Power and Style: A Critique of Twentieth-Century Architecture in the U. S.

An analysis of 20th century architecture & its relationship to civic, corporate, & individual power. In the 19th century, a new class in America, the industrial rich, stimulated architects to promote their social standing by designing mansions that were stylistically akin to the homes of European aristocrats or the architecture of ancient Greece & Rome. Since then, U.S. architecture has been governed by the changing priorities of powers. Twombly explores the popularity of modernism, its fall from favor beginning in the 1970s, & the subsequent appeal of postmodernism. Black & white photos.