The Creative Destruction of Manhattan, 1900-1940

by Max Page

Book Overview

Winner of the 2001 Spiro Kostof Book Award from the Society of Architectural Historians.

"It'll be a great place if they ever finish it," O. Henry wrote about New York City. This laconic remark captures the relentlessly transitory character of New York, and it points toward Max Page's synthetic perspective. Against the prevailing motif of a naturally expanding metropolis, Page argues that the early-twentieth-century city was dominated by the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226644685
• ISBN13: 9780226644684
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 317 Pages
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 8.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Urban legend

Dr. Page has created a dynamic, readable exploration of the history of design and construction in what is arguably the modern world's greatest city. His vivid descriptions and insightful analyses are complemented by a treasury of remarkable photographs and other illustrations. This extremely readable, intelligent book is an indispensible resource for anyone who claims to truly know the Big Apple.

For ALL of us living in fast-changing places

I took two stories from Creative Destruction.As a native New Yorker, I found this book a wonderful and thorough analysis of major and minor events that changed New York. These events are not simplified; Max Page tells a story that includes the conflicts and interdependency of commerce, preservation, and progress.As a San Franciscan watching my newly-adopted city go through dramatic changes, I am given guidance and insight into the effects of such turbulence. Max Page helps me identify shortsighted actions as well as deal with inevitability. At the very least, I am more aware; at best, I am a better citizen. For ALL of us living in urban areas going through fast changes, Creative Destruction is great reading.