Antonin Nechodoma, Architect, 1877-1928: The Prairie School In The Caribbean

Synopsis

"Adds a fascinating new dimension to our knowledge of the history of modern architecture in the Americas. . . . particularly relevant now as issues of multiculturalism, regionalism, and colonialism have become more and more pressing."--Neil Levine, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University "A remarkable job in  researching, recording, and analyzing the work of this elusive practitioner.  Those of us interested in the modern movement, both as professionals and as amateurs, are indeed grateful."--Wilbert Hasbrouck, Hasbrouck Peterson Associates, Chicago   In the tropical islands of the Caribbean, far from America's heartland, an improbable number of homes in the Prairie Style of architecture dot the landscape.  This book brings to light the life and work of the shadowy architect of these remarkable buildings.  Although facts about Antonin Nechodoma are sketchy, strange rumors and small bits of information about his work circulated among architectural historians for decades.  What is known is that Nechodoma grew up in Chicago, where he worked as a contractor for six years, and perhaps served an apprenticeship as a craftsman and builder. Thomas Marvel follows obscure leads about Nechodoma's life from Chicago to Florida and eventually to Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, where he settled in 1905.  He unravels complications in Nechodoma's personal life and sorts out the influences that shaped his designs, describing with care and thoroughness the career of the person who introduced modern architecture to the Caribbean.  Nechodoma's relationship to Frank Lloyd Wright, whom he never met, emerges from this search as a troubling issue.  Marvel reveals that Nechodoma freely used Wright's Wasmuth Folio as a source for some of his best-known residences, sometimes t