Grand Avenues: The Story of the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C.
by Scott W. Berg
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of Grand Avenues: The Story of the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C..
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
This book is not in any lists. Go add it to a list.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 43)
Read in November, 2007
(My full review of this book is larger than GoodRead's word-count limitations. Find it at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com].)
Of all the relatively "modern" topics to develop since the rise of the Industrial Age in the early 1800s, the subject of city planning is one I think particularly fascinating, since by its very nature it seems almost like science-fiction; the attempt to pack millions of humans into a space clearly not designed to naturally ho...more
Of all the relatively "modern" topics to develop since the rise of the Industrial Age in the early 1800s, the subject of city planning is one I think particularly fascinating, since by its very nature it seems almost like science-fiction; the attempt to pack millions of humans into a space clearly not designed to naturally ho...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2008
I love reading historical stuff that I can relate to, and it's pretty interesting to find out about how DC was built. However, this book focuses more on Pierre L'enfant, and it's hard, honestly, to read about his difficulty getting people to care about "the federal city" as much as he did. He died penniless, and was still owed money by the government at the time of his death. I really enjoyed this book, and will be checking out more DC history next time I go to the libs.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
not so much
I picked this up, with the primary interest in learning the history of the planning and development of Washington D.C. With the exception of one signle chapter, the book reviewed the eccentric character of Pierre L'Enfante, and the challenges he faced in implementing his plan without compromise. The writing is good, but the story theme is repetitive... miscommunication, miscommunication, miscommunication. Go ahead and skip it.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2007
I am a D.C. junkie...so this was like manna for me. Great read for serious history geeks.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in June, 2007
Great if you like history books and even better if you've lived in D.C.!
Like this review?
yes
add a comment















