Frank Lloyd Wright at 150
Frank Lloyd Wright remains the most famous American architect even though he was born just two years after the end of the Civil War.
When Americans Became Obsessed with Fresh Air
Once it became clear that mosquitoes, not the air itself, carried malaria, early 20th-century Americans went to extreme lengths to enjoy fresh air at night.
Why People Once Loved Linoleum
Linoleum, which was created by pressing cotton scrim with oxidized linseed oil and adding cork dust and coloring, became instantly popular.
On The Black Skyscraper: An Interview with Literary Critic Adrienne Brown
Early skyscrapers changed the ways we see race, how we see bodies, how we perceive and make judgments about people in the world.
Why America Went Medieval
In the middle of the nineteenth century, upper-class America went gaga over a vision of the medieval. Carpenter’s Gothic ...
Architecture as Nationalism in Accra, Ghana
Recent interest in Ghana’s thriving cultural production make the city’s distinctive historical architecture even more relevant.
SFMOMA: The Brave New World of Art Museums
SFMOMA celebrated its 75th anniversary with a huge architectural expansion, only rivaled by its technological innovations.
What “Colonial Kitchens” Say About America
We've been fantasizing about colonial kitchens since soon after the Colonial era itself was over. What's that about?
The Invention of the Family Room
The family room was a post-WWII invention, a sign of new affluence and middle class aspirations.
