Description
Book SynopsisInvestigates how architecture, technology, politics, and urban planning came together in French architect Victor Baltard’s creation of the Central Markets of Paris. Presents a case study of the historical process that produced modern Paris between 1840 and 1870.
Trade Review“This book promises to make an important contribution to the literature on nineteenth-century French architecture.”
—Kevin Murphy,CUNY Graduate Center
“Finally we have a thorough and nuanced monograph on the architect Victor Baltard, his contribution to the design of the world's most renowned public market, and his rightful place—and that of his oeuvre, including the markets—in shaping the modern French capital.”
—Helen Tangires,Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art
“In this outstanding work of scholarship, Mead (Univ. of New Mexico) subjects the career of Victor Baltard, architect of Les Halles, the Central Markets of Paris, to an examination that commences with a discussion of the skepticism that has hovered over Baltard's reputation since the 1870s. . . . Highly recommended.”
—J. Quinan Choice
“Mead’s Making Modern Paris effectively situates Baltard’s achievement fully within the currents of his period and demonstrates how the intellectual environment and administrative structures within which he worked contributed to shaping his approach to design.”
—Christopher Drew Armstrong caa.reviews
“The great value of Mead’s meticulous study resides in his expert demonstrations of Baltard’s exceptional sensitivity to history and to historical context. These constitute a valuable contribution to our understanding of the architect’s approach, and help open our eyes to heretofore obscure aspects of midnineteenth-century French planning more broadly.”
—Richard Wittman Oxford Art Journal
Table of ContentsContents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 Reconsidering Victor Baltard
Chapter 2 Classicism and the Architect’s Education
Chapter 3 Representing Paris
Chapter 4 Decorated Construction
Chapter 5 An Urban History of the Central Markets
Chapter 6 Housing the City
Epilogue on Function and Typology in Baltard’s Urban Architecture
Appendix: Career Chronology of Victor Baltard
Notes
Bibliography
Index
