books, culture
Obsessed and offended as I am about the McMansions sprouting up all over town, I was thrilled to find the recently published HOUSES: The Architecture of Nagle Hartray Danker Kagan McCay Penney at the Prairie Avenue Bookshop in town. 
A paean to modernism, it presents the work of one of the architectural firm's principals, Jim Nagle.
Published in Italy by Edizioni Press, the work shown in the book emphasizes a clean spare aesthetic.
Jim and his daughter Kathleen Nagle, who is also an architect and who began the logbook that resulted in the book itself are the authors. Stanley Tigerman, a long-time associate authored the intro.
Since the firm's founding in 1966, houses have formed the basis for a range of designs including larger structures: multiple family dwellings and high rises, schools and universities, the Oak Park Public Library, a museum in Champaign, IL, and the handsome Greyhound bus terminal downtown, among others. NHDKMP has received many awards from the national and Chicago chapter of the American Association of Architects and a variety of other organizations and magazines.
Projects in the book are depicted by wonderful photos along with explanatory text and miniature floor plans drawn by Jim Nagle.
You can purchase this book at the Prairie Avenue Bookshop, a remarkable institution at 418 S. Wabash. Check out their fascinating out -of- print section when you visit. 800.474.2724.
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