Long Island Modernism 1930–1980

Chronicles a rich and little-known array of architecture on the island, a hotbed of modernism from the thirties on.

An essential reference for architecture buffs, historians, and everyone who lives on or visits Long Island today, this unique resource―the first illustrated history of Long Island’s modern architecture―is based on a survey conducted for the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities (SPLIA). It highlights the work within Suffolk and Nassau counties of a roster of twenty-five internationally renowned architects―among them Wallace Harrison, Frank Lloyd Wright, Marcel Breuer, Edward Durell Stone, Richard Neutra, William Lescaze, Gordon Chadwick for George Nelson, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Philip Johnson, Paul Rudolph, and Richard Meier.

Caroline Rob Zaleski’s research on the work of key figures in twentieth-century architecture; the relatively unknown aspects of their production; and their associations with clients, artists, and politicians is complemented by more than three hundred striking archival photographs, specially commissioned new photography, and plans. Zaleski documents the development of exurbia and the rise of visionary structures: residences for commuters and weekenders, public housing, houses of worship, universities, shopping centers, and office complexes. In this part architectural, part social history, she explains why modernism was embraced by Long Island’s civic, cultural, and business leaders―as well as by those who wanted to settle away from the city―during an epoch when open space was prime for development. An inventory of important architects, with their Long Island commissions by date and location, complements the main text.

200 black-and-white illustrations, 20 color illustrations