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Building America : The Life of Benjamin Henry Latrobe by Jean H. Baker (2020, Hardcover)
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About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherOxford University Press, Incorporated
ISBN-100190696451
ISBN-139780190696450
eBay Product ID (ePID)23038767536
Product Key Features
Number of Pages304 Pages
Publication NameBuilding America : the Life of Benjamin Henry Latrobe
LanguageEnglish
SubjectUnited States / 19th Century, Sociology / General, Individual Architects & Firms / General, Civil / General
Publication Year2020
TypeTextbook
AuthorJean H. Baker
Subject AreaArchitecture, Technology & Engineering, Social Science, History
FormatHardcover
Dimensions
Item Height1.1 in
Item Weight20.8 Oz
Item Length6.4 in
Item Width9.3 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional
LCCN2019-003618
Dewey Edition23
Reviews"In an engaging and readable style...Jean Baker ably presents the often-overlooked story of America''s first professional architect and engineer....Baker has given us an engaging portrait of a complex man, one who played a pivotal role in literally building the United States in its critical early years." -- Jeanne Abrams, Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences "This book should succeed Talbot Hamlin''s Pulitzer Prize-winning doorstopper, Benjamin Henry Latrobe: Architect, Artist, Engineer (1955), as the definitive biography....Baker puts Latrobe''s flaws, and his more endearing qualities as a father and husband, under the socially astute modern historian''s microscope. The man said to be America''s first architect and engineer (though many others performed those services at the time) is given credit for proclaiming that architecture was a sovereign profession--one that couldn''t be trusted to mere ''mechanics''--that required training and deserved fair compensation....His legacy is one of an uncompromising and long-suffering champion for his profession and its vision and stewardship of the built environment." -- Richard Korman, Architectural Digest "Architecture, it has been said, is first shaped by human beings, and then shapes those human beings. In this lucid and important book, Jean H. Baker tells the engaging story of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the man whose buildings and designs have left an indelible and enduring mark on the American nation."-Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America "As America''s first great architect and engineer, Benjamin Henry Latrobe transferred the founders'' vision of the nation to its buildings-from homes to churches, banks, municipal waterworks, and the US Capitol. Jean Baker does an admirable job of revealing the man behind the monuments."-Donald A. Ritchie, Senate Historian Emeritus "Setting his life against the backdrop of the vast opportunities in the new American republic, Jean Baker gives us a compelling portrait of the frequently brilliant, often mercurial, and deeply proud architect and engineer Benjamin Henry Latrobe."-Darwin H. Stapleton, editor of The Engineering Drawings of Benjamin Henry Latrobe "The life of Benjamin Latrobe as told by Jean Baker adds a unique human story to the cast of characters who built the American Republic. A peer and friend of Jefferson, an admirer of Tom Paine, and the architect of the nation''s Capitol, Latrobe was no homespun American like Ben Franklin. Despite his aristocratic airs, repeated financial blunders, and chronic headaches, Latrobe managed to build the domed monuments that sheltered and symbolized the infant republic."-Mary Ryan, author of Taking the Land to Make the City: A Bicoastal History "To students of the early American republic, Benjamin Henry Latrobe looms large-he brilliantly undertook some of the most notable architectural commissions of the day, including the U.S. Capitol, the Baltimore Cathedral, the Bank of Pennsylvania, and other fine buildings. In this book, Jean H. Baker critically reviews the multitudes of documents and letters Latrobe left behind and evaluates both the professional successes that ensured his national legacy and the personal flaws that led to financial ruin. With this fresh look at Latrobe''s life in the Old World and the New, Baker provides us with a compelling human story and solidifies her status as among the nation''s most accomplished historians."-Antoinette J. Lee, author of Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect''s Office "[An] insightful portrait of the early republic''s greatest architect... A fluid, much-needed biography of a remarkable man."--Kirkus "With this fine biography, historian Baker rescues Benjamin Henry Latrobe from obscurity and restores his reputation as the ''Father of American Architecture.''" --National Book Review, "Architecture, it has been said, is first shaped by human beings, and then shapes those human beings. In this lucid and important book, Jean H. Baker tells the engaging story of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the man whose buildings and designs have left an indelible and enduring mark on the American nation."-Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America "As America's first great architect and engineer, Benjamin Henry Latrobe transferred the founders' vision of the nation to its buildings-from homes to churches, banks, municipal waterworks, and the US Capitol. Jean Baker does an admirable job of revealing the man behind the monuments."-Donald A. Ritchie, Senate Historian Emeritus "Setting his life against the backdrop of the vast opportunities in the new American republic, Jean Baker gives us a compelling portrait of the frequently brilliant, often mercurial, and deeply proud architect and engineer Benjamin Henry Latrobe."-Darwin H. Stapleton, editor of The Engineering Drawings of Benjamin Henry Latrobe "The life of Benjamin Latrobe as told by Jean Baker adds a unique human story to the cast of characters who built the American Republic. A peer and friend of Jefferson, an admirer of Tom Paine, and the architect of the nation's Capitol, Latrobe was no homespun American like Ben Franklin. Despite his aristocratic airs, repeated financial blunders, and chronic headaches, Latrobe managed to build the domed monuments that sheltered and symbolized the infant republic."-Mary Ryan, author of Taking the Land to Make the City: A Bicoastal History "To students of the early American republic, Benjamin Henry Latrobe looms large-he brilliantly undertook some of the most notable architectural commissions of the day, including the U.S. Capitol, the Baltimore Cathedral, the Bank of Pennsylvania, and other fine buildings. In this book, Jean H. Baker critically reviews the multitudes of documents and letters Latrobe left behind and evaluates both the professional successes that ensured his national legacy and the personal flaws that led to financial ruin. With this fresh look at Latrobe's life in the Old World and the New, Baker provides us with a compelling human story and solidifies her status as among the nation's most accomplished historians."-Antoinette J. Lee, author of Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office "[An] insightful portrait of the early republic's greatest architect... A fluid, much-needed biography of a remarkable man."--Kirkus "With this fine biography, historian Baker rescues Benjamin Henry Latrobe from obscurity and restores his reputation as the 'Father of American Architecture.'" --National Book Review, "Architecture, it has been said, is first shaped by human beings, and then shapes those human beings. In this lucid and important book, Jean H. Baker tells the engaging story of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the man whose buildings and designs have left an indelible and enduring mark on the American nation."-Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America "As America's first great architect and engineer, Benjamin Henry Latrobe transferred the founders' vision of the nation to its buildings-from homes to churches, banks, municipal waterworks, and the US Capitol. Jean Baker does an admirable job of revealing the man behind the monuments."-Donald A. Ritchie, Senate Historian Emeritus "Setting his life against the backdrop of the vast opportunities in the new American republic, Jean Baker gives us a compelling portrait of the frequently brilliant, often mercurial, and deeply proud architect and engineer Benjamin Henry Latrobe."-Darwin H. Stapleton, editor of The Engineering Drawings of Benjamin Henry Latrobe "The life of Benjamin Latrobe as told by Jean Baker adds a unique human story to the cast of characters who built the American Republic. A peer and friend of Jefferson, an admirer of Tom Paine, and the architect of the nation's Capitol, Latrobe was no homespun American like Ben Franklin. Despite his aristocratic airs, repeated financial blunders, and chronic headaches, Latrobe managed to build the domed monuments that sheltered and symbolized the infant republic."-Mary Ryan, author of Taking the Land to Make the City: A Bicoastal History "To students of the early American republic, Benjamin Henry Latrobe looms large-he brilliantly undertook some of the most notable architectural commissions of the day, including the U.S. Capitol, the Baltimore Cathedral, the Bank of Pennsylvania, and other fine buildings. In this book, Jean H. Baker critically reviews the multitudes of documents and letters Latrobe left behind and evaluates both the professional successes that ensured his national legacy and the personal flaws that led to financial ruin. With this fresh look at Latrobe's life in the Old World and the New, Baker provides us with a compelling human story and solidifies her status as among the nation's most accomplished historians."-Antoinette J. Lee, author of Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office "[An] insightful portrait of the early republic's greatest architect... A fluid, much-needed biography of a remarkable man."--Kirkus, "Architecture, it has been said, is first shaped by human beings, and then shapes those human beings. In this lucid and important book, Jean H. Baker tells the engaging story of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the man whose buildings and designs have left an indelible and enduring mark on the American nation."-Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America "As America's first great architect and engineer, Benjamin Henry Latrobe transferred the founders' vision of the nation to its buildings-from homes to churches, banks, municipal waterworks, and the US Capitol. Jean Baker does an admirable job of revealing the man behind the monuments."-Donald A. Ritchie, Senate Historian Emeritus "Setting his life against the backdrop of the vast opportunities in the new American republic, Jean Baker gives us a compelling portrait of the frequently brilliant, often mercurial, and deeply proud architect and engineer Benjamin Henry Latrobe."-Darwin H. Stapleton, editor of The Architectural Drawings of Benjamin Henry Latrobe "The life of Benjamin Latrobe as told by Jean Baker adds a unique human story to the cast of characters who built the American Republic. A peer and friend of Jefferson, an admirer of Tom Paine, and the architect of the nation's Capitol, Latrobe was no homespun American like Ben Franklin. Despite his aristocratic airs, repeated financial blunders, and chronic headaches, Latrobe managed to build the domed monuments that sheltered and symbolized the infant republic."-Mary Ryan, author of Taking the Land to Make the City: A Bicoastal History "To students of the early American republic, Benjamin Henry Latrobe looms large-he brilliantly undertook some of the most notable architectural commissions of the day, including the U.S. Capitol, the Baltimore Cathedral, the Bank of Pennsylvania, and other fine buildings. In this book, Jean H. Baker critically reviews the multitudes of documents and letters Latrobe left behind and evaluates both the professional successes that ensured his national legacy and the personal flaws that led to financial ruin. With this fresh look at Latrobe's life in the Old World and the New, Baker provides us with a compelling human story and solidifies her status as among the nation's most accomplished historians."-Antoinette J. Lee, author of Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office "[An] insightful portrait of the early republic's greatest architect... A fluid, much-needed biography of a remarkable man."--Kirkus, "Architecture, it has been said, is first shaped by human beings, and then shapes those human beings. In this lucid and important book, Jean H. Baker tells the engaging story of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the man whose buildings and designs have left an indelible and enduring mark on the American nation."-Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America "As America's first great architect and engineer, Benjamin Henry Latrobe transferred the founders' vision of the nation to its buildings-from homes to churches, banks, municipal waterworks, and the US Capitol. Jean Baker does an admirable job of revealing the man behind the monuments."-Donald A. Ritchie, Senate Historian Emeritus "Setting his life against the backdrop of the vast opportunities in the new American republic, Jean Baker gives us a compelling portrait of the frequently brilliant, often mercurial, and deeply proud architect and engineer Benjamin Henry Latrobe."-Darwin H. Stapleton, editor of The Architectural Drawings of Benjamin Henry Latrobe "The life of Benjamin Latrobe as told by Jean Baker adds a unique human story to the cast of characters who built the American Republic. A peer and friend of Jefferson, an admirer of Tom Paine, and the architect of the nation's Capitol, Latrobe was no homespun American like Ben Franklin. Despite his aristocratic airs, repeated financial blunders, and chronic headaches, Latrobe managed to build the domed monuments that sheltered and symbolized the infant republic."-Mary Ryan, author of Taking the Land to Make the City: A Bicoastal History "To students of the early American republic, Benjamin Henry Latrobe looms large-he brilliantly undertook some of the most notable architectural commissions of the day, including the U.S. Capitol, the Baltimore Cathedral, the Bank of Pennsylvania, and other fine buildings. In this book, Jean H. Baker critically reviews the multitudes of documents and letters Latrobe left behind and evaluates both the professional successes that ensured his national legacy and the personal flaws that led to financial ruin. With this fresh look at Latrobe's life in the Old World and the New, Baker provides us with a compelling human story and solidifies her status as among the nation's most accomplished historians."-Antoinette J. Lee, author of Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office, "In an engaging and readable style...Jean Baker ably presents the often-overlooked story of America's first professional architect and engineer....Baker has given us an engaging portrait of a complex man, one who played a pivotal role in literally building the United States in its critical early years." -- Jeanne Abrams, Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences "This book should succeed Talbot Hamlin's Pulitzer Prize-winning doorstopper, Benjamin Henry Latrobe: Architect, Artist, Engineer (1955), as the definitive biography....Baker puts Latrobe's flaws, and his more endearing qualities as a father and husband, under the socially astute modern historian's microscope. The man said to be America's first architect and engineer (though many others performed those services at the time) is given credit for proclaiming that architecture was a sovereign professionone that couldn't be trusted to mere 'mechanics'that required training and deserved fair compensation....His legacy is one of an uncompromising and long-suffering champion for his profession and its vision and stewardship of the built environment." -- Richard Korman, Architectural Digest "Architecture, it has been said, is first shaped by human beings, and then shapes those human beings. In this lucid and important book, Jean H. Baker tells the engaging story of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the man whose buildings and designs have left an indelible and enduring mark on the American nation."-Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America "As America's first great architect and engineer, Benjamin Henry Latrobe transferred the founders' vision of the nation to its buildings-from homes to churches, banks, municipal waterworks, and the US Capitol. Jean Baker does an admirable job of revealing the man behind the monuments."-Donald A. Ritchie, Senate Historian Emeritus "Setting his life against the backdrop of the vast opportunities in the new American republic, Jean Baker gives us a compelling portrait of the frequently brilliant, often mercurial, and deeply proud architect and engineer Benjamin Henry Latrobe."-Darwin H. Stapleton, editor of The Engineering Drawings of Benjamin Henry Latrobe "The life of Benjamin Latrobe as told by Jean Baker adds a unique human story to the cast of characters who built the American Republic. A peer and friend of Jefferson, an admirer of Tom Paine, and the architect of the nation's Capitol, Latrobe was no homespun American like Ben Franklin. Despite his aristocratic airs, repeated financial blunders, and chronic headaches, Latrobe managed to build the domed monuments that sheltered and symbolized the infant republic."-Mary Ryan, author of Taking the Land to Make the City: A Bicoastal History "To students of the early American republic, Benjamin Henry Latrobe looms large-he brilliantly undertook some of the most notable architectural commissions of the day, including the U.S. Capitol, the Baltimore Cathedral, the Bank of Pennsylvania, and other fine buildings. In this book, Jean H. Baker critically reviews the multitudes of documents and letters Latrobe left behind and evaluates both the professional successes that ensured his national legacy and the personal flaws that led to financial ruin. With this fresh look at Latrobe's life in the Old World and the New, Baker provides us with a compelling human story and solidifies her status as among the nation's most accomplished historians."-Antoinette J. Lee, author of Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office "[An] insightful portrait of the early republic's greatest architect... A fluid, much-needed biography of a remarkable man."--Kirkus "With this fine biography, historian Baker rescues Benjamin Henry Latrobe from obscurity and restores his reputation as the 'Father of American Architecture.'" --National Book Review, "In an engaging and readable style...Jean Baker ably presents the often-overlooked story of America''s first professional architect and engineer....Baker has given us an engaging portrait of a complex man, one who played a pivotal role in literally building the United States in its critical early years." -- Jeanne Abrams, Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences "This book should succeed Talbot Hamlin''s Pulitzer Prize-winning doorstopper, Benjamin Henry Latrobe: Architect, Artist, Engineer (1955), as the definitive biography....Baker puts Latrobe''s flaws, and his more endearing qualities as a father and husband, under the socially astute modern historian''s microscope. The man said to be America''s first architect and engineer (though many others performed those services at the time) is given credit for proclaiming that architecture was a sovereign professionone that couldn''t be trusted to mere ''mechanics''that required training and deserved fair compensation....His legacy is one of an uncompromising and long-suffering champion for his profession and its vision and stewardship of the built environment." -- Richard Korman, Architectural Digest "Architecture, it has been said, is first shaped by human beings, and then shapes those human beings. In this lucid and important book, Jean H. Baker tells the engaging story of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the man whose buildings and designs have left an indelible and enduring mark on the American nation."-Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America "As America''s first great architect and engineer, Benjamin Henry Latrobe transferred the founders'' vision of the nation to its buildings-from homes to churches, banks, municipal waterworks, and the US Capitol. Jean Baker does an admirable job of revealing the man behind the monuments."-Donald A. Ritchie, Senate Historian Emeritus "Setting his life against the backdrop of the vast opportunities in the new American republic, Jean Baker gives us a compelling portrait of the frequently brilliant, often mercurial, and deeply proud architect and engineer Benjamin Henry Latrobe."-Darwin H. Stapleton, editor of The Engineering Drawings of Benjamin Henry Latrobe "The life of Benjamin Latrobe as told by Jean Baker adds a unique human story to the cast of characters who built the American Republic. A peer and friend of Jefferson, an admirer of Tom Paine, and the architect of the nation''s Capitol, Latrobe was no homespun American like Ben Franklin. Despite his aristocratic airs, repeated financial blunders, and chronic headaches, Latrobe managed to build the domed monuments that sheltered and symbolized the infant republic."-Mary Ryan, author of Taking the Land to Make the City: A Bicoastal History "To students of the early American republic, Benjamin Henry Latrobe looms large-he brilliantly undertook some of the most notable architectural commissions of the day, including the U.S. Capitol, the Baltimore Cathedral, the Bank of Pennsylvania, and other fine buildings. In this book, Jean H. Baker critically reviews the multitudes of documents and letters Latrobe left behind and evaluates both the professional successes that ensured his national legacy and the personal flaws that led to financial ruin. With this fresh look at Latrobe''s life in the Old World and the New, Baker provides us with a compelling human story and solidifies her status as among the nation''s most accomplished historians."-Antoinette J. Lee, author of Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect''s Office "[An] insightful portrait of the early republic''s greatest architect... A fluid, much-needed biography of a remarkable man."--Kirkus "With this fine biography, historian Baker rescues Benjamin Henry Latrobe from obscurity and restores his reputation as the ''Father of American Architecture.''" --National Book Review
IllustratedYes
Dewey Decimal720.92 B
Table Of ContentAcknowledgmentsIntroduction Ch. 1 Itching Ears: The Early Life of Benjamin Latrobe Ch. 2 This New American Ch. 3 Capitol Projects: Latrobe in Washington, 1803-1813 Ch. 4 Beloved Mary and the Little Folks Ch. 5 Breaking Points: Pittsburgh and Washington, 1813- 1817 Ch. 6 Last Beginnings: Baltimore and New Orleans Conclusion Legacies NotesIndex
SynopsisAn English émigré who became America's first professional architect, Benjamin Henry Latrobe put his stamp on the built landscape of the new republic. Latrobe contributed to such iconic structures as the south wing of the US Capitol building, the White House, and the Navy Yard. He created some of the early republic's greatest neoclassical interiors, including the Statuary Hall and the Senate, House, and Supreme Court Chambers.As a young man, Latrobe was apprenticed to both a leading architect and civil engineer in London, studied the European continent's architectural and engineering monuments, worked on canals, and designed private houses. After the death of his first wife, he was bankrupt and emigrated to the United States in 1796 to restart his career. For the new nation with grand political expectations, he intended buildings and engineering projects to match those aspirations. Like his patron Thomas Jefferson, Latrobe saw his neoclassical designs as a way to convey American democracy. He envisioned his engineering projects, such as the canals and municipal water systems for Philadelphia and New Orleans, as a way to unite the nation and improve public health.Jean Baker conveys the personality of this charming, driven, and often frustrated genius and the era in which he lived. Latrobe tried to establish architecture as a profession with high standards, established fees, and recognized procedures, though he was unable to collect fees and earn the living his work was worth. Like many of his peers, he speculated and found himself in bankruptcy several times.Building America masterfully narrates the life and legacy of a key figure in creating an American aesthetic in the new United States., An English migrwho became America's first professional architect, Benjamin Henry Latrobe put his stamp on the built landscape of the new republic. Latrobe contributed to such iconic structures as the south wing of the US Capitol building, the White House, and the Navy Yard. He created some of the early republic's greatest neoclassical interiors, including the Statuary Hall and the Senate, House, and Supreme Court Chambers. As a young man, Latrobe was apprenticed to both a leading architect and civil engineer in London, studied the European continent's architectural and engineering monuments, worked on canals, and designed private houses. After the death of his first wife, he was bankrupt and emigrated to the United States in 1796 to restart his career. For the new nation with grand political expectations, he intended buildings and engineering projects to match those aspirations. Like his patron Thomas Jefferson, Latrobe saw his neoclassical designs as a way to convey American democracy. He envisioned his engineering projects, such as the canals and municipal water systems for Philadelphia and New Orleans, as a way to unite the nation and improve public health. Jean Baker conveys the personality of this charming, driven, and often frustrated genius and the era in which he lived. Latrobe tried to establish architecture as a profession with high standards, established fees, and recognized procedures, though he was unable to collect fees and earn the living his work was worth. Like many of his peers, he speculated and found himself in bankruptcy several times. Building America masterfully narrates the life and legacy of a key figure in creating an American aesthetic in the new United States., An English émigré who became America's first professional architect, Benjamin Henry Latrobe put his stamp on the built landscape of the new republic. Latrobe contributed to such iconic structures as the south wing of the US Capitol building, the White House, and the Navy Yard. He created some of the early republic's greatest neoclassical interiors, including the Statuary Hall and the Senate, House, and Supreme Court Chambers. As a young man, Latrobe was apprenticed to both a leading architect and civil engineer in London, studied the European continent's architectural and engineering monuments, worked on canals, and designed private houses. After the death of his first wife, he was bankrupt and emigrated to the United States in 1796 to restart his career. For the new nation with grand political expectations, he intended buildings and engineering projects to match those aspirations. Like his patron Thomas Jefferson, Latrobe saw his neoclassical designs as a way to convey American democracy. He envisioned his engineering projects, such as the canals and municipal water systems for Philadelphia and New Orleans, as a way to unite the nation and improve public health. Jean Baker conveys the personality of this charming, driven, and often frustrated genius and the era in which he lived. Latrobe tried to establish architecture as a profession with high standards, established fees, and recognized procedures, though he was unable to collect fees and earn the living his work was worth. Like many of his peers, he speculated and found himself in bankruptcy several times. Building America masterfully narrates the life and legacy of a key figure in creating an American aesthetic in the new United States., Just as the revolutionaries of America sought to create a new society, so too did Benjamin Henry Latrobe seek to create buildings and oversee public works projects that would elevate the culture and society of the United States. This biography of Benjamin Henry Latrobe narrates the challenges to and triumphs of America's first professionally trained architect and engineer.
LC Classification NumberNA737.L34B35 2019
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