Practice Of Architecture: The Builder's GuideAsher Benjamin (1773-1845) published the first American builder's guide, and his architectural books played an invaluable role in disseminating the new language of the Greek Revival. When originally published, they were remarkably popular, and were among the most influential of all Greek Revival handbooks. Throughout the American South, Midwest, and New England, one still comes across houses built in the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s patterned directly after Benjamin's designs.The two books incorporated here, Practice of Architecture (1833) and The Builders Guide (1839), are his most accomplished Grecian pattern books. With the growing number of contemporary architects who are designing buildings based on the forms on nineteenth century Grecian architecture, Benjamin's books should prove an invaluable resource for all lovers of the Greek Revival - builders, owners, preservationists, historians, and architects alike. Thomas Gordon Smith is chairman of the school of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. His books include Classical Architecture: Rule and Invention and a newly illustrated edition of Vitruvius's Ten Books on Architecture/ |
Contents
Examples of Pedestals for four of the orders | 25 |
Example of a Frontispiece with circular head | 67 |
Example of a Frontispiece with pilasters | 75 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
abacus angles antae arch architects architrave Asher Benjamin base beam bed mould breadth breaking weight Builder's Guide building capital carpentry centre composition Corinthian order cornice corona crown moulding cubic foot curve cutting cyma cymatium decorated dentil depth describe diameters in height distance divide door Doric order draw lines drawn echinus elevation employed entablature equal exhibits an example face mould feet and inches figured in minutes fillet floor flutes foot long frieze front frontispiece Grecian Greek half imitation inch square intercolumniation Ionic joists king post length metopes minutes in height mutules ornament outline ovolo panel parallel pedestal piece of timber pilaster placed plancer Plate plinth portico pounds Practice of Architecture projection proportions radius rafters rail Roman roof scale shaft shows side soffit Specific gravity square inch strain surface temple triglyph truss Tuscan order vertical Vitruvius volute Weight in Weight