Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Modernist Architecture of Samuel G. and William B. Wiener
WORK NOTES: with Guy W. Carwile
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http://architecture.tulane.edu/event/2016/2091 * http://lsupress.org/books/detail/modernist-architecture-of-samuel-g-and-william-b-wiener/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL EDUCATION:
University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Educator and writer. Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, professor emerita in the School of Architecture.
WRITINGS
Author of architectural history column, Louisiana Cultural Vistas magazine. Editor-in-chief of “Buildings of the United States” series, University of Virginia Press. Contributor to professional journals, including Journal of Architectural Education.
SIDELIGHTS
Karen Kingsley is an emeritus professor of architecture who has written widely on Southern architecture in the United States. She is the author of Buildings of Louisiana and, with architect Guy W. Carwile, The Modernist Architecture of Samuel G. and William B. Wiener: Shreveport, Louisiana, 1920-1960. The latter book examines the work of the Wiener brothers in helping to introduce a new modernist style of architecture to the United States. Kingsley and Carwile take readers through the evolution of the brothers’ designs, and they discuss why modern architecture in America appeared in the South, most specifically the southern city of Shreveport, so early.
In an interview with NolaVie website contributor Kelley Crawford, Kingsley and Carwile noted that the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century architecture in Louisiana has been better appreciated than the state’s twentieth-century and modern architecture. They told Crawford that Louisiana’s modern architecture especially “has been mostly ‘under the radar’ of many preservationists and cultural historians,” adding that their book and others like it “do a great service to the community at large to broaden the discussion of Louisiana’s cultural resources.”
The authors also told Crawford in the NolaVie website interview that they learned some things during the two-plus years they did research for The Modernist Architecture of Samuel G. and William B. Wiener. For example, they noted that they discovered a house in Fort Worth, Texas, designed by the Wiener brothers. They also were surprised to find that many of the owners of houses designed by the brothers had a wealth of information on their houses but that this information had note been collected for inclusion in Louisiana State University’s Archives and Special Collections.
Kingsley and Carwile detail the brothers’ education and their entry into the field of architecture. They go on to discuss how the brothers’ design practice evolved and their eventual decision to adapt a style of architecture more in keeping with the the modern world. The brothers’ earliest success recognized among a wide field or architecture was their collaboration on a weekend home for Samuel G. Wiener’s family summer home outside of Shreveport on the shores of a lake. The house eventually was featured in Architectural Forum, which pointed to the design as a prime example of the new modernist style, which had yet to become established in America.
The brothers would go on to design residential, commercial, and institutional buildings drawing from a European-based evolution in architecture, which eventually came to be called the International Style. Overall, the brothers produced one of the earliest and largest groups of modernist buildings in America built by American architects, all of which were constructed in Shreveport and the surrounding area. As a result, according to Kingsley and Carwile, Louisiana found itself heading an innovative architectural movement.
The Modernist Architecture of Samuel G. and William B. Weiner includes detailed architectural descriptions and both archival and recent images. The authors also discuss the social and economic milieu of Louisiana at the time in terms of the Wieners’ ability to play an important part in the advancement of modernist architecture in the United States. Kingsley and Carwile reveal “the ever-pressing reminder for designing in context and the need for historical precedents,” wrote Charles Ford in the Journal of Southern History, adding that The Modernist Architecture of Samuel G. and William B. Weiner “is filled with insight into modern architectural history and the impact these designers made on the community of Shreveport.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Journal of Southern History, August, 2004, Robert J. Cangelosi, Jr., “Buildings of Louisiana,” p. 981; May, 2017, Charles Ford, review of The Modernist Architecture of Samuel G. and William B. Wiener: Shreveport, Louisiana, 1920-1960, p. 462.
Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, winter, 2005, Edward J. Cazayoux, review of Buildings of Louisiana, pp. 103-105.
ONLINE
NolaVie, http://nolavie.com/ (August 10 , 2016), Kelley Crawford, “Book Talk: Guy Carwile and the Modernist Architecture.”*
Karen Kingsley, professor emerita of Tulane University School of Architecture, writes widely on southern architecture, including an architectural history column for the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ Louisiana Cultural Vistas magazine. Kingsley is the author of Buildings of Louisiana and editor-in-chief of the Society of Architectural Historians’ Buildings of the United States series, published by the University of Virginia Press.
August 10 , 2016
Architecture | Local New Orleans | LSU
Book talk: Guy Carwile and The Modernist
Architecture
By Kelley Crawford
Editor's Note: Co-author of The Modernist Architecture, Guy W. Carwile, will be holding a book talk and book signing on Friday, Aug. 12, at the Louisiana Endowment for Humanities Lecture Hall at 938 Lafayette Street. The talk begins at 12:15 P.M. and runs until 1:00 P.M. and it is free and open to the public. For more information about architecture in New Orleans as well as all the events surrounding the Architecture and Design Film Festival, you can check out the group's website.
Many of our plummets into cyber rabbit holes start with good, new-fashion Googling. That's what I did. I Googled "Architecture in Louisiana," and here's what came up:
French Creole Architecture
Louisiana Historic Architecture
French Colonial
There were innumerable sub-categories and musings about schools of architecture (we'll get to that in a bit), and there was a large emphasis on the "old" and "historic." The one focus of architecture that did not come up (and I went 3 Google pages deep) was modern architecture. Well, with the possibility of being struck down right here and now as I write this, I'm going to say that Google is wrong. In fact, I know that Google is wrong.
Karen Kingsley and Guy W. Carwile will agree with me. The two of them set out almost three years ago to write a book about modern architecture in Louisiana, and they did it. The focus is on Shreveport, Louisiana, from 1920-1960.
The book -- which is a beautiful hard-cover full of photos and smelling like the crispness of print -- hones in on the buildings (residential, commercial, and institutional) designed by Samuel G. and William B. Wiener. Here's a little taste:
Knowing that this architecture is at least close to our backyards, we asked a couple of questions to the authors - Karen Kingsley and Guy W. Carwile - who collected research, photographed, and collectively weaved together this book.
Q: What is one of the most interesting facts learned when putting the book together?
When we started on the book in earnest 2.75 years ago, we were not aware of 1) a Wiener-designed house in Fort Worth, TX, 2) that the Cross Lake weekend house was originally designed with wood window sashes instead of steel sashes, and 3) how much information about Wiener-designed houses is in the possession of the present owners without any information being resident at the LSUS Archives and Special Collections.
J.s. Clark Junior High School (Photo by: Guy W. Carwile)
Kingsley and Carwile are doing what they can to eliminate that gap in knowledge when it comes to these monolithic modern structures that stalwartly stand in Louisiana. Both of them make education their profession on all levels. Kingsley is a professor emerita of Tulane University School of Architecture and Carwile is a practicing architect in Louisiana and also the Ken Hollis Endowed Professor of Liberal Arts in the School of Design at Louisiana Tech University. They know the importance of bringing knowledge to the public, which led to my next question.
Q: Why is the architecture in The Modern Architecture of Samuel G and William B Wiener so important to Louisiana history and preservation?
Louisiana is well known for its appreciation of 18th and 19th century architecture and the preservation of the same. 20th century architecture, and modern architecture in particular, has been mostly “under the radar” of many preservationists and cultural historians. Books like The Modernist Architecture of Samuel G. and William B. Wiener do a great service to the community at large to broaden the discussion of Louisiana’s cultural resources.
I.Edward and Jessamine Thalheimer Wile House (Photo by: Guy W. Carwile)
And we all know that cultural resources in Louisiana go far beyond what we can even imagine. Each town, city, swamp, and even corner seems to have its own inimitable story, and Kingley and Carwile are unfolding those stories one structure at a time.
The Modern Architecture of Samuel G. and William B. Wiener is available from LSU Press, Amazon, and large bookstores. The best sources for finding out about similar books on Louisiana subjects are newsletters from LSU Press, University of Mississippi Press, Historic New Orleans Collection, Foundation for Historical Louisiana, or Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation.
The Modernist Architecture of Samuel G. and William B. Wiener: Shreveport, Louisiana, 1920-1960
Charles Ford
83.2 (May 2017): p462.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Southern Historical Association
http://www.uga.edu/~sha
The Modernist Architecture of Samuel G. and William B. Wiener: Shreveport, Louisiana, 1920-1960. By Karen Kingsley and Guy W. Carwile. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2016. Pp. x, 156. $45.00, ISBN 978-0-8071-6162-3.)
Authors Karen Kingsley and Guy W. Carwile provide readers with an overview of modern architecture in Shreveport, Louisiana, from 1920 to 1960. Specifically, Kingsley and Carwile reveal through extensive research "how and why modern architecture appeared so early" in a region deeply rooted in architectural tradition (p. 1). The authors summarize the historical development of Samuel G. and William B. Wiener's modernism in Shreveport's residences and communities and among their contemporaries at large. Chapters include rich project descriptions and both color and black-and-white photographs, which enable readers to envision each project and thereby provide a glimpse into the minds and design processes of the Wiener brothers.
The book succinctly conveys the two brothers' journey through education and into professional practice of architecture, with an underlying emphasis on "going to the source--to see the buildings" in context (p. 23). Kingsley and Carwile communicate the Wieners' evolution of design practice and adaptation of architecture suitable for the modern world during their productive careers.
This book demonstrates the ever-pressing reminder for designing in context and the need for historical precedents. It is filled with insight into modern architectural history and the impact these designers made on the community of Shreveport. This work enlivens the spirit to preserve architectural relics and safeguard each example for the future. Not only is the text well written and filled with insights about the modern architecture movement in Shreveport, but also it reveals the evolution of American modernism and its application by leading practitioners. The book is a resource for all communities who desire similar documentation, for preservationists who endeavor to protect architectural heritage, and for all students of architecture and architectural history. This thoughtful and interesting book enriches our understanding of modern architecture in Shreveport.
Charles Ford
Samford University
Ford, Charles
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Ford, Charles. "The Modernist Architecture of Samuel G. and William B. Wiener: Shreveport, Louisiana, 1920-1960." Journal of Southern History, vol. 83, no. 2, 2017, p. 462+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA495476259&it=r&asid=c12bd429da761381832de5937a3b3002. Accessed 9 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A495476259
Buildings of Louisiana
Robert J. Cangelosi, Jr.
70.4 (Nov. 2004): p981.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2004 Southern Historical Association
http://www.uga.edu/~sha
Buildings of Louisiana. By Karen Kingsley. Buildings of the United States. (Oxford and other cities: Oxford University Press, 2003. Pp. xx, 524. $65.00, ISBN 0-19-515999-3.)
Buildings of Louisiana is the eighth in an ambitious series of fifty-eight planned guidebooks on America's historic architecture. Sponsored by the Society of Architectural Historians, the series was first advocated by British architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner in 1976, following the completion of his successful British series. Publication of the American series began in 1993, and the Louisiana edition is appropriately released in time for the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase.
Buildings of Louisiana contains some nine hundred entries on not only the state's architecture, but also its historic sites and communities. The guide begins with a superior introduction covering Louisiana's diverse and colorful history, growth, people, and architecture, from Native American settlement through the twentieth century. Following the introduction, the book divides the state into twelve regions. Each of the twelve sections begins with a well-researched overview covering on a regional level, in more specific terms, what the introduction discussed at the state level. The regions are then subdivided, generally by parish (county) and municipality, with even more details provided. Each subdivision contains individual property descriptions of selected structures and sites. The history and distinctive architectural features of each entry are recorded, and each listing is coded to the parish where it is located.
New Orleans (Orleans Parish), the first region discussed, is subdivided into eleven areas, and the typical architecture of each is described. The large sampling of the city's buildings is diverse, ranging from the impressive Louisiana Superdome to Ted's Frostop, an ordinary neighborhood restaurant, and from elegant Garden District mansions to modest Irish Channel shotgun houses.
The book contains forty-six clear, easy-to-read maps, with those of urban centers keyed to the locations of individual entries. Drawings and approximately 350 excellent black-and-white photographs by noted historic and contemporary photographers complement the comprehensive text.
Louisiana's cultural diversity and varied geography are reflected in a wealth of historic structures, particularly from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Author Karen Kingsley acknowledges that incorporating them all is not possible, and the guidebook is limited to a sampling, with National Register districts in general being a prominent omission. Nonetheless, examples of historic and modern architecture of Louisiana are discussed in a meaningful way. National and regional trends are related to particular structures, including the modest Creole cottages of the Vieux Carre of New Orleans, the Greek Revival plantations along the Mississippi River, the Art Deco state capitol, the Public Works Administration--funded Louisiana State Exhibit Building in Shreveport, and the Beaux Arts Calcasieu Parish Court House in Lake Charles.
The guide provides a good, concise overview of Louisiana's architecture. It is well researched, well organized, and easy to read. Holding interest for both the scholar and the novice architecture buff, this guidebook will be a welcome resource for the libraries of those who love architecture. It is a good reference book for natives and visitors alike, helping to explain the diverse architecture of the state in an accurate and interesting manner. The primary objective of the volume is to record, analyze, and evaluate the state's architectural heritage. With reference to that goal, the guide is an unqualified success, encouraging the reader to visit the sites and learn more about the subject.
As lagniappe, Buildings of Louisiana also contains a suggested reading list, a glossary of architectural terms, and a brief discussion of the historic preservation movement in Louisiana.
Koch and Wilson Architects, New Orleans, Louisiana
ROBERT J. CANGELOSI JR.
Cangelosi, Robert J., Jr.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Cangelosi, Robert J., Jr. "Buildings of Louisiana." Journal of Southern History, vol. 70, no. 4, 2004, p. 981+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA125485690&it=r&asid=a1f27765eeb2f6db799202ceac469c40. Accessed 9 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A125485690