Description
Book SynopsisA must-read for city planners, town councils, architects, sign designers, concerned citizens, and anyone who cares about the appearance and vitality of America's commercial streets, this heavily illustrated book is equally appealing to armchair historians, small-town enthusiasts, and lovers of Americana.
Trade ReviewA must-read for any fan of architecture -- and for city planners. It is a thorough dissection of the trends and clashes that continue to shape and regulate our nation's commercial corridors. -- Mark A. Vernarelli American Road
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
1. The Making of Main Street: Transformation and Invention on the Commercial Frontier, 1700s–1899
2. The Great Blight Way: Electricity and Reform from Main Street to City Center, 1900–1917
3. Visions and Velocity: The Expansive Age of the Automobile, 1918–1928
4. Sign as Storefront: America Discovers Modernism, 1929–1945
5. Landscapes of More and Less: Consequences of Commercial Freedom and Restraint, 1946–1964
6. Rediscovering Main Street: Retrenchment, Repair, and Reinvention, 1965–2010
Conclusion
Notes
Essay on Sources
Index
