Arts and Crafts Architecture Across America - Hardcover

by Maureen Meister (Author)

A beautifully illustrated exploration of Arts and Crafts buildings across the United States, showcasing the movement's wide reach and regional variations

"Will be an essential addition to any library that includes American architecture, the Arts and Crafts movement, and regional histories."--Edward R. Bosley, Nineteenth Century

After the Arts and Crafts movement coalesced in Britain at the end of the nineteenth century, it made its way quickly to the United States. Architects and artisans embraced its values, advocating for handicraft in building design while promoting a respect for nature, simplicity, native materials, and regional culture. Taking the reader on a journey from coast to coast, this book presents buildings that reflect Arts and Crafts ideals in distinctive ways and connects them to the movement's major themes.

Beautifully illustrated with 150 images, Arts and Crafts Architecture across America features buildings from Boston to San Diego, highlighting iconic examples by Ralph Adams Cram, Irving J. Gill, Greene and Greene, and Frank Lloyd Wright. The book also brings to the fore many lesser-known figures, including women architects such as Marion Mahony and Cora Cadwallader Tuttle and Black architects such as William A. Hazel and Paul R. Williams. In approachable prose, author Maureen Meister distills key elements of Arts and Crafts architecture, and her broad national perspective reveals new insights, including the close relationships among the movement's leaders. Sharing an Arts and Crafts philosophy, they worked in multiple building styles to suit a vast yet united country.

Author Biography

Maureen Meister is an art historian who has taught for many years at Boston area universities, including Tufts, Lesley, and Northeastern.