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178 books match the query 'Buildings' and 4 start with i
Improbable Libraries
A Visual Journey to the World's Most Unusual LibrariesAlex Johnson
University of Chicago Press, 2015
Public libraries are a cornerstone of modern civilization, yet like the books in them, libraries face an uncertain future in an increasingly digital world. Undaunted, librarians around the globe are thinking up astonishing ways of reaching those in reading need, whether by bike in Chicago, boat in Laos, or donkey in Colombia. Improbable Libraries showcases a wide range of unforgettable, never-before-seen images and interviews with librarians who are overcoming geographic, economic, and political difficulties to bring the written word to an eager audience. Alex Johnson charts the changing face of library architecture, as temporary pop-ups rub shoulders with monumental brick-and-mortar structures, and many libraries expand their mission to function as true community centers. To take just one example: the open-air Garden Library in Tel Aviv, located in a park near the city’s main bus station, supports asylum seekers and migrant workers with a stock of 3,500 volumes in sixteen different languages.
Beautifully illustrated with two hundred and fifty color photographs, Improbable Libraries offers a breathtaking tour of the places that bring us together and provide education, entertainment, culture, and so much more. From the rise of the egalitarian Little Free Library movement to the growth in luxury hotel libraries, the communal book revolution means you’ll never be far from the perfect next read.
In Search of Portland
Exploring a Transforming CityBrian Libby
Oregon State University Press, 2026
“A good walking tour is not just about individual stops but the total experience of moving along a city’s streets, taking in a variety of neighborhoods, buildings, shops, parks, public art, and bridges: a chance to be the grand marshal in your own parade,” writes Brian Libby in the introduction of In Search of Portland. Starting from his 1997 home, the Empire Apartments at Southwest Eleventh Avenue and Jefferson Street, Libby shares one hundred fascinating points of interest through personal reflection, interviews, and anecdotal history.
The six excursions exploring Portland’s downtown, Old Town, and Pearl District not only focus on the city’s important landmarks and hidden gems but showcase an evolving city’s resilience and heart. Alongside his own experiences, Libby reveals how luminaries like Humphrey Bogart, Mark Rothko, Gus Van Sant, Vera Katz, and Bill Walton appreciated the City of Roses. From Pioneer Courthouse Square to the Crystal Ballroom, each location in the book celebrates the spirit of place in addition to its architecture.
More than a book about buildings, In Search of Portland reveals the stories behind the built landscape, the people, and the history that have created modern Portland.
Iron and Steel
A Driving Guide to the Birmingham Area Industrial HeritageJames R. Bennett and Karen R. Utz
University of Alabama Press, 2010
This guidebook of historic iron-production sites is designed to give the reader a factual and illuminating look at the people and events that shaped Birmingham into one of America’s leading steel centers. Iron & Steel is heavily illustrated with both color and historical black-and-white photographs. It can be used while visiting parks or read as a coherent volume before or after a visit.
The book contains chapters devoted to the larger preserved sites open to the public, such as Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark and Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park. It also highlights lesser-known, yet still accessible, sites such as Blocton Coke Ovens Park. The work provides easy-to-follow maps for every site as well as driving directions to the more remote locations, giving visitors easy access to all the notable iron and steel sites in Jefferson, Shelby, Tuscaloosa, and Bibb counties. Each chapter also includes a variety of historical information, with accompanying photographs, in order to present the reader with a detailed and comprehensive account of the Birmingham Iron and Steel District.
Featured sites include: Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park; Shelby Ironworks Park; Billy Gould Coke Ovens Park; Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park; Oxmoor Furnace Site; Irondale Furnace Park; Helena Rolling Mill Site; Red Mountain Park, Iron Ore Mines; Lewisburg Coke Ovens Park; Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark; Ruffner Mountain Nature Center; Blocton Coke Ovens Park; and Vulcan Park and Museum.
Israel as a Modern Architectural Experimental Lab, 1948-1978
Edited by Inbal Ben-Asher Gitler and Anat Geva
Intellect Books, 2019