{HISTORY}

Celebrating its 50th anniversary,  the January 1941 issue of the Architectural Record kicked off a year of Golden Jubilee commemorative architecture articles that highlighted how building design evolved from the late 1800s to the mid-20th century. 

A fascinating pictorial look at building blueprints, photographs and design features of private homes and commercial spaces built in America between 1891 and 1941, this magazine is all style when it comes tp presentation. From the front cover art by Hugh Ferriss, to the stunning black and white photography and tinted ink layout, there is dramatic appeal on every page as the magazine contrasts building styles and trends from the 1890s to building styles and trends of the 1940s. 

Showcasing the interiors and exteriors of private homes, commercial office buildings, hotels, retail spaces, apartments, restaurants, public spaces and factories using real-life examples both urban and rural around the country, it's a complete look at how architecture has evolved over five decades. Blueprints of building interiors offer extra insight into room layouts and dimensions and brief descriptions offer thoughtful industry context.  Vintage 1940s advertising throughout lends more depth of understanding to the products and tools available to both the construction and design fields while black and white photographs illuminate interior design trends of the time period.

A wonderful glimpse into the midcentury modern architecture style, this issue also speaks to the war years as it was published during WWII and therefore contains information on designing air raid shelters and forward-thinking peace-time practices for post-WWII construction. 

Now a hard-to-find edition of the Architectural Record, this issue is unique among others for its illustrated cover. Most Architectural Record issues feature a solid one-color front cover, but this one features a drawing by American architect and illustrator Hugh Ferriss (1889-1962).

As one of the most sought-after illustrators of the early-to-mid 20th century, Hugh was most known for his delineation drawings and architectural renderings.  While he primarily worked in New York City providing drawings of buildings and city skyline perspectives for other architects and editorial commissions, he also illustrated significant buildings around the country including the Hoover Dam, the Franklin D Roosevelt monument in Washington DC, Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in PA and Tailison West in AZ, and the Chicago Tribune Building among others. 

On the kitchen front, there are vintage advertisements for domestic home products, room layouts for cocktail lounges, hotel coffee shops, restaurants and home cook spaces and photos of Dorothy Draper designed interiors in a California hotel that include all aspects of the hotel from rooms to restaurants.

A wonderful glimpse into how and why certain styles of architecture bridged two centuries, this large-format magazine is both a time capsule and an art book all rolled into one. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• January 1941 Edition published by F. W. Dodge Corp.
• 208 pages
• Illustrated throughout with black and white photographs, advertisements, line drawings and blueprints
• Hugh Ferriss cover art

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition, this magazine is tightly bound and free of spots, stains, rips, tears, and notations. All pages are intact. The paper quality is thick with a matte appearance and the photographs are crisp and clear. Please see photos.

{SIZE}

Measures 11.75" inches (length) x 9" inches (width) x .5" inches (thickness) and weighs 1.12 lbs.