June 2023 MBR The Architecture Shelf

The Architecture Shelf

A. A. Fischer's St. Louis Streetscapes
Nancy Moore Hamilton
Missouri Historical Society Press
PO Box 775460, St. Louis, MO 63177
https://mohistory.org/publications
9798985571622, $50.00, HC, 496pp

https://www.amazon.com/Fischers-St-Louis-Streetscapes/dp/B0BFD4LMCN

Synopsis: Though few people in contemporary St. Louis likely know his name, it is indisputable that builder A. A. Fischer left an indelible mark on the city's residential architecture. Between 1894 and 1929, Fischer was responsible for the construction of more than three hundred houses and apartment buildings in St. Louis and nearby University City, Missouri. His trademark was the broken frieze, whose wreaths and swags descend into the spaces between the upper-story windows, rather than extending straight across the fa ade below the cornice, as is traditional. Today, you can still see homes and commercial buildings across the St. Louis area bearing Fischer's trademark.

With the publication of "A. A. Fischer's St. Louis Streetscapes", Nancy Moore Hamilton has provided the first biography of this unsung urban builder. Hamilton delves into Fischer's life and work, exploring not only his prolific construction career but also his other related business ventures, dabbling in speculation, buying and selling real estate, and producing architectural plans. Featuring more than four hundred images and a full-color fold-out map showing all of Fischer's homes, "Nancy Moore Hamilton" is sure to bring attention to a builder who quietly shaped a midwestern metropolis.

Critique: A seminal work of simply outstanding research and meticulous scholarship, "A. A. Fischer's St. Louis Streetscapes" rescures from an undeserved obscurity an ground-breaking late 19th Century and early 20th Century American architect. The informative and exceptionally well organized and presented large format volume is a substantial, singular, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library American Architecture and American Biography collections.

Editorial Note: Nancy Moore Hamilton is a longtime resident of Kalamazoo, Michigan, whose writing has appeared in The Society of Architectural Historians - Missouri Valley Chapter newsletter. (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/author/H/N/au196850221.html)

Cottages, Cabins, and Unique Retreats
Fine Homebuilding Editorial Staff
The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
www.taunton.com
9781641551977, $34.95, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cabins-Cottages-Editors-Fine-Homebuilding/dp/1641551976

Synopsis: Smaller = Smarter.

Smaller homes like cabins and cottages are becoming more popular due to economic factors, smaller family sizes, tighter building lots, and the desire to use fewer natural resources and build sustainably. These days, builders and designers alike are getting creative and employing all their best tricks to help homeowners get the most out of their small spaces, whether they be part of a primary residence or weekend vacation home.

"Cottages, Cabins, and Unique Retreats" from the pages of Fine Homebuilding magazine features useful and beautiful small spaces that are built to fit the lifestyles and aspirations of their homeowners. The reader will get inspired and enjoy the design styles and construction types showcased here in hundreds of beautiful photographs.

Each page showcases gorgeous photographs of inspiring, exciting small spaces. The featured authors/contributors focus on homes both new and remodeled, urban and rural, traditional and modern, and even a few quirky spaces like nooks, butler's pantries, and attic offices.

Critique: An inspirational pleasure to browse through one page at a time, "Cottages, Cabins, and Unique Retreats" is a very special and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary Architecture collections and supplemental curriculum Residential & Small Home/Cottage Design studies lists.

Editorial Note: All contributing authors to "Cottages, Cabins And Unique Retreats" are seasoned professionals whose articles have appeared in Fine Homebuilding magazine. Since 1981 the Fine Homebuilding magazine has been providing information and inspiration to everyone who cares about quality home improvement and construction. The magazine is arguably the best source of home improvement information and helps readers build projects better, faster, and more efficiently. The farmhouses have been selected from the pages of Fine Homebuilding magazine.

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