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This beautiful book, with its more than 100 superb photographs and perceptive text, makes visible an awareness of the relationship of past to present, of old to new, that will give all readers, wherever they live, new eyes with which to see their own familiar streets.For the people in Rochester and Monroe County, resident or visitor, the book is arranged geographically and is designed as a guide and itinerary, with maps of walking and driving routes for viewing neighborhoods and downtown areas of the city and villages in the county. The focus is never on isolated'notable buildings,'but on their relation to the areas of which they are an integral part. For those whose interest is architectural history there are abundant photographs or beautiful buildings—old as well as new, commercial as well as residential—with the text providing architectural and historical information.This book is sponsored by the Landmark Society of Western New York, with assistance from the New York Council on the Arts.

A classic examination of superb design through the centuries.Widely regarded as a classic in the field, Experiencing Architecture explores the history and promise of good design. Generously illustrated with historical examples of designing excellence—ranging from teacups, riding boots, and golf balls to the villas of Palladio and the fish-feeding pavilion of Beijing's Winter Palace—Rasmussen's accessible guide invites us to appreciate architecture not only as a profession, but as an art that shapes everyday experience.In the past, Rasmussen argues, architecture was not just an individual pursuit, but a community undertaking. Dwellings were built with a natural feeling for place, materials and use, resulting in “a remarkably suitable comeliness.” While we cannot return to a former age, Rasmussen notes, we can still design spaces that are beautiful and useful by seeking to understand architecture as an art form that must be experienced. An understanding of good design comes not only from one's professional experience of architecture as an abstract, individual pursuit, but also from one's shared, everyday experience of architecture in real time—its particular use of light, color, shape, scale, texture, rhythm and sound. Experiencing Architecture reminds us of what good architectural design has accomplished over time, what it can accomplish still, and why it is worth pursuing. Wide-ranging and approachable, it is for anyone who has ever wondered “what instrument the architect plays on.”