Mary Colter: Builder Upon the Red Earth (Grand Canyon Association)

Once I waded through all the precise details, I found this to be a very informative biography of Mary Colter. She was unwavering in her ideas of architecture and decorum and found a home using her talent in a white, male-dominated world with the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railroad. She can be applauded for her understanding, promotion, and incorporation of Native American artifacts with the Southwest landscape. Examples of her work can be found today at Grand Canyon National Park.

This is a reissue of the 1980 edition with a new forward explaining that the public asked for the book when it went out of print and was no longer available in the gift shop. Not really a biography, this book describes Mary Colter's work which can more accurately be described as interior designer. Although she is listed as the architect on many projects, the point was made that she did not have a license to be an architect so others were officially in charge. She designed the interiors of hotels and restaurants, mostly for the Fred Harvey company for whom she worked 46 years. She made her work her life and was able to collect art and jewelry from the regions of the southwest in which she worked. Before she died she donated these pieces show more to museums in the southwest.

Although I would have liked more biographical information, I understand that this book fulfilled the purpose for which it was designed. My only complaint is that the photographs, and there are many, are in black and white and not really clear enough to see really well. Since many of the buildings have subsequently torn down it is no longer possible to see them in person. show less

This reprint of the book that had gone out of print in 1989 brings back the woman and her work: "a man's work" in "a man's world," Coulter designed some of the Harvey houses, including at the Grand Canyon. It's illustrated by drawings from museum collections, 25 of which are details of the buildings. "a straightforward and sympathetic account of her work, organized and documented in a scholarly and readable manner, and spiced with some personal glimpses of a strong-willed, tough-minded lady."

A very basic intro to Mary Colter. I'm not all that interested in her, so this was just about the appropriate sized book and writing style for me to read. Contains lots of low to medium quality pics....