First Modern by George E. Thomas HARDBACK 9780943836430

First ModernPennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts\nAuthor(s): George E. Thomas, David R. Brigham, Isaac Kornblatt-Stier\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, United States\nImprint: University of Pennsylvania Press\nISBN-13: 9780943836430, 978-0943836430\nSynopsis\nFrom the Crystal Palace to the skyscraper and on to the functional aesthetic of the German Bauhaus, the development of modern architecture required less than seven decades. Philadelphia's Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts warrants a central place in this narrative. Unlike the earlier buildings that made fragmentary and disconnected use of the latest industrial materials and systems, the Academy project combined the critical elements of modern logistical planning-steel and iron construction and modern plumbing, heating, and ventilation systems designed to serve a workplace and a school-with the architectural expression of the age. Moreover, rather than seeking to reify the past, architects Furn.