American Splendor: The Residential Architecture of Horace Trumbauer

Horace Trumbauer (1868-1938) was one of the most influential residential architects in the country house era that lasted from the late 19th century to 1930. His restrained limestone palaces and townhouses for the super rich defined a new elegance in American cities and seaside resorts.A publicity-shy Philadelphian without social connections and only 10th grade education, Trumbauer opened his own practice, at the age of 21. Within just a few years he was on his way to becoming a leading practitioner of residential design on the grandest scale. No American builder in the first three decades of the 20th century could equal Trumbauer s output in the sheer number and splendor of his commissions. His large mansions were typically designed in English or French taste, and whether they were in the Whitemarsh Valley outside Philadelphia or new the ocean in Newport, Rhode Island, Trumbauer s houses had the imposing aristocratic demeanor his clients sought. Michael Kathrens classic volume, originally published in 2002, remains the only work on this great American architect. The revised edition of American Splendor, featuring three additional chapters and 50 new color photographs, is due in stores in December 2011.