Review by Choice Review
Mary Colter (1869-1958) is described on the dust jacket of this book as "the best known unknown architect in the United States." Her pioneering status as one of the US's earliest female designers has been brought to light over the past 20 years by devoted followers and researchers, and this book is her first full-length biography, gracefully written by well-published scholar and journalist Berke (senior editor, Preservation). Colter's chief claim to fame is as the designer of impressive "primitive," "natural," "Indian-style" works at the Grand Canyon: Hermit's Rest, Hopi House, Lookout Studio, and Indian Watchtower. These works alone are landmarks of an unfettered imagination, relying as they do, quite ingenuously and ingeniously, on indigenous Indian building styles and techniques. Colter served as "house" architect and decorator for the Fred Harvey Companies in the American Southwest between 1910 and 1950, the catering and hosting arm of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, the chief vehicle of transport to that part of the world through the first half of the 20th century. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. P. Kaufman Boston Architectural Center
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Fame is coming belatedly to American architect and designer Mary Colter (1869-1958), and this illustrated volume is the most detailed study of her career to date. If her name is not well known, her work certainly is. Colter was an employee of the Harvey Company from 1910 to 1948, and her main task was the design and decoration of Harvey hotels and restaurants along the Santa Fe Railway. A versatile designer who integrated authentic regional elements into strong themes, Colter was responsible for famous hotels such as El Navajo in Gallup, NM; La Posada in Winslow, AZ; and Painted Desert Inn in Painted Desert, AZ. Her rustic-styled buildings at the Grand Canyon, including the Hopi House, Bright Angel Lodge, and others, influenced National Park Service development, and the style became known as National Park Service Rustic. This sympathetic and well-documented book by Berke, an editor at Preservation magazine who also writes on historic architecture, includes new photographs. The final chapter describes the fates of many Colter buildings, including the restoration of some survivors. Recommended for regional public and academic libraries. David R. Conn, Surrey P.L., BC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
