The Houses of McKim, Mead & White
Many great architects achieved fame by way of the public buildings they designed--including libraries, museums, corporate towers, even airport terminals--but the firm of McKim, Mead & White achieved fame in two arenas: great public projects, yes, but also splendid summer cottages and residences for the wealthy of America's Gilded Age. In the third of a century, from 1879 to 1912, the firm designed more than 300 such residences, a third of which still survive and a tenth of which form the basis for this volume of stunning photographs and text written by a great-grandson of Stanford White (thus privy to excellent sources for the creation of this book). These mansions--built for such folk as the Vanderbilts, Whitneys, and Pulitzers and sprinkled throughout Newport, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island--come alive through beautiful color photographs. Not cheap at $70, but the price provides lesser mortals entree into a lush and elegant world.Allen Weakland