Use the resources on this page to discover basic information about architects and buildings. The resources are produced by scholars and experts in the field. They can be trusted to supply factual information about the topic that does not need to be cross checked. Don't forget to cite these sources too!
If you are looking for resources about Texas architects and buildings, please see our state specific guide.
Below are a sample of useful reference works both in our reference collection and circulating collection. More can be found in the Reading Room at the Architecture and Planning Library.
Architectural Preservation in the United States, 1941-1975 by 
Illustrated Dictionary of Architectural Preservation by
A treasure trove of information and images for practical solutions in preservation. It provides information and examples on adaptive reuse; the creation of designated historic districts; structural restoration of landmark buildings; and cleaning and preserving great works of architecture - by leading historic preservation firms.
The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture by
This is a major revision and expansion of what has long been recognized as a basic reference in its field. Besides updating the existing text, the authors have broadened the book by including many new entries on landscape architecture as well as by significantly increasing their treatment of American architects and architecture. This is a highly readable work, worldwide in scope, covering architecture from ancient times to the present. Major entries on key individuals, styles, movements, materials, and terms range up to several pages in length and include cross references and bibliographies for further reading. This is an essential addition to the reference shelf of every architectural student and buff.
America Preserved by
Introduction by Marilyn Ibach and Georgette R. Wilson. Expands upon the 1983 checklist, Historic America. Catalogs the results of the HistoricAmerican Buildings Survey (HABS) of 1933 and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) of 1969. Contains a checklist of historic American buildings, structures and sites. Provides quantities for all formal documentation: measured drawings, photographs, pages of written historical and descriptive data, and pages of photo captions. Includes references to informal documentation contained in field records. Cites the full shelflist numbers to facilitate the ordering of copies. Indicates large format color transparencies.
Don't forget about the Building of the United States Series published by the Society of Architectural Historians. These works are arranged by states and regions with states and can be found in the Architecture and Planning Library's reference section under call numbers starting with NA 730.
For example:
Buildings of Texas by
The architectural history of Texas spans more than 300 years of European settlement and 10,000 years of habitation by native peoples. The incredibly diverse natural landscape and equally varied built environment has produced an architectural heritage of national and international stature. This book, the first of two volumes devoted to the Lone Star State, covers the central, southern, and Gulf Coast regions (the earliest areas of Spanish and Anglo settlement and the majority of the counties that won independence from Mexico in 1836) and includes four major cities--Austin, Corpus Christi, Houston, and San Antonio. The authors consider the contributions made by various cultures--Native American, Spanish, Mexican, Anglo, African American, German, Czech, Polish, and Italian--to the state's rich architectural heritage. More than 1,000 building entries canvass the most important and representative examples of Spanish missions, log cabins, German stone houses, Victorian courthouses, Moderne stores, contemporary ranch houses, modern skyscrapers, postmodern retail strips, and incursions by internationally renowned architects. With the burgeoning interest in heritage tourism, this in-depth guide--enlivened by 351 illustrations and 50 maps--will satisfy the curiosity of both local and out-of-state visitors, bringing new energy to the state's promising preservation movement.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Generic License.
