The Philadelphia Area Architecture of Horace Trumbauer (Images of America)

I love the Images of America series and try to pick them up wherever I see them. This one is great as it really shows the architecture skill that has been lost over time. (Or maybe I was just born 100 years too late) There are many great examples of Trumbeau's design and influence in the northeast and this book does a great job of introducing you to his style. Some of his works have not stood the test of time though. Usually because his stuctures were huge and very costly to maintain and therefor reduced to rubble and cheap stick built homes or shopping malls. The home on the cover (Lynnewood Hall) still exists but is practically in ruin. (Very impressive to see first hand) If you enjoy the Gilded age of architecture, this book & architect are for you. The Images of America series gives you just enough detail to satisfy your curiosity and enough rare pictures to make you wonder what it was like way back when. If you like this book, there is also one on Whitemarsh Hall which is another Trumbeau Images of America book. It talks about that estate only but it had an amazing story and tragic end.

This is mainly a picture book, but the important info is included such as "what happened to these houses?" and relevant brief histories. A great read/look but I warn you, it will make you weep for what has been lost.

Comprehensive, well-researched and illustrated.

This book has a lot of pictures and information. I wish, though, that there were more pictures on each individual work rather than having lots of pictures on lots of different works.

Love the variety of his work. His architecture is classic.

wonderful, informative, bought forl ynnewood hall info AND GOT SO MUCH MORE INFORMATION .

Having been in the Philadelphia area all my life, and been fascinated with large estates for almost as long, this was interesting to realize how many of the mansions I know of, are Trumbauer designs. I was lucky enough to see some of them in their heyday and saddened to see some of them in their demise. Sorry to say, many are gone and a few more are on their way out. No one can maintain that lifestyle anymore (especially in today's economy). These "Images of America" books are a window to the past we will never see, to this extent, again.

I've always liked the Image of America series, it chronicles everything from the most obscure subjects to the most iconic. What really resonates with me are the archieval black and white images, they must be culled from dust laden old liberies, the text though hardly scholarly is informative none the less. These are short, simple books, but for what they are, they are excellent. This is one of the best of the series, Trumbauer was a master of the classic venacular in architecture, he designed some of the most spectacular houses of the Gilded Age, Richard Morris Hunt and Stanford White get more press, but the unheralded Trumbauer is their equal. If you have an interest in Gilded Age Splendor or Philadelphia history than I can image you not getting something out of this book.

An interesting little book on an incredible architect. The photos were a bit fuzzy and often very dark. Not sure if there is a way to improve upon old architectural photos. Certainly evoked the pampered life of another era. Also contains pix of commercial buildings - including interiors. Great stuff!

alles bestens, jederzeit gerne wieder, danke sehr !