Cass Gilbert Life and Work : Architect of the Public Domain

Gilbert (1859-1934) was a believer in the benefits that architecture could bestow on the environment and culture of American life; as a leading exemplar of the City Beautiful movement he helped shape a civic architecture that was dedicated to the social and artistic reform of the nation's urban life. This collection of perspectives from architectural historians, practicing architects, and specialists outside the profession traces Gilbert's career from its origins in St Paul, where he built his masterpiece in the Minnesota State Capitol, to his civic designs in New York, including the US Custom House, the Woolworth Building, and many other significant projects. Plentifully illustrated in b&w. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Nineteen essays, by a diverse group of historians and others who experience and study Gilbert's buildings in their professional lives, detail the intricate relationship between Gilbert's work and the longstanding tradition of public architecture in America. This volume examines Gilbert's work in five unique categories: the building of a national practice, an evaluation of his Minnesota State Capitol as "a defining moment" in American civic architecture, his New York career, his response to civic ideals in his plans for towns and universities, and his work in the public domain.