The Houses of McKim, Mead & White Hardcover – August 15, 1998

A lovely little book! I have several volumes showcasing the works of this architectural firm, including the larger hardback edition of this same title. That said, I still found this book worth adding to my collection as the photos were of excellent quality and well composed, the text insightful, and the smaller format allows for much easier use. As much as I appreciate a large, well executed, coffee-table production they are not always convenient to handle. This book should offer a wonderful introduction to anyone not familiar with Stanford White, while still presenting a worthwhile supplement for the seasoned admirer. Another major consideration here is the very reasonable price this book is being offered at. Most of the over-size editions are rather expensive and before determining wether you enjoy White's work enough to justify the investment this sampling should resolve that. A nice glimpse into the Gilded Age!

This would make a great gift for anyone who is a fan of McKim, Mead & White architecture. Good details about the homes and a lot of great color photos. You won't be disappointed with the photos.

I am glad to be able to see excellent photos of the interiors of some MM&W houses. They were inventive and playful residential architects, though their firm reputation was for institutional work.

Love the book.

I must confess I enjoyed this book, it may not be the burning bush, but the text was insightful and I thought the photos where nicely laid out. It is amazing to see the breathe of Mckim, Mead, and Whites work, they really where THE Gilded Age architects. Lord knows there where other great architects of the time, like Horace Trumbaur and Carrere and Hastings to name a few, but no firm had a better P.R. machine than this firm, namely Stanford White, it can be debated whether they where the best of the architects of the time, but nobody can debate their preeminence during the Gilded Age. Nice book, I recomended it.

Speaking as a practicing architect and longtime admirer of the works of Stanford White, I found this book was nonetheless a revelation. Gorgeously photographed, it shows a broader spectrum of the residential work of this illustrious firm. McKim Mead and White have a well-deserved reputation for grand public buildings (Penn Station, Madison Square Garden to name two that have sadly been demolished) but are less known for these spectacular houses built for the robber barons of the Gilded Age among whom Stanford White circulated. What is suprising is the facility with which they moved from lavish and elegantly detailed city houses to surprisingly unpretentious inviting summer homes on Long Island and elsewhere. If you love Beaux Arts architecture, skip this book at your peril.

The point of this review is to correct an error in Steven Goldstein's review of this book. McKim, Mead, & White were not involved in the construction of the Metropolitan Opera, as he states.This is a wonderful, ravishing book, although I suppose some readers might be disappointed that the author has limited himself to surviving examples of McKim, Mead, & White's work, with current photographs ... all of them gorgeous. Vintage photographs, where available, would have been a nice addition. For example, it would be interesting, if possible, to compare the Pulitzer mansion in New York as originally built with the current photos ... it has been divided into something like 9 condominiums!

This book has beautiful photography, detailed descriptions and accounts of the work of McKim Mead and White. It would be great to have or as a gift for someone interested in architecture of this period, but is not academic per se. It is a chatty and conversational book--an easy and fun read. It does seems that the author may be confused on the term SUPERPOSE as it deals with the classical orders. He used the term superIMposed which is to lay or place (something) on or over something else. But within the classical idiom SUPERPOSE is the accepted and appropriate term which--by definition is to set or place (one thing) over or ABOVE something else. A small point but worth clarifying.

EXTRAORDINARIO CONCEPTO DE CONSTRUCCIÓN DE MANSIONES. VARIEDAD SIN LIMITES DE ESPACIOS PARA REALIZAR CUALQUIER DESEO DE ARQUITECTO CON UN ESTILO SIGLO PASADO EXTRAORDINARIO.

NADA PARECIDO A LO QUE HABÍA VISTO HASTA AHORA DE ESTAS CASAS ANTIGUAS. SE NOTA EL MIMO, EL CARIÑO, EL QUERER HACERLAS TAN BIEN QUE PERDURARAN EN LOS SIGLOS.