The Belgian Friendship Building (eBook)

From the New York World's Fair to a Virginia HBCU

Kathleen James-Chakraborty, Katherine M. Kuenzli, Bryan Clark Green (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025
384 Seiten
University of Virginia Press (Verlag)
978-0-8139-5295-6 (ISBN)

Infos

A singular architectural landmark bridging western Europe and the American South How did the Belgian Friendship Building, originally constructed for the 1939 New York World's Fairand one of only a few surviving buildings from that celebrated exhibitionend up on the campus of an HBCU in Richmond, Virginia? In this richly illustrated book, Kathleen James-Chakraborty, Katherine Kuenzli, and Bryan Clark Green relate the fascinating story, spanning three continents, of a distinctly modern structure that has towered over Virginia Union University, in a city characterized by its traditional architecture, for more than eighty years. It is a structure whose original purposesto present modern Belgian design and to extol its racist, colonial regimestand in stark contrast to its dedication in 1941 to Robert L. Vann, longtime editor of one of America's most illustrious historic Black newspapers. The Belgian Friendship Building is an enduring example of prewar modernismdesigned by a team of Belgian architects under the direction of Henry van de Velde that has until now been all but forgotten in histories of modern architecture. This indispensable, multifaceted account ties together the history of modern European architecture, colonial exploitation, and African American achievement in a brilliant and compelling case study.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 23.7.2025
• Reihe/Serie: Race, Place, and Justice
• Zusatzinfo: 44 color and 67 b&w illustrations
• Sprache: englisch
• Maße: 180 x 180 mm
• Themenwelt: Technik ► Architektur
• Schlagworte: 1939 New York World's Fair • African American History • Architectural heritage • Art Nouveau • Arts and Crafts Movement • baptist church • Bauhaus • belgian congo • Belgium • Building Conservation • campus activism • campus activism urban renewal • campus architecture • city of Richmond • Civil Rights Movement • Confederate memorials • General Education Board • HBCU • Henry van de Velde • Historically Black Colleges and Universities • historic preservation • Integration • International Style • Memory • Modern Architecture • Monuments and Memorials • philanthropy • Race relations • Robert L. Vann • Urban renewal • Virginia History • Virginia Union University • Walter Gropius • world’s fairs • World War II • WWII
• ISBN-10: 0-8139-5295-6 / 0813952956
• ISBN-13: 978-0-8139-5295-6 / 9780813952956