Michael R. H. Swanson, Ph. D.
Office: GHH 215 Phone:  ext. 3230
Hours:  M, T, Th, F 9:00-10:30
  or by Appointment
mswanson@rwu.edu

The Week's Work
AMST 333
House and Home in America
Roger Williams University
Fall, 2013 M, W, F:  1:00-1:50
GHH 208


You’ll see that I’m taking us back into Jackson (and, soon, Stilgoe, too) after this little sojourn into Rybczynski.  There is a reason for this.  The concepts of Intimacy and Privacy, and the concept of Domesticity were introduced into American Houses a century and more before the American Revolution, and were parts of the city houses of the walking city as well as the suburban houses which came later.  The rest of the innovations Rybczynski introduces arise in conjunction with suburbanization.
Read, in Jackson,

4.  Romantic Suburbs, pp. 73 - 86
5.  The Main Line, Elite Suburbs and Commuter Railroads, pp. 87 - 102
6.  The Time of the Trolley, pp. 103 - 115
  From 7.  Affordable Homes for the Common Man, pp. 116 - 124
(the beginning and sections The Trolley and Suburbanization, Trolley Tracks
  and Suburbanization, Oakland, Los Angeles, and Washington DC.)
Much of this reading begins to examine points made in the video, Suburbs: Arcadia for Everyone, so the ideas won’t be entirely foreign to you.  The thesis is simple: each revolution in transportation created a new form of suburb.  I won’t spend a lot of time on any of this, except as you indicate you need some class discussion. 


Pullman, Illinois
Lake Forest, Illinois


Click for additional early scenes of suburban Brighton and Allston

Internet Research Exercise

I'm doing more talking than I should... maybe because you're doing less.  Anyhow, here's something I'd like to have you play around with when you find a little time (or make a little time).  Jackson mentions a number of "suburban" areas in the vicinity of center cities with which we're all familiar.  Among them: 


Here's a little treasure hunt for you.

In the nineteenth century, all of these were suburban areas for the very well-to-do.  What about today?  What can you find out about these places today? As a starter, I've provided you with links to some sort of information about these places.  Choose as many as you wish, and go hunting for information about them... pictures, data, histories, whatever.  When you find something, post it to the Forum on Bridges I've prepared for this purpose.  The one with the most number of unique discoveries wins.*
Some places to go hunting:


If you're more interested in historical data/iimages, here are some other places where you can look.


* unique = be the first one to turn in that particular discovery

For Monday, October  7
A Quick Tour of some Railroad Suburbs
Riverside, Illinois
The Trolley car took its place as an icon in American popular culture,  Witness Judy Garland's

Trolley Car Song.

With my high starched collar and my high top shoes
And my hair piled high upon my head,
I went to lose a jolly hour on the trolley,
And lost my heart instead.
With his light brown derby and his bright green tie,
He was quite the handsomest of men.
I started to yen, so I counted to ten,
Then I counted to ten again.
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley,
Ding, ding, ding went the bell.
Zing, zing, zing went my heart strings,
From the moment I saw him I fell.
Chug, chug, chug went the motor,
Bump, bump bump went the brake,
Thump, thump, thump went my heart strings,
When he smiled, I could feel the car shake

For the rest of the lyrics, click here
To learn about the cartoon at the left, click here.
Trolleys played an important role in the development of Suburban Boston.  Remnants of the trolley system can be seen in the branches of the Green Line of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority  Our ancestors were hardy souls:  The car is exposed to the weather in all seasons, and allows easy access to all the seats.  Click The picture to learn more about Alston and Brighton two suburbs made possible by the trolley. For more about trollies in Boston and elsewhere, including thos which are still in operation,  Click Here
Forest Hills Gardens, New York

Read, in Rybczynski,

Chapter 3, Domesticity, pp. 51 - 76

You have this illustration of De Witte's Woman Playing Virginal in your text.  I thought you might like to see it in color to understand something of the richness of the composition

This interior shows some signs of feminization, especially if you compare it to the interiors you saw in the video from the Weald and Downland Museum.  The grand scale of this rich merchant's house disguises that a bit.



Still Llife with Sweetmeats and Oysters
Bray, Flowers with Vase
Still Life with Cheeses
Looking Ahead
Every so often one comes across a book which is coherent in its narrative that it cries out to be read as a full work before one begins to break it down for analysis.  Such a book is Tracy Kidder's House, the story of one architect, one family, complete with inlaws, and a small but very interesting construction firm, "Apple Corps".  No fiction here, though you may see little exchoes of Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House.  The end result you see below.  I'd like to have you get started reading it, though we won't discuss it until the end of the semester.  You'll see it reads like a novel...aim for finishing it in a month.  I'll nudge you from time to time.
For Wednesday, October  9
For Friday October  11