Founded in 1941, SLCE has continued to set new standards for producing buildings that inform and enhance urban environments worldwide. This book delves into the story of this progression across 75 years, highlighting SLCE's outstanding contribution to the New York and tri-state area in architectural design and property development as well as the logistics surrounding construction.With demonstrated mastery across residential, mixed-use and commercial developments, as well as healthcare facilities, restoration and affordable housing, SLCE understands the full spectrum of urban life and consistently delivers buildings that answer to the city's complex needs. While seeing each project through to successful, timely completion, the firm has also pioneered more efficient, user-friendly amendments to New York planning law, zoning issues and air rights.In a comprehensive essay following an introduction by the practice leaders, curator and writer Thomas Mellins contextualises SLCE's pivotal role in developing some of New York's most distinguished buildings in collaboration with internationally renowned practices, including the Blue Tower with Bernard Tschumi, the Bloomberg Tower with Cesar Pelli, VIA 57 West with BIG, 520 Park Avenue with Robert AM Stern and the University Center at The New School with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, as well as full-service projects including the German Mission to the United Nations, Gotham West, the POD Hotel and ELEMENT.SLCE's complete story unfolds elegantly across three sections. The book begins with an in-depth look at a curated selection of SLCE's main projects, followed by a shortlist of single-page features, and ends with a comprehensive longlist of the practice's projects. While SLCE s prolific contribution to New York s built identity and culture cannot be overstated, this is the first book to fully cover the extent of this 75-year practice.

Rivera, Kahlo, Tamayo, Covarrubias, Weston, Modotti, Bravo, Spratling - names which are closely linked with the internationally celebrated art, photography and design scene of the 1920s and 1930s in the United States and Mexico. This lavishly illustrated publication traces the dynamic cultural exchange which left its mark on both sides of the border. At the beginning of the 20th century a lively and profitable exchange developed between artists in the United States and Mexico. The Americans were full of enthusiasm for the Mexican synthesis of history and modernity and their social commitment, which contrasted strongly with the consumer culture in the U.S. The Mexican artists in turn found important financiers across the border. The volume shows through paintings, drawings, photographs and graphical works from the Harry Ransom Center in Austin and other important museums how this intercultural network brought forth a large number of world-famous artists.

New York is filled with forsaken buildings, each ravaged by the exploits of modernization, each having fascinating histories. This photographic essay explores over 40 of the most evocative abandoned sites in the Empire State and puts their individual stories in the larger context of New York's historical legacy. Photographer and author John Lazzaro travelled the state, capturing what's left of such places before they are inevitably swept away by time. Divided by region, these sites, ranging from the Catskills' once-vibrant vacation destinations to Long Island's melancholy psychiatric centres, reveal deeper social, cultural, and political changes that led to their decay. These abandoned hospitals, schools, churches, railways, and estates offer us a view into a past rapidly dissolving before it disappears completely. With a foreword by architectural historian and author Thomas Mellins, this is a valuable meditation on the nature of decay and progress, remembrance and forgetfulness, past and present.

New York Rising is an illustrated history of real estate development in Manhattan, a story of speculation and innovation - of the big ideas, big personalities, and big risks that collectively shaped a city like no other. From the first European settlement in the seventeenth century through the skyscrapers and large-scale urban planning schemes of the late twentieth century, this book presents a broad historical survey, illustrated with images drawn largely from the rich archival resources of the Durst Collection at Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. The patriarch of one of New York City's most prominent real estate families, Seymour B. Durst, was a bibliophile and an avid collector of New York memorabilia. His archival holdings - once known as the Old York Library and now the Durst Collection - reflect his fascination with the city's street grid, mass transit, port, parks and open spaces, as well as its monumental buildings and signature skyline. Ten leading scholars - the late Hilary Ballon, Ann Buttenwieser, Andrew Dolkart, David King, Reinhold Martin, Richard Plunz, Lynne B. Sagalyn, Hilary Sample, Russell Shorto, and Carol Willis - delved into the collection to select objects that reflect their own areas of interest and expertise. Using these materials, they have created visual narratives on specific topics, focusing on the Dutch and English governance of Manhattan, the growth of the city according to the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, the emergence of the public transit system, the race for height, the rise of multi-family and affordable housing, the transformation of Midtown into a commercial center, urban renewal in the Moses era, the revival of Times Square, and the reclaiming of the waterfront as public space. Essays by Kate Ascher and Thomas Mellins provide a framework for exploring these topics. New York Rising is published in association with The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.

City Hall is the first book to feature striking contemporary images of the most architecturally significant city halls in the United States. This diverse collection includes New York, the oldest; Philadelphia, once the tallest building in the world; and Boston, the first major brutalist building in the United States. Organized chronologically, the book traces the evolution of American civic architecture from the early 19th century to the present day and represents diverse styles such as Federalist, art deco, and modern. Architects, current and former mayors, historians, and preservationists tell the story of how each city hall came to be, what it says about its city, and why it's important architecturally. With a foreword by noted historian Douglas Brinkley and an essay by architectural writer Thomas Mellins, City Hall spotlights these often underappreciated civic buildings and affirms architecture's unique power to express democratic ideals and inspire civic engagement.

This inspiring book accompanies the first traveling exhibition about Doris Duke’s estate Shangri La and its influential synthesis of modernist architecture and Islamic art and design. Situated on five acres of terraced gardens and pools overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Honolulu’s Diamond Head, Shangri La was the idyllic paradise of philanthropist Doris Duke, reflecting her personal passion for the art, architecture, and design of the Islamic world. The estate incorporates unique architectural features, such as carved marble doorways, jalis, and floral ceramic tiles, and the decor includes artifacts, such as silk textiles, jewel-toned chandeliers, and gilt and coffered ceilings, many collected during her travels. This volume presents an exclusive tour of Shangri La’s breathtaking interiors and landscape, including the splendid furnishings and art. Archival photographs of Duke and friends as well as correspondence and drawings provide a view into a lifestyle defined by the highest sense of aesthetics. Doris Duke’s Shangri La is sure to inspire both art and design lovers.