Description
Book SynopsisThis collection of writings and speeches by Texas's most renowned architect positions him among the leading midcentury modernist architects, including William Wurster, Louis Kahn, and I. M. Pei, who were his collaborators and intellectual peers.
Trade ReviewDating back to 1928, the collection traces Ford's evolution not only as an architect, but also an early proponent of preserving landscape and the environment, today called sustainable development. * San Antonio Express-News *
[
O'Neil Ford on Architecture is] an excellent argument for architects to take the time and effort in crafting their words in print and in talks, and for schools of architecture to teach writing as well was design. * A Daily Dose of Architecture *
This tight little volume collects within one binding the significant writings and lectures of the daddy of Texas architecture…[Ford] had strong convictions and expressed them with a bold directness that contrasts sharply with the shrinking and diplomatic public faces that most architects, wary of offending clients by voicing views that might prove controversial, usually affect. * Texas Architect *
These essays and lectures...enhance our appreciation for Ford's lifetime achievements and secure his place as an esteemed design professional...[
O'Neil Ford on Architecture] makes clear the reasons many contemporary architects and designers, preservationists, conservationists, and those who love Texas architecture are still inspired by Ford and learn from him….To read Ford's words here is to see how his eclectic approach encourages our innate human capacity to observe and study our environment, a process that he was driven to teach others to pursue. * Southwestern Historical Quarterly *
Table of Contents
- Introduction: The Language of O’Neil Ford, by Kathryn E. O’Rourke
- Part I. The Making of a Modern Architect
- 1927. Architecture of Early Texas (with David R. Williams), Part 1
- 1927. Architecture of Early Texas (with David R. Williams), Part 2
- 1928. Architecture of Early Texas (with David R. Williams), Part 3
- 1932. Organic Building
- Part II. Growth and Synthesis
- 1940. Review of Williamsburg—Today and Yesterday
- 1951. O’Neil Ford Lectures on Slab Lifting
- 1953. Statement on Behalf of the San Antonio Conservation Society
- 1955. Imagineering
- 1959. History and Development of La Villita Assembly Hall
- 1960. Response to J. Robert Oppenheimer, American Institute of Architects Annual Convention
- Part III. In and Against the World
- 1964. Texas Idyll
- 1964. The Condition of Architecture
- 1965. History and Development of the Spanish Missions in San Antonio
- 1966. Mr. O’Neil Ford’s Speech at the Sculpture and Environment Symposium
- 1967. The End of a Beginning
- 1968. Culture—Who Needs It?
- 1968. Physical Planning versus or for the Individual
- Part IV. Looking Back, Looking Forward
- 1978. Foreword to Lynn Ford: Texas Architect and Craftsman
- 1981. Lessons in Looking
- 1981. Eulogy for Tom Stell
- 1982. Foreword to David R. Williams, Pioneer Architect
- Acknowledgments
- Image Credits
- Index
