Antiquity in Gotham: The Ancient Architecture of New York City
- ISBN-10
- 0823293858
- ISBN-13
- 9780823293858
- Category
- Architecture
- Pages
- 288
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2021-03-23
- Publisher
- Fordham Univ Press
- Author
- Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis
Description
The first detailed study of “Neo-Antique” architecture applies an archaeological lens to the study of New York City’s structures Since the city’s inception, New Yorkers have deliberately and purposefully engaged with ancient architecture to design and erect many of its most iconic buildings and monuments, including Grand Central Terminal and the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch in Brooklyn, as well as forgotten gems such as Snug Harbor on Staten Island and the Gould Memorial Library in the Bronx. Antiquity in Gotham interprets the various ways ancient architecture was re-conceived in New York City from the eighteenth century to the early twenty-first century. Contextualizing New York’s Neo-Antique architecture within larger American architectural trends, author Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis applies an archaeological lens to the study of the New York buildings that incorporated these various models in their design, bringing together these diverse sources of inspiration into a single continuum. Antiquity in Gotham explores how ancient architecture communicated the political ideals of the new republic through the adaptation of Greek and Roman architecture, how Egyptian temples conveyed the city’s new technological achievements, and how the ancient Near East served many artistic masters, decorating the interiors of glitzy Gilded Age restaurants and the tops of skyscrapers. Rather than classifying neo-classical (and Greek Revival), Egyptianizing, and architecture inspired by the ancient Near East into distinct categories, Macaulay-Lewis applies the Neo-Antique framework that considers the similarities and differences—intellectually, conceptually, and chronologically—among the reception of these different architectural traditions. This fundamentally interdisciplinary project draws upon all available evidence and archival materials—such as the letters and memos of architects and their patrons, and the commentary in contemporary newspapers and magazines—to provide a lively multi-dimensional analysis that examines not only the city’s ancient buildings and rooms themselves but also how New Yorkers envisaged them, lived in them, talked about them, and reacted to them. Antiquity offered New Yorkers architecture with flexible aesthetic, functional, cultural, and intellectual resonances—whether it be the democratic ideals of Periclean Athens, the technological might of Pharaonic Egypt, or the majesty of Imperial Rome. The result of these dialogues with ancient architectural forms was the creation of innovative architecture that has defined New York City’s skyline throughout its history.
Get the book
Similar books
-
CyberCities: Visual Perception in the Age of Electronic Communication
By M. Christine Boyer52 Stephen Kieran and James Timberlake , “ Paradise Regained , ” Architecture 80 ( December 1991 ) : 48–51 ; the quotation is on pages 48–49 .
-
Steel Surfaces: A Guide to Alloys, Finishes, Fabrication, and Maintenance in Architecture and Art
By L. William Zahner... Joe, 211 Kelly, William, 12 Kieran Timberlake, 28, 29 killed steels, 22 Kure Beach (North Carolina), weathering evaluated in, 275 M machining, 225–226, ...
-
Creating Healthy Neighborhoods: Evidence-Based Planning and Design Strategies
By Ann Forsyth, Emily Salomon, Laura SmeadBrender, Jean D., Juliana A. Maantay, and Jayajit Chakraborty. 2011. ... Chris Frost, Katharine Ker, Rebecca Steinbach, Ian Roberts, and Reinhard Wentz.
-
The World by Design: The Story of a Global Architecture Firm
By A. Eugene Kohn, Clifford PearsonIn the Army and the Navy, everyone had both line and staff duties. Line duty was your primary mission—say, as a gunnery officer—which you did while being ...
-
Designing for Autism Spectrum Disorders
By Kristi Gaines, Angela Bourne, Michelle Pearson... The Faison School for Autism is a unique and welcoming learning environment that encompasses the needs of its students, staff, and families alike.
-
Manual: The Architecture of Kieran Timberlake
By Stephen Kieran, James Timberlake"A must for practitioners and students alike, Manual brings the process of design and details of architecture to life, revealing the beauty of building derived from composition within a tradition of innovative assembly."--BOOK JACKET.
-
KieranTimberlake - Fullness
By KieranTimberlakeProjects in this book include a house made from prefabricated modules in rural California that minimally disturbed its picturesque site; a major renovation of Philadelphia's Dilworth Park in front of City Hall; Cellophane House (TM), a ...
-
refabricating ARCHITECTURE: How Manufacturing Methodologies are Poised to Transform Building Construction
By Stephen Kieran, James TimberlakeThis thought-provoking book presents a compelling argument for moving architecture from a part-by-part, linear approach to an integrated one that brings together technology, materials, and production methods.
-
Cellophane House: KieranTimberlake
By Stephen Kieran, James Timberlake, KieranTimberlakeThrough a series of questions, the book explores several of KieranTimberlake's ongoing research agendas including speed of on-site assembly, design for disassembly, a holistic approach to the life cycle of materials, and the development of ...
-
Loblolly House: Elements of a New Architecture
By Stephen Kieran, James TimberlakeThrough the use of state-of-the-art building information modeling, the architects were able to streamline the design-build process. This is a manual for the componentized prefab.