The Octagon Form In Nineteenth Century Domestic Architecture Of Iowa

Newly expanded with over twenty new houses and twenty-five new photographs—plus a map that allows readers to explore Iowa City's historic neighborhoods! This silver anniversary edition of Margaret Keyes' 1967 classic will be required reading for all those fascinated by local history and by the development of architectural styles in the Midwest and for all those devoted to restoring and preserving historic houses.

An architectural reference book detailing the Nineteenth Century Octagon Houses in America and Canada.

A thorough bibliography with some annotations when the title does not describe the material. Arrangement is in 25 alphabetically sequenced subject categories. Four classes of material are excluded: genealogies, newspaper articles, manuscripts, audio-visual materials. Indexed by personal name and sub

How nineteenth-century social reformers devised a new set of radical blueprints for society In the middle of the nineteenth century, a utopian impulse flourished in the United States through the circulation of architectural and urban plans predicated on geometrically distinct designs. Though the majority of such plans remained unrealized, The Shape of Utopia emphasizes the enduring importance of these radical propositions and their ability to visualize alternatives to what was then a newly emerging capitalist nation. Drawing diagrammatic plans for structures such as octagonal houses, a hexagonal anarchist city, and circular centers of equitable commerce, these various architectural utopians applied geometric forms to envision a more just and harmonious society. Highlighting the inherent political capacity of architecture, Irene Cheng showcases how these visionary planners used their blueprints as persuasive visual rhetoric that could mobilize others to share in their aspirations for a better world. Offering an extensive and uniquely focused view of mid-nineteenth-century America’s rapidly changing cultural landscape, this book examines these utopian plans within the context of significant economic and technological transformation, encompassing movements such as phrenology, anarchism, and spiritualism. Engaging equally with architectural history, visual culture studies, and U.S. history, The Shape of Utopia documents a pivotal moment in American history when ordinary people ardently believed in the potential to reshape society.

Papers presented at various meetings of the forum.