Reviews

In 1956, at the peak of his career, Time magazine rated Harrison the equal to Wright, Gropius, and Le Corbusier. While this assessment seems overstated today, Harrison was involved in some of the 20th century's most monumental building projects: Rockefeller Center, the 1939 New York World's Fair, the United Nations, Lincoln Center, and the infamous Albany Mall. Newhouse has written a well-researched and immensely readable account of Harrison's career, from his humble beginnings in Worcester, Massachusetts, to his long and complex association with the Rockefeller family. While Newhouse focuses on Harrison's larger projects, attention is also given to smaller-scale buildings--in many respects his most satisfying work--designed over the course of his long career. Highly recommended.-- H. Ward Jandl, National Park Service, Washington, D.C.