Coming Home: The Southern Vernacular House

For nearly thirty years, Historical Concepts has designed country houses, mountain retreats, and coastal cottages that “pay homage to the South’s deep sense of place.” Now, in Coming Home: The Southern Vernacular House, this award-winning firm’s talent for translating traditional architecture into inviting homes is showcased with a selection of timeless designs inspired by gracious Southern living.

Adventures With Old Houses

Former investment banker Richard Jenrette discusses his passion for the restoration of old homes in this work. This love has led him to engage in restoration projects of many of his own homes in a desire to return them to their original glory – with the appropriate art, furniture, and decoration. Jenerette talks about his influences and how his desire for restoration started with his purchase of the home Edgewater on the Hudson River. The book includes many color photographs of Jenerette’s homes and a forward by Prince Charles of the United Kingdom lauding Jenerette’s work. It is an entertaining read and good buy for those interested in the preservation of old homes.

Historic Houses of the Hudson Valley

A photographic history of the distinctive homes and public buildings that sprang up along the Hudson River from earliest colonial times to the post-Revolutionary era, including Washington Irving’s and FDR’s homes, the historic buildings of West Point and scores more. The meticulously researched text is enlivened with many fascinating anecdotes.

Hudson Valley Ruins: Forgotten Landmarks of an American Landscape

In Hudson Valley Ruins: Forgotten Landmarks of an American Landscape, preservationists Thomas E. Rinaldi and Robert J. Yasinsac share their fascination with the dozens of once grand—but now abandoned—buildings and sites that dot the Hudson River landscape. Enhanced with hundreds of telling black and white photographs, the book describes the historical and architectural significance of the ruins, which range from majestic river estates to the former factories, while capturing the flavor of a bygone era.

Phantoms of the Hudson Valley: The Glorious Estates of a Lost Era

A stunning architectural tour of 28 abandoned estates that loom as mysterious ruins along the Hudson River between New York City and Albany. Many of the now-faded mansions were designed by Stanford White, the premier architect of New York’s gilded age, and were owned by such illustrious families as the Vanderbilts, Astors, and Whitneys. The author’s evocative, sepia-tinted photos capture the architectural splendor of these once luxurious homes, as well as the ravages of time, from the houses’ crumbling turrets and spires, porticos, columns, gargoyles, and weed-choked courtyards and gazebos, to their interior vaulted ceilings, spacious ballrooms, and huge, empty libraries. Paired with ghost stories and legends about the estates, this book is a haunting reminder of a bygone era and lifestyle.

The Hudson Valley Dutch and Their Houses

This is the first history of Dutch domestic architecture in the Hudson Valley in more than 60 years. It in its second printing with minor revisions and a color cover.

Great Houses of the Hudson River

Take a journey up the Hudson River to see how some of the wealthiest families, Roosevelts, Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and Astors, created country retreats in the most spectacular of locations. An introduction by architect and historian Michael Dwyer provides insight into the beauty and importance of the houses.

Historic Houses of the Hudson River Valley

Overlooking the majestic Hudson River, the Hudson Valley has long been a favored place to live. From the homes of the early settlers of the seventeenth century to the estates of the landed gentry of the eighteenth century and the baronial mansions of the captains of industry of the nineteenth century, the valley boasts some of the finest houses in America. Historic Houses of the Hudson River Valley is a sumptuous presentation of 33 houses in the region, ranging from the earliest Dutch cottages still extant to the grand Gothic and Italianate revival, stately Georgian, Federal, and beaux-arts country homes of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Historic Houses of the Hudson River Valley features a stunning array of newly photographed homes that date from over three centuries and are distinctive examples of the architecture of the region; from the Dutch vernacular cottage to Georgian country homes and later grand estates. Many, also, are open for visits.

Wadia Associates New Classicists: Distinguished Residential & Interior Design

This latest volume in the New Classicists series offers an enticing glimpse of the exquisite work of Dinyar Wadia. While remaining loyal to traditional classical design, Wadia’s finely detailed residences display a remarkable versatility and adaptability within the classical language of architecture. His work is characterized by a passion for excellent detailing, use of fine material and exceptional workmanship, always emphasizing the integral relationship between the home and its surrounding landscape. As revealed in the breathtaking array of homes featured in this volume, each residence is distinctive for its refined elegance and seamless incorporation into the landscape. Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales. Introduction by Paul Gunther, President of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art.

Timeless Cities: An Architect’s Reflections on Renaissance Italy

Over the course of a thousand years, the urban realm in Italy was the theater where the best civic aspirations were played out. The author reveals how Rome, Venice, Florence, Siena, and Pienza emerged from the cultural ideas of humanism that characterized Italian society from late antiquity to the eighteenth century. Taking the reader on a tour of these five cities he describes the cultural beliefs and ideas behind the buildings in the course of which he explains why these city-building ideas remain relevant today.

Theory of Mouldings

With the revival of interest in traditional design, practitioners, students, and historians have begun to study and use the vocabulary of forms that so enriched our architectural heritage. None are as ubiquitous as mouldings, yet an in-depth analysis of them has been absent. This book fills an important gap in the current discourse of building.

The Perfect House: A Journey with Renaissance Master Andrea Palladio

One of the most original, accessible, and stimulating writers on architecture builds on some of his earlier publications to offer an appreciation of the residential work of Andrea Palladio. Professor Rybczynski, a member of the ICAA’s Council of Advisors, points out that much of the most persistent architectural symbolism associated with houses derives from Palladio’s villas. The book provides a detailed analysis, both historical and architectural, of ten of the 30 villas attributed to the architect.

The Eighteenth-Century Houses of Williamsburg

In this original book Mark Wilson Jones explores for the first time how the architects of ancient Rome approached design. Drawing on new archaeological discoveries and his own analyses of Roman monuments, the author discusses how the ancient architects dealt with the principles of architecture and the practicalities of construction as they engaged in the creative process.

The Classical Language of Architecture

This book sets out as simply and vividly as possible the exact grammatical workings of the classical architectural language. Less concerned with its development in Greece and Rome than with its expansion and use in the centuries since the Renaissance, it explores the development of the tradition even up to modern times.

The Chrysler Building

New York City’s Chrysler Building remains one of the most spectacular and recognizable features of the city’s skyline. Author Stravitz here presents a visual record of the construction of the art deco masterpiece, as documented by stock photographers of the day, in more than 100 black-and-white images.

The Architecture of Roman Temples: Republic to the Middle Empire

This book examines the development of Roman temple architecture from the sixth century BC to second century AD. John Stamper analyzes the temple’s formal qualities, the public spaces in which they were located and, most importantly, the authority of precedent in their designs. He also traces Rome’s temple architecture as it evolved over time accommodating changing political and religious contexts, and new stylistic influences.

The Architecture of Delano and Aldrich

This important 20th century firm is profiled here by architect Peter Pennoyer, a member of the ICAA’s Board of Directors, and historian Anne Walker. This book portrays the unprecedented talent and vision that led Delano & Aldrich to the top of its field at the beginning of the twentieth century. Eighteen buildings are examined in detail, and the firm’s complete oeuvre is cataloged, with more than 250 photographs and drawings spanning the full breadth of their work.

The Architectural Pattern Book: A Tool for Building Great Neighborhoods

The use of pattern books is a tradition stretching back to Vitruvius and Palladio, and is the source of many beautiful houses. This informative and practical guide documents the revival of the traditional architectural pattern book as a means of implementing urban design. It describes techniques and working methods for contemporary development and construction processes.

Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream

This manifesto of the “New Urbanism” lays out a vision for rendering urbanity and the responsible use of resources in an America of suburbs sprawling out of control. The authors draw from their own ground-breaking work as the firm known as DPZ, which has designed all across America scores of new neighborhoods and towns that embrace the human-scale, pedestrian-oriented virtues of traditional urbanism.

New York 1930: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Two World Wars

This highly acclaimed volume – the ultimate reference on this period – closely documents the alternately giddy and depressed decades between the two world wars when New York first transformed itself into a skyscraper city. Author Robert Stern, a member of the ICAA’s Council of Advisors, documents every important building of the era with vital background information and ample archival photographs.

New York 1900: Metropolitan Architecture & Urbanism, 1890-1915

This book is the second volume of a four-part work and is specifically devoted to the evolution of New York’s architecture and urbanism in the period around the turn of the century. Author Robert Stern, a member of the ICAA’s Council of Advisors, and his two co-authors analyze the cultural and economic forces that shaped and influenced some of New York City’s most important architectural works.

New Classicism

With the intense revival of interest in classical design, New Classicism offers an in-depth look at approximately thirty projects by classically oriented firms currently practicing in the United States and Britain. Professor Dowling, a member of the ICAA’s Council of Advisors, examines the many varieties of traditional classical design. The book covers residential, institutional and other project types.

Masterpieces of American Architecture

From the golden age of American architecture, this splendid survey, documents scores of masterpieces built between 1900 and 1930. Designs of the highest quality and most originality, represent the greatest achievements in memorials, museums, churches, and more. Each structure is introduced with notes from its architect.

Living City: Thinking Small in a Big Way

A New York journalist, urbanist, and follower of Jane Jacobs writes of the small ways in which cities and neighborhoods across America have fought back from the brink to preserve and enhance their urbanity, sometimes in surprising ways and usually at the level of community involvement.

Italian Townscape

For centuries, Italians have excelled at creating formal and informal urban spaces which continue to delight the eye. In clear text accompanied by vignette sketches and numerous black & white photos, the author focuses on the activities, textures, patterns and organizational systems that combine to generate this pleasing effect.

Edwin Lutyens: Country Houses

Although an upholder of the classical language of architecture, Lutyen’s great achievement is his formally inventive handling of historical styles. In striking vintage black and white photographs, this book documents many of Sir Edwin Lutyens opulent but highly refined country houses.

David Adler Architect: The Elements of Style

David Adler was one of the most important residential architects in the United States during the period of the “Great American House.” This important book features seventeen homes and one private club designed by Adler, all beautifully reproduced in full-color. The book also presents examples of Adler’s interior designs.

Creating a New Old House

Through hundreds of inspiring photographs and engaging text, the author describes what gives traditional homes their enduring appeal. Versaci, a member of the ICAA’s Council of Advisors, identifies Eight Pillars of Traditional Design that create a solid foundation for combining authentic, traditional design with livability to create homes that feel old yet live new. Featuring a vast array of new, old-house styles the book illustrate the creative work of architects, builders, and craftsmen who are forging the movement toward building new homes that capture an old-home sensibility.

Classical Architecture for Design Professionals

Author Robert Adam, a member of the ICAA’s Council of Advisors, concisely summarizes the elements of the classical tradition and their application. For the novice studying the classical orders, this book offers a succinct overview and is an effective primer. For those already familiar with the material, it is an excellent desk reference book and source of inspirational drawings.

City Planning According to Artistic Principles

This classic by the turn-of-the-20th-century Viennese urban theorist foreshadowed by many decades the works of such urbanists as Jane Jacobs. More than a half a century after its first publication, it remains essential reading for anyone interested in the visual aspects of urban design.

Building Details

Between the years 1906–1914, New York architect Frank M. Snyder published Building Details, a serial produced in twelve parts over eight years. This new edition features 120 plates of architectural details showing the work of many of America’s foremost practitioners working in the earlier part of the last century. The accompanying CD contains printable versions of the plates. The reprint volume includes a new Introduction by ICAA Members Peter Pennoyer and Anne Walker.

Beautiful Necessity: Seven Essays on Theosophy and Architecture

This often cited reference is an early 20th century statement of an esoteric theory of beauty, and of what might be called the anthropic analogy in architecture. The book connects these spiritual ideas with proportional ideas in design. Many of the author’s personal line drawings are ‘classics’ that appear in later works on design.

Bearers of Meaning: The Classical Orders in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

From their first appearance in ancient Greece through their codification in Renaissance Italy, the orders were made to serve expressive purposes, engaging the viewer in a continuing visual dialogue. Today, as classical fundamentals are being sought as a refuge from the disordered philosophies of the recent past, this book provides a welcome and lively illustrated account of the range of meanings that Western culture has assigned to the classical orders.

Architectural Principles in the Age of Humanism

Focusing on the principal architects of that time – from Alberti to Palladio – this best-selling classic explains the true significance of certain architectural forms, bringing to light the connections between the architecture and culture of the period.

Architectural Composition

At the height of the academic, or Beaux Arts, period in Western architecture, books on architectural composition abounded, spreading the gospel of academic design from Paris to the hinterlands. This book harkens back to this period, parsing its approach into discrete operations and elements based on tested precedent.

Architectural Composition

Strongly influenced by Gaudet’s “Elements et Theorie de l’Architecture” amongst other studies on composition, Curtis’ volume emphasizes the role of the plan in architectural composition. 250 diagrams, drawings and plans accompany the text.

AIA Guide to New York City

The AIA’s Guide to New York City is a descriptive and interesting look at the city’s architecture. Composed of over 2000 photographs, 100 maps, and short entries, this useful guide is arranged geographically by borough, to facilitate a walking tour. An extensive index and glossary are included for reference.

A Treatise on the Decorative Part of Civil Architecture

William Chambers studied architecture in Italy and France before finally settling in London. His Treatise, originally published in 1759, was reprinted 32 years later with additional illustrations, articles, and an introduction discussing the qualifications and duties of an architect. The 53 beautifully engraved, fine line plates display ornate compartments for coved ceilings; plans and elevations of pilaster capitals; pedestals for columns; arches; balusters; and other architectural features.

A Pattern Book for Neighborly Houses

The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and the U. S. Area Office of Habitat for Humanity International have embarked upon a national collaboration, with architects selected jointly by the ICAA and Habitat, to design Habitat homes that fit within the context of both local communities and regional architectural traditions. More than building new affordable houses, Habitat for Humanity International’s mission is to help people build new lives.

A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method

In the words of Sir Banister Fletcher, ‘The study of architecture opens up the enjoyment of buildings with an appreciation of their purpose, meaning, and charm.’ These words aptly summarize what this fully illustrated and enduring classic has become for generations of students and architects.