New York, 1960: Architecture and Urbanism between the Second World War and the Bicentennial

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The massive New York 1960 is the third installment in a series covering the last 100 years of New York architectural history. Weighing almost eight pounds, it's a seemingly endless parade of images and information woven together into a fascinating tale of the changing urban landscape. The combination of political, social, and artistic commentary of the day culled largely from primary sources, along with sharp period photographs, provide a time machine's experience of the city that was. The historic tour begins with lower Manhattan and progresses uptown one neighborhood (and practically one building) at a time. With stories of buildings that were never built, teams of architects fired from projects, and the influence of the mayor's office, this chronicle offers amazing insight into how decisions were made and their impact on the city's life. The implementation of parking meters, the zoning laws to support retail on 5th Avenue, the movement of artists from Greenwich Village to what used to be Coenties Slip to industrial SoHo are a number of examples. For anyone interested in architecture, urban issues, or the history of New York City, New York 1960 should not be missed. --J.P. Cohen


From Publishers Weekly
Documenting New York City's transformation from manageable metropolis into sprawling megalopolis, this magnificent, panoramic volume sweeps from early 1940s' New York, a world capital of culture, sophistication and commerce, to the mid-'70s, when crime and near economic collapse had tarnished its image. Stunningly illustrated with some 1500 duotone period photographs, the absorbing text focuses on the 1960s and is organized geographically, from the metamorphosis of stretches of midtown into corporate America's headquarters to development projects in Harlem, the construction of Lincoln Center and the United Nations complex and efforts to preserve neighborhoods ranging from Greenwich Village to those in the other boroughs. We also get commentaries by Philip Johnson, Jane Jacobs, Lewis Mumford, Robert Moses, Ada Louise Huxtable and others reflecting on battles over architectural styles and urban-planning philosophies. An unprecedented record of New York City's dynamism and continual adaptation, this study also looks at portrayals of the city in films, paintings, sculpture, music, plays. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


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Documenting New York City's transformation from manageable metropolis into sprawling megalopolis, this magnificent, panoramic volume sweeps from early 1940s' New York, a world capital of culture, sophistication and commerce, to the mid-'70s, when crime and near economic collapse had tarnished its image. Stunningly illustrated with some 1500 duotone period photographs, the absorbing text focuses on the 1960s and is organized geographically, from the metamorphosis of stretches of midtown into corporate America's headquarters to development projects in Harlem, the construction of Lincoln Center and the United Nations complex and efforts to preserve neighborhoods ranging from Greenwich Village to those in the other boroughs. We also get commentaries by Philip Johnson, Jane Jacobs, Lewis Mumford, Robert Moses, Ada Louise Huxtable and others reflecting on battles over architectural styles and urban-planning philosophies. An unprecedented record of New York City's dynamism and continual adaptation, this study also looks at portrayals of the city in films, paintings, sculpture, music, plays. (Apr.)


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