Architecture October 1984
The Renaissance in New York: the buildings of McKim, Mead & White
On the vaunted architectural firm.
There is a particular fascination and nostalgia today for the metropolis at the turn of the century, and for its architecture. It has recently called forth a series of books, The Sacred Spring: The Arts in Vienna, 1898-1918, Paris 1900, London 1900, and, most recently, New York 1900.[1] The leading architectural firm in New York at the time, McKim, Mead & White, is moreover the subject of two recent books.
What accounts for this interest in the turn-of-the-century metropolis? It surely owes something to the fact that we feel 1900 to mark the start of what the largest twentieth-century cities have become. By 1900 the hiving of populations in the major cities had reached a critical mass that initiated the urban conditions we know today. By 1900, too, the technology, society, and culture of the...
A Message from the Editors
As The New Criterion enters its fifth decade, your support has never been more vital.
Since 1982, The New Criterion has nurtured and safeguarded our delicate cultural inheritance. Join our family of supporters and secure the future of civilization.