The author also documents the development of three centuries of architectural styles, many of which are only preserved through the medium of photographs. Various attempts at shaping the city by leveling hills, filling tidal estuaries, and widening and straightening crooked streets are displayed in the excellent reproductions of more than 350 rare photographs that supplement the text. Kay's lively, well-researched text opens to view the many new environments that Boston assimilated while holding to old ideals. "Not just another historical picture book, this is a remarkable narrative of Boston 's evolution.
"Earns a place on the short shelf of indispensable books about the architecture and physical form of Boston."-Boston Globe "An elegant architectural history, excellently illustrated."-Washington Post "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. The new epilogue brings Boston's story to the end of the twentieth century, showing elements of the city's architecture that were lost in recent years as well as those that were saved and others threatened as the city continues to evolve. Richardson, landscape architect and master park-maker Frederick Law Olmsted, and such colorful political figures as Mayors John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald and James Michael Curley. Kay also brings to life the people who created Boston-architects like Charles Bulfinch and H. Amid the grand landmarks she finds the telling details of city life: the neon signs, bygone amusement parks, storefronts, and windows plastered with images of campaigning politicians-sights common in their time but even more meaningful in their absence today. In the process, she creates a family album for the city, infusing the text with the flavor and energy that makes Boston distinct. Jane Holtz Kay traces the evolution of Boston from the barren, swampy peninsula of colonial times to the booming metropolis of today. An eminently readable history of the city's physical development, the book also makes an eloquent appeal for its preservation. With an engaging text and more than 350 seldom-seen photographs and prints, Lost Boston offers a chance to see the city as it once was, revealing architectural gems lost long ago.
This updated edition includes a new section illustrating the latest gains and losses in the struggle to preserve Boston 's architectural heritage. At once a fascinating narrative and a visual delight, Lost Boston brings the city's past to life.
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