Shaker Built: The Form and Function of Shaker Architecture

by Paul Rocheleau, June Sprigg, David Larkin (Editor)

From the twin spiraling staircase of the Trustees Office at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, to the round stone barn at Hancock, Massachusetts, the simple magnificence of Shaker buildings has never been better captured. Sprigg's poetic text provides insight into the Shaker way of life that lets you know Shaker hands touched more than just buildings. Shaker Built presents the architectural legacy of the Shakers, featuring their simple and functional designs for villages, buildings, and interiors. Shown are communities at Hancock and Harvard, Massachusetts; Mount Lebanon, New York; Pleasant Hill and South Union, Kentucky; Sabbathday Lake, Maine; and Canterbury, New Hampshire. Beautiful color photography provides the opportunity to visit these sublime places and to examine closely the color, feeling, and texture of what the Shakers built. Both authors have a special sensitivity to Shaker places and things, which they bring to Shaker Built.

Genres: Art

272 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1994

Reviews

[Illiterate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photos illustrate how Shaker architecture arose from their practical needs and American vernacular.

[Anna]

The first book, or thing, actually, that I bought with my first paycheck from my first actual job in June, 1995. Along with a handful of other books, including Inventing Kindergarten.