A major new monograph has been released on the work of architectural genius Louis Sullivan. The book, titled The Complete Architecture of Adler & Sullivan, is just that - a complete document of all of Sullivan's over 250 building commissions, existing and demolished. The book is Published by the Richard Nickel Committee with the University of Chicago Press. Its authorship is credited to a team consisting of Aaron Siskind, John Vinci, Ward Miller and Richard Nickel. Many of the gorgeous photos in the book were taken by Nickel who died in a collapse of the Sullivan designed Chicago Stock Exchange while it was being demolished in 1972. Nickel was in the building photographing and saving Sullivan ornamentation as he had done many times prior. He was an early preservation activist motivated by his distress as Sullivan buildings began being demolished at an alarming rate in the 1950's.
Today fewer than half of Sullivan's buildings remain. Nickel started this book in the 1950's but could never finish his work as he was increasingly distracted by the urgency of trying to save as many buildings as possible and document the buildings before they were gone. There was no real preservation movement and certainly little public interest in saving dirty old buildings at the time. Hence he and the people he gathered to his cause had very little success.
The book is very large weighing in at more than 8 pounds with over 470 pages and over 800 images. Along with the photos the book includes 108-page catalogue raisonne listing each of the 256 building commissions and projects, listing name, location, building size, cost and current status. Historic photographs and plans are also included where available and an essay on the building, with historic resources references and citations on each of the structures. In completing Nickel's book the associate authors sorted through tens of thousands of images. This is truly a spectacular book and a must have for any architecture fan.
View image
Today fewer than half of Sullivan's buildings remain. Nickel started this book in the 1950's but could never finish his work as he was increasingly distracted by the urgency of trying to save as many buildings as possible and document the buildings before they were gone. There was no real preservation movement and certainly little public interest in saving dirty old buildings at the time. Hence he and the people he gathered to his cause had very little success.
The book is very large weighing in at more than 8 pounds with over 470 pages and over 800 images. Along with the photos the book includes 108-page catalogue raisonne listing each of the 256 building commissions and projects, listing name, location, building size, cost and current status. Historic photographs and plans are also included where available and an essay on the building, with historic resources references and citations on each of the structures. In completing Nickel's book the associate authors sorted through tens of thousands of images. This is truly a spectacular book and a must have for any architecture fan.
got this for xmas. very thorough.