James Marston Fitch: Selected Writings on Architecture, Preservation, and the Built Environment

Edited by Martica Sawin

Praise for James Marston Fitch:

"In this anthology of his writings, some never before published and spanning over 60 years of his professional career, Fitch's incisive ideas and keen observations are brought to light in a single, readable volume."
—Engineering News-Record

"Anyone interested in the ideas that arose in American architecture during the late twentieth century will find the work of James Marston Fitch absolutely essential reading. A prolific critic, historian, environmentalist, preservationist, and philosopher, his keen observations, passion, and wit provoke thinking and motivate readers as few other writers have. Here, for the first time, is a presentation of the full range of his work, including essays that have not been previously published, a brief biography, and a review of Fitch's own designs."
—Michael A. Tomlan, Professor and Director, Cornell University Graduate Program in Historic Preservation

"This collection of provocative essays by the man who changed the way we think about buildings deals with issues even more critical today than when originally written: conservation, ethics, and the ongoing need for a more humane society. Fitch offers insights about architecture and historic preservation, and more broadly about cities and the environment, that challenge conventional boundaries and remind us that work of perceptive genius has lasting value."
—David G. De Long, Professor Emeritus of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania

Overview

Revered as the father of historic preservation in the United States, architect James Marston Fitch was hailed by the New York Times at the time of his death in 2000 as "an architect whose writings and teachings helped transform historic preservation from a dilettante's pastime into a vigorous, broadly based cultural movement." In this anthology of his writings, spanning over sixty years of his professional career, Fitch's incisive ideas and observations on a range of subjects are brought to light in a single, readable volume. Whether a lament of the loss of functionalism in the wake of modernism, a celebration of the architectural perfection embodied in the University of Virginia campus, or an appeal to architects to heed factors of climate and environment in their designs, Fitch's essays are both provocative and pragmatic and always deeply rooted in the human element. In the face of contemporary concerns such as suburban sprawl, energy expenditure, and environmental degradation, Fitch's writings resonate today more than ever.

About the Editor

Martica Sawin, former chair of the Department of History and Criticism of Art and Design at Parsons School of Design, is an art historian and critic. She was married to Fitch during the last years of his life and is his literary executor.

ISBN 10: 0-393-73229-0
ISBN 13: ISBN: 978-0-393-73229-0
April 2007 / 30 black & white illustrations / 304 pages / paperback