Building lives
Subtitle: constructing rites and passages
By: Neil Harris.
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 1999
Place of publication: New Haven
Language: eng
Number of pages: 198
Subjects: Architecture and society -- United States; Architecture -- United States -- 19th century; Architecture -- United States -- 20th century; Rites and ceremonies -- United States; United States -- Social life and customs
Description: Conception and birth, growth and maturity, aging and death - these are important moments in the human life story. They are also stages in the existence of a building, says the author of this unconventional history of the rituals and practices that surround built structures in America.

Drawing on sources as varied as Masonic manuals, promotional brochures, janitorial contracts, tourist guidebooks, and religious texts, the cultural historian Neil Harris explores the rites of building passage over the past one hundred and fifty years. In this generously illustrated volume, he offers new insights into the social and cultural roles of buildings.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-187) and index.