The Architecture of Barry Byrne

Today marks my first full year in California, but it also marks a week since the publication of my book The Architecture of Barry Byrne: Taking the Prairie School to Europe with Photography by Felicity Rich (University of Illinois Press, 2013). This book was 15 years in the making, and indeed the stunning cover photo was taken by Felicity in 1998 in Cork, Ireland.

Christ the King altar, Cork by Felicity Rich

copyright 1998 Felicity Rich

In addition to Felicity and her family, there are many people thanked in the acknowledgements and I can remember endless hours at the Chicago History Museum poring through hundreds of Byrne’s files. Many of my own relatives and colleagues took photos of Byrne’s buildings on their travels, because they tend to be far flung. Without a grade school diploma he learned architecture in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park Studio between 1902 and 1908. Byrne decided to be a diehard modernist and he ended up focusing on Catholic buildings, including churches. These two decision were somewhat mutually exclusive during the half-century he worked, especially the 1910s, 20s and 30s. Here are examples of how far-flung his great works are:

Cork, Ireland, (1931) 2007 photo by Eiliesh Tuffy

Tulsa, Oklahoma, (1928), 2008 photograph copyright Felicity Rich

Windsor, Ontario, (1957), 2003 photograph copyright Felicity Rich

Albuquerque, New Mexico, (1916), 2002 photo copyright Katherine Shaughnessy

Park Ridge, Illinois, (1923), 2007 photograph copyright Felicity Rich

St. Paul, Minnesota, (1951), 2007 photograph copyright Felicity Rich

Seattle, Washington, (1912), 2011 photo copyright Felicity Rich

Pierre, South Dakota, (1942), 2002 photograph copyright Katherine Shaughnessy

Chicago, Illinois (1924), 2003 photo copyright Felicity Rich

Mason City, Iowa, (1916), 2012 photo by me.

Racine, Wisconsin, (1925), 2003 photo copyright Felicity Rich

Keokuk,Iowa, (1919), 2011 photograph by me.

Atchison, Kansas, (1961), period photography by Barry Byrne Family

Glencoe, Illinois (1928), photograph copyright Felicity Rich 2002

Kansas City, Missouri, (1950), 2009 photo copyright Felicity Rich

Racine, Wisconsin, (1928), 2003 photograph copyright Felicity Rich

London, Ontario, (1952), 2003 photograph copyright Felicity Rich

Chicago, Illinois (1919), 2002 photograph copyright Felicity Rich.

This is the first book on Barry Byrne and it has a hell of a lot of footnotes and enough pictures that you can follow the interesting architectural arc of a modernist artist, commentator and thinker.

You can order the book here.

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Watsonville

Had to drive to Watsonville twice yesterday. Town founded in 1852 and there is a full range of architectural styles on display, from the Italianate of the 1850s in the famed downtown Mansion House (With a Classical Chicago Skyscraper next door)

To many many classic California bungalows

And plenty of those little shotgun Victorian cottages that are ubiqquitous in NorCal, sort of the 1890s version of the ranch house


And this cool Shingle style cottage


If you want the joys of Classical ornament, you can find it both downtown

and in the neighborhoods


gothic churches, spanish colonial of course


and this marvelous 1850s Italianate cottage right out of Alexander Jackson Davis’ patternbook

Downtown has a Main Street with several intact early 20th century “highrises”


While neighborhoods feature every kind of Victorian styling

and there is doubtless more….