Browse Exhibits (4 total)

The great public cemeteries in the United States all began as monumental landscapes, playgrounds for the picturesque, where the growing middle classes both buried their dead and took refuge from the rapidly industrializing cities. There they could contemplate the “sweet hereafter” in a setting with an obvious kinship to Central Park or the leafy suburbs, then rising as part of the same cultural forces that created the modern cemetery. Still, these silent cities evolved from a social form that gave us a range of civic institutions including the temple and the astronomical observatory, the theater, and the university. But where has this great social form gone in the last century? Fatal Design tells the tale through the rich holdings of the Environmental Design Archives.

Environments for Entertainment

As Americans' leisure time has increased during the century, we have filled it with all manner of diversions.  This exhibit highlights the buildings and landscapes in which we seek respite from the stresses of daily life.  Grouped thematically as things to watch, play, eat and buy, the focus is on spaces sucha s theaters, restuarants, playgrounds, country clubs, stores and sports facilities.  Original sketches, photogrpahs, drawings and rare books are included in the material on display provided by the Enviornmental Design Archives, Visual Resources Center, and Environmental Design Library.