The Sandstone Architecture of the Lake Superior Region

From 1870 to 1910 the prosperity of the copper and iron mining, lumbering, and shipping industries of the Lake Superior region created a demand for more substantial buildings. In satisfying this demand, architects, builders, and clients preferred local red sandstone. They found this stone beautiful, colorful, carvable, durable, and fireproof. Because it was extracted easily in large blocks and shipped cheaply by water, it was economical. The red sandstone city halls, county courthouses, churches, schools, libraries, banks, commercial blocks, and houses give the Lake Superior region a distinct identity. Kathryn Bishop Eckert studies this region as a built environment and examines the efforts of architects and builders to use local red sandstone. Eckert stresses the importance of the building materials as she explores the architectural history of a region whose builders wanted to reflect the local landscape.

Author: Kathryn Bishop Eckert
Publisher: Great Lakes Books Series
Published: 07/01/2000
Pages: 344
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.95lbs
Size: 10.29h x 7.29w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780814328071

Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2001 pg. 1073

About the Author
Kathryn Bishop Eckert is past state historical preservation officer for Michigan, active in several local and regional preservation organizations, and Michigan advisor for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She is the editor of Buildings of Michigan (Oxford, 1993).