Houses for a New World: Builders and Buyers in American Suburbs, 1945–1965
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
While the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, and their contemporaries frequently influences our ideas about house design at the midcentury, most Americans during this period lived in homes built by little-known builders who also served as developers of the communities. Often dismissed as "little boxes, made of ticky-tacky," the tract houses of America's postwar suburbs represent the twentieth century’s most successful experiment in mass housing. Houses for a New World is the first comprehensive history of this uniquely American form of domestic architecture and urbanism.
Between 1945 and 1965, more than thirteen million houses—most of them in new ranch and split-level styles—were constructed on large expanses of land outside city centers, providing homes for the country’s rapidly expanding population. Focusing on twelve developments in the suburbs of Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Los Angeles, Barbara Miller Lane tells the story of the collaborations between builders and buyers, showing how both wanted houses and communities that espoused a modern way of life—informal, democratic, multiethnic, and devoted to improving the lives of their children. The resulting houses differed dramatically from both the European International Style and older forms of American domestic architecture.
Based on a decade of original research, and accompanied by hundreds of historical images, plans, and maps, this book presents an entirely new interpretation of the American suburb. The result is a fascinating history of houses and developments that continue to shape how tens of millions of Americans live.
Featured housing developments in Houses for a New World:
Boston area:
- Governor Francis Farms (Warwick, RI)
- Wethersfield (Natick, MA)
- Brookfield (Brockton, MA)
Chicago area:
- Greenview Estates (Arlington Heights, IL)
- Elk Grove Village
- Rolling Meadows
- Weathersfield at Schaumburg
Los Angeles and Orange County area:
- Cinderella Homes (Anaheim, CA)
- Panorama City (Los Angeles)
- Rossmoor (Los Alamitos, CA)
Philadelphia area:
- Lawrence Park (Broomall, PA)
- Rose Tree Woods (Broomall, PA)
Barbara Miller Lane
Barbara Miller Lane is Andrew W. Mellon Professor Emeritusin the Humanities and Research Professor in Growth and Structure of Cities at Bryn Mawr College. Her books include Architecture and Politics in Germany, 1918–1945, National Romanticism and Modern Architecture, and Housing and Dwelling.
Related to Houses for a New World
Architecture For You
Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The New Bohemians: Cool & Collected Homes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flatland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The New Bohemians Handbook: Come Home to Good Vibes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Architecture 101: From Frank Gehry to Ziggurats, an Essential Guide to Building Styles and Materials Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Feng Shui Modern Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Fix Absolutely Anything: A Homeowner's Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Welcome Home: A Cozy Minimalist Guide to Decorating and Hosting All Year Round Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMove Your Stuff, Change Your Life: How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect and Happiness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Martha Stewart's Organizing: The Manual for Bringing Order to Your Life, Home & Routines Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Become An Exceptional Designer: Effective Colour Selection For You And Your Client Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cozy White Cottage: 100 Ways to Love the Feeling of Being Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Down to Earth: Laid-back Interiors for Modern Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Solar Power Demystified: The Beginners Guide To Solar Power, Energy Independence And Lower Bills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Live Beautiful Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How to Build Shipping Container Homes With Plans Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Shinto the Kami Way Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disney's Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse: How to Design and Build a Net-Zero Energy Greenhouse Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Pattern Book of New Orleans Architecture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Living Small Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Old-House Doctor: The Essential Guide to Repairing, Restoring, and Rejuvenating Your Old Home Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Giza Power Plant: Technologies of Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Houses for a New World
0 ratings0 reviews