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Digitized Rare Books

This is a tool to look at the digitized rare books held in the Ryan Rare Book Room.

Tremont House -- William Harvard Eliot & Isaiah Rogers

The Tremont House, which opened in October, 1829, was the pioneer of first class luxury hotels in America. This hotel was the first to provide its guests with modern amenities that we have come to take for granted, such as free soap, locked guest rooms, bellboys, reception area, slippers for guests, and, most significantly, the Tremont House was the first hotel to have indoor plumbing. In this volume, prepared by William Harvard Eliot and Isaiah Rogers, there is a complete description of the features and architectural details of the hotel, with measured drawings. The Tremont House served guests for nearly 75 years until it was demolished in 1895. 

Vistas of the Fair -- Moses P. Handy

Moses P. Handy started his career as an underage serviceman for the Confederate Army and went on to hold notable positions with the New York Tribune, the Philadelphia Times, and served as editor of the Philadelphia Daily News. In 1893 he became the chief of the bureau of publicity and promotion for the World's Columbian Exhibition, and in this role authored the volume on the expo in Chicago. Handy writes in his introduction that this expo was the greatest of all time, not simply because it was the most recent, but also because it commemorated the discovery of the New World. The volume consists of many colored plates showcasing the sights of the Columbian Exposition. 

A Monograph of McKim, Mead and White

The architectural firm of McKim, Mead, & White, comprised of principle partners Charles Follen McKim (1847-1909), William Rutherford Mead (1846-1928), and Stanford White (1853-1906), was one of the most prominent and successful architecture firms in America at the start of the twentieth century. McKim and Mead partnered in 1872 and in 1879 White joined the firm. Notable buildings designed by them include the Boston Public Library, the main campus of Columbia University, and the National Museum of American History.

Modern House Painting -- E.K. Rossiter & F.A. Wright

William Comstock published this volume designed by Erick Kensett Rossiter and F.A. Wright in 1882. This work contains twenty chromolithographs illustrating potential color schemes to paint exteriors and interiors of houses. In addition it features ways that one can adapt these color schemes to a house that is not built in the "new" style of architecture. 

This book was a gift from the School of Architecture's 2002 graduating class.