How does architecture embody the hopes and dreams of a new nation?  How do American architectural forms change in response to population expansion and advances in building technology?  How do architects create new forms in response to new functional needs?  How do issues of sex, race and class impact the built environment?  Who are the designers?  Finally, who are the clients?

In this course we will study the built environment of the United States from 1780 to 1914.  We will look at architecture in light of several major themes: professionalization of architectural practice; defining American identity through architecture and material culture; the emergence of cultural institutions, such as universities, public libraries, and museums, which require new building types; urban and suburban design; and World’s Fairs and expositions.

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