Mann Chats in the Stacks book talk: American Vernacular: Buildings and Interiors, 1870-1960, 2010-03-10

In their newest book, Herbert Gottfried (Dept. of Landscape Architecture) and Jan Jennings (Dept. of Design and Environmental Analysis) trace the contributions of folk vernacular architecture to America’s built environment. While the specific influences shaping American architecture are many, America’s 19th and 20th century industrial development and the emergence of a dominant aesthetic favoring the picturesque cottage form and colonial style have been the key factors transforming American vernacular architecture from regional ethnic product to a national system of technology-driven buildings.