Architecture in the Names of My Fathers

John Yanik talks about growing up in Detroit—the fourth largest city in the nation, now a ruin. It is the story of a young person’s love of architecture and the difficulties that must be overcome. He shares his experiences with architects Frank Lloyd Wright, Albert Kahn Office, Minoru Yamasaki, Paul Rudolph, and Louis I. Kahn; examples of their work; keen observation; and occasional humor. The book includes an introduction to Christopher Alexander’s four-volume research The Nature of Order and Robert Venturi’s Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. The book ends with the rescue and extraordinary reuse of a historic 1919 gymnasium on campus.