Greene & Greene: The Blacker House - Hardcover

Makinson, Randell L.; Heinz, Thomas A.; Pitt, Brad

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0879059494 ISBN 13: 9780879059491

Publisher: Gibbs Smith, 2000

Synopsis

Building on the success of his earlier books, Randell L. Makinson joins with Thomas Heinz and Brad Pitt in producing this rich monograph on the Robert Roe Blacker house, the largest and most elaborate of the refined Greene & Greene style. New color photographs provide the first full documentation of the house following its extensive five-year restoration, for which Makinson was the architect. This book has just been released, is already ranked #6 on the LA Times best seller list. < BR>

About this title

About the Authors

Thomas A. Heinz, AIA, of Evanston, Illinois, has been involved with the restoration of more than forty Frank Lloyd Wright buildings and is the author of twenty books on Wright. He is coauthor with Makinson and principal photographer for two books on Greene and Greene.

Randell L. Makinson, Honorary AIA, is the foremost authority on Greene and Greene, having studied and written about their work for more than forty-five years. He is Director Emeritus of The Gamble House in Pasadena. This is his sixth book on the work of the Greenes. Makinson lives in Pasadena.

Brad Pitt, best known for his work in major American films, demonstrates here his passion for architecture, the Arts & Crafts movement, and the work of architects Greene & Greene. His enthusiasm for restoration of the Blacker House is seen in images reflecting his vision of the moods of the Blacker House as seen through his lens and his studied print compositions.

From the Inside Flap

Building upon the success of his earlier book, Greene & Green: The Passion & The Legacy, author Randell L. Makinson, Hon. AIA, joins with Frank Lloyd Wright scholar and photographer Thomas A. Heinz, AIA in producing this rich monograph on the Robert Roe Blacker House, the largest most elaborate of the refined Greene & Greene style.New color photography provides the first full documentation of the house following its extensive five-year restoration, for which Mr. Makinson served as a restoration architect.This informative study is highly enriched by new research into the earlier Blacker and Canfield houses and the families' backgrounds as purveyors of building products, examining the major roles these played in the final designs of architects Greene & Greene. Additionally, newly discovered archival photographs from Manistee, Michigan, and Brantford, Ontario, Canada bring greater understanding of the origin of this architectural masterwork.The authors candidly discuss the interiors, the decorative arts, the furniture, the disintegration of the original fabric of the house and its contents, and the restoration of the Blacker House begun in 1994.An interpretive photographic essay by Brad Pitt provideshis personal visions of the Blacker estate and reflects his broad passion for architecture.Three artists--three views of the Blacker house, one of the most significant treasures of the International Arts and Crafts movement and of architects Greene & Greene.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

A study of the Robert Roe Blacker House in Pasadena must include historical and biographical information about Blacker's life in Canada and Michigan and about the Blacker, Canfield and Thorsen families. The Blacker family arrived in Ontario in the early 1800s, the Thorsen family in Philadelphia in 1820, and the Canfields in Milford, Connecticut, as early as 1646. When the first Blacer--Robert's grandfather, Edward--arrived in Brantford, fewer than a dozen Europeans lived in the area, making him one of the pioneers in the region. Over sixty years after the Blackers established themselves and their brick-manufacturing facilities, Ontario became one of the first four provinces of Canada when it was founded on 1 July 1867.

Edition details

• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0879059494
• ISBN 13: 9780879059491
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 132