Bertram Goodhue: His Life and Residential Architecture

By Romy Wyllie

This book enlarges our understanding of Goodhue, neither fully researched nor justly appreciated until now, by examining his residential designs within the framework of his better-known ecclesiastical and secular projects. At the same time it takes a closer look at the man behind the drawing board. Covered here are twenty built and six unbuilt houses that provide new insight into the evolution of Goodhue's architecture during the 33-year period of his remarkable career. Although these projects made up only a small portion of his total work, they are rich in architectural expression. Though time has brought unavoidable changes to the buildings, Goodhue's legacy lives on. Philip Johnson has called Goodhue "America's leading architect of his day," and this book demonstrates clearly Goodhue's role in the modern movement and the place he merits in the history of architecture.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393732193
• ISBN13: 9780393732191
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 2.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.9" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

Bertram Goodhue - His Liefe and Residenmtial Architecture

I found this a very valuable resource on both Goodhue and in particular his residential work. While he is known for public buildings and churches I previously have seen little on his residential work, thus my interest. A must for anyone's library with an interest in residential Mediterranean Revival Architecture.

A Rich Narrative on the Life and Work of Bertram Goodhue

Written by Pamela Skewes-Cox in EDEN, Vol. 10 No. 2, Summer 2007. Permission to reprint granted by the California Garden & Landscape History Society Romy Wyllie's newly released book Bertram Goodhue; His Life and Residential Architecture, published by W.W Norton and Company, Inc., is an engaging and well researched investigation into the life and work of one of the most talented and productive architects practicing in the U.S. at the turn-of-the-last-century. In a highly readable text Wyllie provides an analysis of 26 of Goodhue's most comprehensive commissions, as well as a description of the lives and excessive tastes of his clients. The author also tracks the progression of Goodhue's style - including his eventual break from tradition - and weaves all into a deft portrait of both the man and the artist. Wyllie's research benefited greatly from the abundance of archival materials that have been carefully preserved by the Goodhue family and by academic institutions. However, it takes exceptional talent and perseverance to weed out the best of it. Wyllie has done just that. For example, Bertram Goodhue ( 1869-1924) was a prolific letter writer who wrote articulately about himself and others. Wyllie takes careful advantage of her sources, using them wisely to give a particular richness to the narrative. In a speech to his staff at the 1922 Twelfth-Night party, he says: "I can't begin to tell you how fond I am of every member of the office force, - how much I value them all, and their various abilities. Of this force I am but one, a man-in-a-blouse, so to speak, with this difference; that I have the power of veto. I believe it makes for happiness that men's work should be interesting and not always mere work.... And everybody is free to differ with me in my solution of any given problem .... I often come back to find my own solution drawn out, with another, and distinctly better one, alongside." [From "Twelfth-Night in Mr. Goodhue's Office", Pencil Points 3, no.2 (February 1922): 26] The reader comes away not only with a thorough knowledge of the architectural work and Goodhue's relationship with his clients, colleagues and staff, but also an appreciation of Goodhue as a human being. For those drawn to an architect's vision of how a structure works in relation to its surrounding, Wyllie is generous in offering up this side of Goodhue's innovations with landscaping and gardens. A trip to the Mediterranean, India, and Persia in 1901 with his new client, James Waldron Gillespie, marked a turning point for Goodhue. From this point on, he became adept in integrating shallow reflecting pools, pavilions, exotic tress and shrubs, courtyards, fountains, and waterways into his plans. The Dater and Gillespie residences in Santa Barbara, and the Coppell residence in Pasadena are a few of Wyllie's well documented examples of Goodhue's innovations and his ability to bring garden, landscape, and residence together seamlessly. Bertram Goodhue will ta

Bertram Goodhue: His Life and Residential Architecture. Review by R. W. Liscombe

REVIEW by R. W. Liscombe, Professor of Art History, University of British Columbia. Published September 1, 2007 in CHOICE, a monthly review service of the Association of College and Research Libraries. Beautifully produced, superbly illustrated, carefully researched, convincingly argued, and gracefully written, this book by Wyllie, historian, teacher, and practitioner of design has considerably extended an understanding of both American architectural culture during the transition from academic to modernist paradigms and Bertram Goodhue's accomplishment, especially in residential commissions. Wyllie adopts a traditional historical method to compile a highly readable and informative account of Goodhue's life in architecture. She is especially adept at discussing his various iconographic and theoretical sources while defining the distinct qualities of his formal and spatial articulation. A particularly commendable feature of the text is the excellent choice of Goodhue's fine drawings, historical and contemporary, color, photographs, and the effective positioning of plans in relation to elevation or views. The reader is additionally equipped with a concise bibliography, endnotes, list of buildings and projects, and index. Thus, Wyllie enhances the main literature exemplified by Richard Oliver's 1983 Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; graduate students; faculty and researchers; professionals.

GOODHUE

A very good book with well researched text and wonderful archieval images. I cant say im a total fan of Goodhue, his work could be overwhelming, especially his residental work, but this book is very well done. I highly recommend it to anyone with any interst in Goodhue, it does the great architect proud.