Ebook269 pages3 hours
Guardians of Detroit: Architectural Sculpture in the Motor City
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
About this ebook
Detroit is home to amazing architectural sculpture—a host of gargoyles, grotesques, and other silent guardians that watch over the city from high above its streets and sidewalks, often unnoticed or ignored by the people passing below. Jeff Morrison’s Guardians of Detroit: Architectural Sculpture in the Motor City documents these incredible features in a city that began as a small frontier fort and quickly grew to become a major metropolis and industrial titan.
Detroit developed steadily following its founding in 1701. From 1850 to 1930 it experienced unprecedented population growth, increasing from 21,019 to over 1,500,000 people. A city of giants, Detroit became home to people of towering ambition and vision who gained wealth and sought to leave their mark on the city they loved. This aspiration created a massive building boom during a time when architectural styles favored detailed ornamentation, resulting in a collection of architectural sculpture unmatched by any other U.S. city. Guardians of Detroit is a first-of-its-kind project to explore, document, and explain this singular collection on a building-by-building basis and to discover and share the stories of these structures and the artists, artisans, and architects who created them. Using a 600-millimeter lens and 23-megapixel camera, Morrison brings sculptural building details barely visible to the naked eye down from the heights, making them available for up-close appreciation. The photos are arranged in a collage format that emphasizes the variety of and relationships between each building’s sculptural ornamentation. Well-researched text complements the photography, delving into the lives of those who created these wonderful works of architectural art.
Guardians of Detroit is an extended love letter to the historic architecture of a city that would become the driving force of America’s industrial and economic power. Fans of art, architecture, and hidden gems will love poring over these pages.
Detroit developed steadily following its founding in 1701. From 1850 to 1930 it experienced unprecedented population growth, increasing from 21,019 to over 1,500,000 people. A city of giants, Detroit became home to people of towering ambition and vision who gained wealth and sought to leave their mark on the city they loved. This aspiration created a massive building boom during a time when architectural styles favored detailed ornamentation, resulting in a collection of architectural sculpture unmatched by any other U.S. city. Guardians of Detroit is a first-of-its-kind project to explore, document, and explain this singular collection on a building-by-building basis and to discover and share the stories of these structures and the artists, artisans, and architects who created them. Using a 600-millimeter lens and 23-megapixel camera, Morrison brings sculptural building details barely visible to the naked eye down from the heights, making them available for up-close appreciation. The photos are arranged in a collage format that emphasizes the variety of and relationships between each building’s sculptural ornamentation. Well-researched text complements the photography, delving into the lives of those who created these wonderful works of architectural art.
Guardians of Detroit is an extended love letter to the historic architecture of a city that would become the driving force of America’s industrial and economic power. Fans of art, architecture, and hidden gems will love poring over these pages.
Related to Guardians of Detroit
Related ebooks
The Yorkshire Tea Ceremony: W. A. Ismay and His Collection of British Studio Pottery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Contemporary British Studio Pottery: Forms of Expression Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSocial Change and the Evolution of Ceramic Production and Distribution in a Maya Community Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Potter's Craft A Practical Guide for the Studio and Workshop Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pottery and Social Life in Medieval England Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJewellery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsModern Art Nouveau Architecture: Guide to Magical Art Nouveau Architectural Style Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of Porcelain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsQatari Style: Unexpected Interiors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArt of the State: Celebrating the Visual Art of North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPottery and Porcelain, from early times down to the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pleasures and Treasures of Britain: A Discerning Traveller's Companion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExploring Contemporary Craft: History, Theory and Critical Writing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCotswold Arts and Crafts Architecture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuy Wolff: Master Potter in the Garden Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBasic Pottery Making: A Complete Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Is African Art?: A Short History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Chieftain and the Chair: The Rise of Danish Design in Postwar America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPottery Ethnoarchaeology in the Michoacán Sierra Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDivine Discoveries in History and the Arts: Music, Dance and Spirituality in the Arts, Maria Theresa Duncan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSistershow Revisited: Feminism in Bristol, 1973–75 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArts and Crafts Essays by Members of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Burnt Incense Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mark of Theory: Inscriptive Figures, Poststructuralist Prehistories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Royal Guide to Wax Flower Modelling Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWindows, A Book About Stained & Painted Glass Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Union Glass Co. Cutting Blanks, Punch Bowls Through Miscellaneous: Union Blanks, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsModern Design in Jewellery and Fans Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMonumental Brasses of England and the Art of Brass Rubbing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAncient Pottery of the Mississippi Valley Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Architecture For You
Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The New Bohemians Handbook: Come Home to Good Vibes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Architecture 101: From Frank Gehry to Ziggurats, an Essential Guide to Building Styles and Materials Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flatland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Solar Power Demystified: The Beginners Guide To Solar Power, Energy Independence And Lower Bills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Welcome Home: A Cozy Minimalist Guide to Decorating and Hosting All Year Round Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Fix Absolutely Anything: A Homeowner's Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Feng Shui Modern Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Living Small Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5House Beautiful: Colors for Your Home: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Paint Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLive Beautiful Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Home Sweet Maison: The French Art of Making a Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Martha Stewart's Organizing: The Manual for Bringing Order to Your Life, Home & Routines Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Down to Earth: Laid-back Interiors for Modern Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Making Midcentury Modern Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The New Bohemians: Cool & Collected Homes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Build Shipping Container Homes With Plans Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Become An Exceptional Designer: Effective Colour Selection For You And Your Client Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Disney's Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Giza Power Plant: Technologies of Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shinto the Kami Way Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse: How to Design and Build a Net-Zero Energy Greenhouse Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Decorate: 1,000 Professional Design Ideas for Every Room in Your Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Guardians of Detroit
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Guardians of Detroit - Jeff Morrison
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1