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For a century and a half, the North American landscape was marked by evidence of tremendous industrial activity, by artifacts such as railroad bridges, factories, grain silos, and hydroelectric dams. In the transformation to an information economy, that evidence increasingly takes the form of detritus, of rusting scrap and decaying structures. Writes French economic historian Louis Bergeron, "the line is quickly crossed between the living industrial landscape and the industrial wasteland, dramatic in its immobility, its abandonment, and its gradual degradation."
This sprawling and striking photographic essay, depicting railroad stations, shipyards, canals, steel mills, and other industrial centers, offers a catalog of all that is now giving way to commercial parks and residential subdivisions. Although Bergeron recognizes that the times change--and, indeed, that this industrial landscape is the result of many incremental additions and subtractions over the years--he urges that some of our industrial landscapes be preserved as museums and "heritage corridors." He adds that many other industrial structures lend themselves to "adaptive reuse," in which hotels, restaurants, and galleries might occupy former industrial space. Citing successful examples of this preservation, he remarks that the American public "is developing an attachment to and fondness toward industrial monuments and landscapes, whose significant contributions are beginning to be better understood and appreciated." As an exercise in that understanding and appreciation, this book has much merit--and it's a pleasure to browse through as well. --Gregory McNamee
From Library Journal
By and large, humble buildings have been the detritus of architectural history. With few exceptions, such as the work of the late Henry-Russell Hitchcock and the Society for Industrial Archeology, the canonical history of architecture has rarely included the often large-scale and noble buildings constructed for industry and manufacturing. Thanks to the impressive work of the National Park Service's Historic American Buildings Survey, systematic and informative documentation and study of the industrial vernacular now exist. This handsomely produced volume is filled with exemplary black-and-white photographs of mills, dams, canals, bridges, and other structures that blur the distinction between mere building and architecture. Seemingly incidental in relation to the illustrations, the essays thoughtfully divide the topic into three sections: the history of industrialization, major types (civil, engineering, mining, or manufacturing), and the environmental impact of our industrial heritage. Recommended for larger architecture and urban design collections.DPaul Glassman, New York Sch. of Interior Design Lib.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
