David Adler, Architect: The Element of Style

David Adler (1882-1949) was one of the most important architects designing homes and estates in the United States during a period known as that of the "great American house." Born in Milwaukee, trained at Princeton University and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Adler designed homes from his Chicago office for wealthy clients from Massachusetts to Hawaii. His works- which date from 1911 to 1949-were truly American, offering an enormous range of stylistic expression.

This book features in-depth articles by Richard Guy Wilson on Adler's training at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and his architectural career, and by Pauline C. Metcalf on the interior design work of Frances Elkins, Adler's younger sister and frequent collaborator. It also includes an essay by curator Ghenete Zelleke on Adler's relationship with The Art Institute of Chicago, in particular, his twenty-five-year tenure on its Board of Trustees. In addition, individual entries on seventeen homes and one private club designed by Adler are accompanied by newly commissioned, full-color photographs by the firm of Hedrich Blessing, along with original plans, drawings, and numerous comparative illustrations. These entries, written by curator Martha Thorne and other scholars, explore Adler's designs, influences, and close relationships with clients, demonstrating why Adler's reputation and work has sparked renewed interest today.

Highlights of this volume include the Stuart-style country house in the manner of Sir Christopher Wren, built for Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Crane, Jr., in Ipswich, Massachusetts; the Mrs. Celia Tobin Clark residence, in Hillsborough, California, in which Adler used English half-timber construction; and the William McCormick Blair house, built in Lake Bluff, Illinois, a Colonial New England farmhouse that constituted a new experiment for Adler. Adler's interior designs, many undertaken with his sister, Frances Elkins, responded to the demands of modern life by featuring the use of new materials and pieces along with historical elements or furniture acquired during his European travels.