Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
At the forefront of national and international change, Pittsburghhas long been portrayed as a place for innovative architecture. From its origins asa fort built in 1753 at the urging of a twenty-one-year-old George Washington, through its industrial boom, and into contemporary times, when it has become apioneer for the ideals and philosophy of environmentally friendly architecture, thecity has a history of development that exemplifies the transformative nature ofAmerica's built environment. With The Buildings ofPittsburgh, we now have a substantive reference book (organized byarea, with subsets of geographical entries) that relates the architectural historyof this ever-changing city up to the present day.
Franklin Toker examines Pittsburgh's architectural transformations from its earlyarchitecture following the Federal and Gothic Revival styles, to the city'simportation in the mid-nineteenth century of new styles in the Romantic tradition, to industrial Pittsburgh with all its factories and huge institutional buildings, and finally to the city's environmentally conscious renaissance that began in themid-twentieth century. In doing so, he shows why Pittsburgh has consistently beenrated among the top three American cities for buildings by the Leadership in Energyand Environmental Design, and how the city once famous for embracing industry andpollution is now preaching the gospel of clean air and greenarchitecture.