Making Houston Modern
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About This Book
Complex, controversial, and prolific, Howard Barnstone was a central figure in the world of twentieth-century modern architecture. Recognized as Houston's foremost modern architect in the 1950s, Barnstone came to prominence for his designs with partner Preston M. Bolton, which transposed the rigorous and austere architectural practices of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe to the hot, steamy coastal plain of Texas. Barnstone was a man of contradictionsâcharming and witty but also self-centered, caustic, and abusiveâwho shaped new settings that were imbued, at once, with spatial calm and emotional intensity.
Making Houston Modern explores the provocative architect's life and work, not only through the lens of his architectural practice but also by delving into his personal life, class identity, and connections to the artists, critics, collectors, and museum directors who forged Houston's distinctive culture in the postwar era. Edited by three renowned voices in the architecture world, this volume situates Barnstone within the contexts of American architecture, modernism, and Jewish culture to unravel the legacy of a charismatic personality whose imaginative work as an architect, author, teacher, and civic commentator helped redefine architecture in Texas.
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Table of contents
- Contents
- Foreword. Call me Howard, Please! | Carlos Jiménez
- Preface
- Introducction. Why Howard Barnstone Why? | Stephen Fox and Michelangelo Sabatino
- I. Howard Barnstone's Architecture
- II. Howard Barnstone's Clients
- III. Howard Barnstone's Life
- Conclusion. Magical Modernism | Barrie Scardino Bradley, Stephen Fox, and Michelangelo Sabatino
- Afterword. Looking Toward the Future | Theodore H. M. Prudon
- Appendices
- Catalogue Raisonné
- Selected Bibliography
- Contributors
- Image Credits
- Index