Joseph Rykwert (1926–2024)

An architectural historian is an unlikely candidate for a memoir (will Kenneth Frampton be next?), but Rykwert's upbringing in a Jewish family in Warsaw before and during the time of Hitler makes for some fascinating reading, at least for fans of the historian and the type of history he recounts. Composed as small episodes that can be dipped into now and then, Rykwert admits at the end that "more than a half century has passed since the last episodes I reported." So, is a followup covering show more the remainder of his life in the works? show less

I mostly enjoyed Rykwerk’s book. It seems a bit like Lewis Mumford’s City in History tome in a smaller format. In short, I feel it might be better titled The Seduction of All the Crap I Know About. Not a slam – I can only hope to be able to someday collate whatever it is I should remember about the built world into a single publication, but as I selected it as a commuter selection, it’s not a very good read at 20 minutes a pop. Rykwerk, at the subtitle suggests, concludes with show more possible panaceas for the 21st century city’s inevitable urban malaise with fairly basic suggestions similar to what we’ve already read from Jane Jacobs, The New Urbanists, and even Peter Blake. In short, he proffers urban and architectural “solutions” that are pretty common sense but indeed oft-ignored or only lightly implemented in most capitalist societies. Not really a strong conclusion to such a densely filled book, but overall, a well written history of almost everything about cities. show less

The author takes an academic and often highly indirect approach to exploring the shape, design and planning of the city, as influenced by three factors:

* the Industrial Revolution
* utopianism
* architectural and design styles

In many ways he looks more at the ideas that have shaped the city, than the city itself.

He seems to think that he has made a coherent argument throughout the book, but I have to say, I didn't see it.

James Howard Kunstler's Geography of Nowhere is a much stronger book, show more however Seduction of Place is not bad as a companion work - it does much deeper dives into areas that Kunstler only skims over.

Part of the difference is in that Kunster's book is much more of a polemic, where as Rykwert's is more descriptive, with an academic style. On page 244, nearing the end of the book, Rykwert quotes a 1998 European Town-planning charter draft:

' "For most citizens and visitors," the charter says, for instance, "the character of a city is defined by the quality of its buildings and the spaces between them. In many cities, the urban fabric, including many heritage assets, have been destroyed by inappropriate plans for spatial reorganization, road construction, and uncontrolled actions by the property industry." '

Rykwert follows this by stating 'This dogmatically sums up what I have been arguing so far.' I have to say, it would have been better if he had clearly laid out of the terms and structure of his argument at the beginning of the book, because I really didn't find that this argument was conveyed throughout the book. show less

The Palladian Ideal presents several of Palladio's most important country villas, as well as well-known later works by others that continue the Palladian tradition, including Colen Campell's Mereworth Castle and Lord Burlington's Chiswick House in England, Claude-Nicolas Ledoux's Salt Works in France, Karl von Fischer's Prinz-Karl-Palais in Germany, and Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda at the University of Virginia. Also featured are two of Palladio's antique sources, the Roman Forum and Pantheon. show more For twenty-two buildings shown, renowned architectural historian Joseph Rykwert provides an introduction and commentary to Roberto Schezen's splendid photography. show less