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Unabridged Dover (2003) republication of the third edition of Concrete Country Residences, published by the Atlas Portland Cement Company, New York, 1908. 58 halftones; 38 black-and-white line illustrations. 68pp. 9.45x12.25. Paperbound. ISBN 0-486-42733-1.
.Developments in the construction industry shortly before 1900 made it possible to build a comfortable and economical concrete house, which, the publishers of this catalog claimed, “outclass all others, since it retains its original value for centuries.” That statement provided the major selling point of homes designed by the Atlas Portland Cement Company of New York in the early years of the twentieth century.
The company's 1908 catalog points out that while solid wall construction was used in factories, warehouses, and similar structures, hollow wall construction with concrete blocks or stucco could also be utilized in the design of large and luxurious country dwellings. Illustrating these points are more than 140 photographs of early twentieth-century homes and apartment houses, most of them accompanied by floor plans. Depicted are such elegant abodes as the Palm Beach, Florida residence of Miami developer H.M. Flagler and the Kennebunkport, Maine, home of D.D. Walker, the great-great-grandfather of President George W. Bush. Also included are illustrations of distinctive homes in the suburbs of New York, Boston, Baltimore, Cleveland, and other areas.
A valuable reference for home restorers, preservationists, and architectural historians, this excellent reproduction of that now-rare volume will delight devotees of American domestic architecture.
Cover design by Jeff A. Menges.
(The above commentary is provided by Dover Publications, Inc.)
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