American Icons: The Iconic Architecture of the USA maps 150 years of American architectural ambition across building types — from private residences and skyscrapers to museums and airports — through the work of figures including Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and John Lautner.
About This Book
The rapid urbanisation of the United States over a century and a half produced some of the most consequential built environments in the world. This volume traces that transformation city by city — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and beyond — through professional photography and texts by New York Times writer Sam Lubell. Rather than a survey of styles, it is a study of architectural personality: how individual buildings shaped skylines, and how those skylines shaped a nation's identity. Essential reading for anyone interested in twentieth-century American architecture, urban history, and the relationship between building and place.
Key Features
- 304 pages of professional architectural photography and editorial texts
- Edited and written by Sam Lubell, architecture writer for the New York Times
- Works by Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, John Lautner, and others
- Published by Die Gestalten Verlag
What You'll Discover
- How the building boom of the last 150 years transformed American cities from the ground up, reshaping urban form at an unprecedented pace
- The stories behind individual landmark buildings — the architects, circumstances, and ideas that made them iconic
- The range of building typologies that define American architecture, from domestic-scale residences to large civic and commercial structures
- How cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago became laboratories for architectural experimentation and ambition
About the Author
Sam Lubell is a writer covering architecture for the New York Times. He serves as editor of this volume, contributing the texts that contextualise the buildings and their place in the American built landscape.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 304
- Dimensions: 24.5 x 33 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783967041552
- Publisher: Die Gestalten Verlag
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects and design students with an interest in twentieth-century American urbanism, readers exploring the work of Wright, Mies, and Lautner, and anyone drawn to the intersection of photography and architectural history.