About this Book

George & Edward Blum: Texture and Design in New York Apartment House Architecture reveals for the first time the singular contribution that the firm of George & Edward Blum made to the design of the New York apartment building. Active from approximately 1910 to 1930, these two brothers were among the most talented New York architects of the quintessential form of twentieth-century urban housing in the city - the apartment building. The Blums designed a striking group of buildings that combine unusual facade detailing with the typical rectilinear massing of the New York apartment house. Their buildings are superbly embellished with complex brick patterning and are highlighted by exceptional detail in terra cotta and art tile. This book investigates the influence of Parisian design on the Blums' work and places their apartment houses within the larger context of residential development in New York City. The Blums' varied designs and their innovative handling of decorative materials is analyzed and profusely illustrated in black and white and color photographs.