs, highlighting the principal features of the structure and how it relates to the style. A delightful look at one of America's most creative and influential architectural styles. Michael Spinella