Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses by Christopher Domin, Joseph King (review)

Book Reviews Christopher Domin and Joseph King. Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002, 248 pp., 150 b/w illus., hardcover, $40.00, ISBN 1-56898-2666 , paperback, $29.95, ISBN 1-56898-551-7. P aul Rudolph: 1he Florida Houses is a really good book. Domin and King give readers a comprehensive but criticalview ofRudolph's efforts to develop a regional mode of mid-century modernism. Their book is beautifully written, illustrated, and exceptionally well argued. It is a pleasure to read. The book is organized into three sections: the first discusses Rudolph's formative years and his work with Ralph Twitchell; the second examines his independent architectural career; and the third looks at his public buildings, including those with Twitchell. Each section is further divided into an introductory essay and a review of relevant buildings. This approach balances the need to present information on houses that are beginning to fade from the record with a desire to present them relative to their context and history. Coupled with an introductory essay by Robert Bruegmann, Domin and King successfully present an inclusive spectrum of Rudolph's work in Florida. But only in Florida. The authors begin with a careful explanation of how they crafted this survey, a word that, by the way, hardly does justice to their finished product. Their goal was to place Rudolph's designs within the cultural milieu of Florida's twentieth-century development. Both authors argue, correctly, that by examining this twenty-year segment of Rudolph's career, a greater understanding of the circumstances surrounding his later and more famous work emerges, giving insight into the overall mid-century modernist movement, as well as the recent revival of that idiom in Southeast Asia. Domin and King are not to be criticized for making sparse reference to Rudolph's work outside of Florida; rather, they are to be praised for constructing so complete andcompellingastoryofRudolph'searlyarchitectural experiments that even the least experienced of readers cannot help but see connections between this formative period in Rudolph's career and his subsequent architectural monuments. One of the best features of this book is the exceptional quality ofits analytical writing. Perhaps it is cliche to say that the book is well written, but relative to other writings from and about this era, Domin and King make the reader understand what Rudolph was all about. A case in point is their thoughtful analysis of Rudolph's approach to specific materials, where they explain not only how Rudolph used each material but also how this use differed from that of other architects (Rudolph, p. 47-52). In short, Domin and King make us understand why Rudolph's work was so exciting and new. The case studies are what make this book so comprehensive. Overviews of many of Rudolph's majorworks are included in the introductory essays, but more specific detail is presented succinctly in the building reviews. The chronological organization of the case studies effectively charts the origin of Rudolph's design ideas and their evolution over time. This approach allows the reader to project the trajectory of Rudolph's ideas onto his later work, even though that work is not the focus of the book. 82 ARRIS Volume Sixteen BOOK REVIEWS There is very little cause to complain. The illustrations, compiled from periodicals like Architectural Forum, from the Rudolph Archive at the Library ofCongress, and from current sources, are exquisite. It seems entirely appropriate to cast Rudolph's work in the black and white that is so synonymous with the modern age. Along with the text, these images recapture the magic and excitement of mid-century architecture; scholarship on this era is all-to-often lacking. This reviewer's only lingering regret was that there wasn't more to read. CATHERINE W. ZIPF Salve Regina University Robert M. Craig. Bernard Maybeck at Principia College: The Art and Craft of Building. Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, 2004, 544 pp., 400 illus. hardcover, $75.00, ISBN 1-58685-456-9. A s most people in SESAH know, Rob Craig has been working on the topic of Bernard Maybeck's Principia College commission for more than thirty years, starting with his...