The Politics of Architecture: A Perspective on Nelson A. RockefellerNelson Rockefeller's fondness for massive architectural projects was never a secret. From the 1930s when he first worked with his father, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., on the construction and management of Rockefeller Center, his fascination with building on a large scale had been set in motion. As governor of New York from 1959 through 1973, he launched such projects as the State University Construction Fund, a huge effort to build not only new campus buildings, but entire new campuses across the state; he was responsible for at least 90,000 low to middle-income housing units; and Albany Mall, one of the largest, most grandiose single governmental construction projects in American history. He was also a prime mover in the creation of the United Nations and the determination of its site in New York City. These are only a few of the projects covered in this book since Rockefeller's administration produced buildings the way other administrations produced official declarations. The Politics of Architecture is about politics and architecture. It's about power in that era and the people who wielded it - Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Alger Hiss, Robert Moses, William Zeckendorf, just to name a few. It's about negotiations and compromise, and when those failed, it's about a well-oiled political crew who pulled out all stops. "Architecture," Rockefeller said, "is not just bricks and mortar, steel and glass, but an expression of economic needs, cultural aspirations, political life, and international relations." The book also reveals Rockefeller's use of art in architecture; his lifelong affair with contemporary tastes and standards, his affection for painting, sculpture, and architecture. His lifelong professional relationship with architect Wallace K. Harrison is traced from their early Rockefeller Center days to Nelson's death in 1979. Published here for the first time are Ezra Stoller's photographs of the private houses of Nelson Rockefeller at Pocantico Hills, New York, and Seal Harbor, Maine. The projects that Rockefeller launched, negotiated, and saw to completion could not have been accomplished by one person alone, but demanded a cast of hundreds, a multitude of opinions, and scores of successes and failures. The Politics of Architecture is a glance into the history and the people who shaped the New York landscape - and in particular, it is the story of one man's intimate involvement with the details and realities of architecture. -- Book Jacket |
Contents
Acknowledgments | 7 |
The United Nations | 51 |
Public Housing | 95 |
Copyright | |
4 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
admission Albany Mall Albany's approval architects architectural Argentina Assembly Avenue Battery Park City campus capital capitol Chapultepec Co-op City commission committee concrete contractor cost delegates Democratic downtown economic ESTO Ezra Stoller Ezra Stoller ESTO firm George Dudley Governor Rockefeller headquarters Hotel Housing Finance Agency Hudson River IBEC Housing Corporation John Kykuit landscaped later Latin American legislation legislature Levitt Logue Malcolm Wilson mall's Manhattan Mayor Corning meeting middle-income million Molotov moral obligation bonds mural Museum Nelson Rockefeller Photo plaza political President problems proposed RCA Building Robert Moses Rockefeller and Harrison Rockefeller Center Rockefeller's Ronan Roosevelt Russian scheme sculpture Senator South Mall Soviet space Starrett City Stassen state's Stettinius Stoller ESTO Ezra Street structures SUCF theater United Housing Foundation United Nations urban Wallace Harrison walls wanted White Russia X-City York City Zeckendorf
References to this book
Battery Park City: Politics and Planning on the New York Waterfront David L. A. Gordon No preview available - 1997 |
Battery Park City: Politics and Planning on the New York Waterfront David L. A. Gordon No preview available - 1997 |