The Civic Architecture of Paul Cret
Elizabeth Grossman's study is the first to examine the civic architecture of Paul Cret, one of the most gifted architects of the twentieth century. Focusing on six important civic projects erected between 1907 and 1939, Grossman demonstrates how Cret's architecture contributed to the debate about modern architecture and classicism which engaged the architectural profession and clients as they reconceptualised civic values, particularly during the 1920s and '30s. The practical needs and symbolic ambitions of the government and cultural agencies that commissioned work from Cret are, moreover, related to the architect's own concern for an architecture that might advance participation in the country's burgeoning republican institutions, including libraries, museums, and state and federal agencies.
- Illustrations of original plans, sections, and elevational drawings
- Critical institutional histories
- In-depth architectural analysis
Reviews & endorsements
' … this is a welcome study detailing Cret's contribution to twentieth-century architecture'. The Art Book
Product details
November 1996Hardback
9780521496018
300 pages
262 × 211 × 23 mm
1.139kg
143 b/w illus.
Unavailable - out of print November 2005
Table of Contents
- 1. Cret in France:
- 1878–1903 family and education - Lyon and Paris
- 2. The Concours Chenevard
- 3. The Pan American Union building competition: a lesson in Beaux-Arts design
- 4. The Indianapolis public library: a Type for the United States
- 5. The Nebraska State Capitol competition
- 6. The Detroit Institute of Arts: the art museum between history and pleasure
- 7. The Hartford County Building and Courthouse: a crisis of classicism
- 8. The Folger Shakespeare library: style as Parti
- 9. Two last competitions: the Federal Reserve Board and the Smithsonian Gallery of Art.