About this Book

Conception and birth, growth and maturity, aging and death - these are important moments in the human life story. They are also stages in the existence of a building, says the author of this unconventional history of the rituals and practices that surround built structures in America. Drawing on sources as varied as Masonic manuals, promotional brochures, janitorial contracts, tourist guidebooks, and religious texts, the cultural historian Neil Harris explores the rites of building passage over the past one hundred and fifty years. In this generously illustrated volume, he offers new insights into the social and cultural roles of buildings.