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ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY
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What do you get when you bring together forward-thinking architects, exacting engineers, and tireless construction crews? In the case of these 12 iconic buildings...
Every house has a story—some more mysterious than others. The peculiar pasts and enigmatic former owners of these mansions have left countless unanswered question...
Although the memorable speeches, grand state dinners, and other important events that have taken place at the White House have been well documented in history boo...
America’s streets are paved with remarkable history. Some of the nation’s earliest historical routes; ones that once wound through quiet boroughs and townships, a...
Can’t find any centenarians on your street? Look again; the oldest resident in the neighborhood may well be a historic home. These ancient abodes around the count...
No matter how underpopulated, unremarkable, or remote they may be, these oddly named American communities are places to see and be seen (at the very least in a se...
In desirable neighborhoods across the United States, the razing of a tear-down is a familiar sight. But this market-driven trend actually has a very long history....
Your house is made up of walls, windows, floors, doors... and a bunch of other thingamajigs and whatsits. Here, a slew of architectural mysteries solved!
Fans of Ernest Hemingway remember him not only for his classic books, but also for his larger-than-life persona and h...
In 2013, Karina and Craig Waters undertook the project of a lifetime: restoring a centuries-old, long-neglected chateau in the south of France.
Five years ago, Karina and Craig Waters—a tax accountant and a urologist, respectively, in Perth, Australia—began loo...
Most owners of older homes eventually come to terms with the fact that they will never know everything about their property. If the last set of homeowners didn't ...
Pushing the envelope always entails risk. But much more often than you might have expected, works of architecture tha...
In La Verne, California, a small, sunny city roughly 30 miles east of Los Angeles, renovation expert Ray Adamyk recen...
There's nothing quite like a trip to the ballpark: the uniform-clad crowds, the salty peanuts, the 7th-inning stretch—and the all-important game, of course. Yet a...
Over the course of watching a television series, you get to know the characters pretty well—and you also learn to love (or loathe) the where they live. Test your ...
The Victorian era, named for the English Queen, extends throughout the period of the monarch's long reign, from 1837 to 1901. Victorian architecture encompasses t...
Tudor architecture is a style of building that originated in England more than 500 years ago. This style's popularity coincided with the reign of the Tudors, an e...
If you grew up in an American suburb, you’re probably familiar with the Tudor architectural style, typified by homes ...
Take an architectural tour to see some of the incredible buildings that have inspired Bob Vila. Ranging from classical to modern, these landmark structures will p...
We were probably right to leave behind many hallmarks of yesterday's home, but it's time to reconsider these 15 once-popular details, not for their novelty, but f...
Nothing satisfies like solving a good mystery, especially when the mystery to be unraveled is the history of your hou...
As a youngster, one of summer's great thrills was "sleeping out," usually on someone’s deck or porch, but sometimes e...
With the release of Hyde Park On Hudson, a Focus Features film starring Bill Murray as President Franklin Delano Roos...
In Elkhart, IN, at the Recreational Vehicle/Manufactured Housing (RV/MH) Hall of Fame, resident historian Al Hesselba...
Nearly 140 years ago, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the act that made Yellowstone the first national park in Amer...
St. Petersburg, the fourth-largest city in Florida, was founded in 1888 and now has 248,000 residents. Set on Tampa B...
Weeksville’s OriginsBefore the city grid was imposed, a Dutch and Indian trade route called Hunterfly Road meandered ...
Billy Blythe’s HopeClose to America’s center is a half-forgotten railroad town called Hope. Located just off Intersta...
Everything’s sparkly and bright at five of America’s historic landmarks—all open for touring this holiday season. &nb...
A walk through the historic districts of many older American cities will reveal a rustic and romantic street standard...
The factory-built home has come a long way from its humble trailer origins to its growing popularity today.
I have the deepest respect and admiration for people who undertake the restoration of historic houses. Our first home...
I recently toured The Biltmore in Asheville, NC—a 250-room estate on 8,000 acres, the largest private home built in A...
Incredible garden inspiration can be just around the corner, especially if you live in a city that is graced with a p...
Beloved for its impeccably researched and beautifully designed architectural history books, Acanthus Press recently i...
In the United States, a dizzying number and array of house styles are to be found, each one unique.
While visitors to Miami primarily come for sun and fun, the city offers a wealth of artistic, cultural and architectu...
LA County Museum of Art showcases California design classics.
Bobbye Tigerman, assistant Curator of Decorative Arts & Design at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), i...
Bob explores Harvard Square with architectural historian Brian Pfeiffer, who highlights three centuries of architecture in Cambridge, MA.
Bob takes a tour of the Isaac Bell historic house in Newport, RI, exploring one of the finest examples of the Shingle Style to be found anywhere.
Architectural conservator Brian Powell helps Bob do some detective work to discover the original exterior paint color scheme. They then look at historically appro...
Bob takes us to Stockbridge, MA, to tour Naumkeag, a wonderful example of the grand Shingle Style by architect Stanford White.
Karen Brooks Hopkins, president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), gives Bob a peek at the restoration of the main building.
Bob visits Lincoln Road guided by architectural historian Allan Shulman, who chronicles the Lincoln Road saga from its beginning with Carl Fisher, "Mr. Miami Beac...
Bob teams up with Michael Shiels, the project's general contractor, to discuss the foundation prep work that is underway.
Bob tours the Gilded Age cottages in the Berkshire Hills around Lenox, MA.
Bob visits Cape Cod with Dick Wills, who is carrying on the work of his father, architect Royal Barry Wills. Beginning in the 1920s, the senior Wills popularized ...
Dick Wills takes Bob on a tour of the interior of his Cape-style home.
Bob meets University of Vermont professor Tom Visser in Plymouth Notch to visit the birthplace of President Calvin Coolidge. They then go to see the Burtch-Udall ...
Bob looks at the finished wall tile from Shaw in a second-floor bathroom at the Vermont farmhouse project site.
Bob visits Middleton Place, a plantation located outside Charleston, SC, renowned for its exquisite landscaped gardens.
Bob takes a tour of Shirley Plantation, the oldest operating family farm in America, located right on the James River.
Bob takes a walking tour of some of Boston's best-preserved antique commercial buildings in the Leather District with architectural historian Brian Pfeiffer.
Bob tours some of the grand old houses that remain from Roxbury's heyday at the turn of the century.
Bob recaps the entire Elmwood project. It was a community effort involving an array of houses, though great pains were made to adhere to the historic look of the ...
Bob takes a shoreline tour of Miami, his hometown, to introduce the new project.
Bob takes a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House.
Bob takes a tour of Newton, MA. "The Garden City" boasts a wide variety of American architectural styles and is one of the most desirable communities in the Bosto...
Bob is on site to discuss the design of the completed addition with the project architects.
Bob sets out on a carriage tour of historic Charleston, SC to get a feel for the elegant and well-preserved architecture of one of the most beautiful cities in th...
Restoration contractor Richard Marks shows Bob around the elegant, though quite run-down, Federal-style project house.
Bob tours the William Gibbes House, one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in America.
Bob returns to the William Gibbes House in Charleston, SC for a tour of the one-acre garden of this grand Georgian mansion, one of the nation's best examples of G...
Bob takes a field trip to Millford Plantation, a spectacular Greek Revival governor's mansion with echoes of the Civil War still ringing through its halls.
Bob tours a Georgian architectural beauty with twin octagonal parlors a few blocks away from the project house in Charleston, SC.
Bob tours the mother of all cabins in the woods of upstate New York's Adirondack mountains, a camp once owned by the Vanderbilt family.
Bob tours the town of Osterville, MA, which has a deep background in fishing and maritime activity. And he meets with Bill Koch, one-time America's Cup champion, ...
Bob tours the Old East Mill, a restored post-and-beam windmill, at Heritage Plantation in Sandwich, MA. In its day, the mill produced rye, corn, salt, and barley....
To prepare for the Victorian remodel, Bob takes an inspirational tour of the striking Chateau-sur-Mer in Newport, RI.
Bob tours the lavish interior of Chateau-sur-Mer in Newport, RI. The entrance walls are painted canvas and the ceiling is adorned by a fresco. Hand-carved walnut ...
Painting contractor Mike Suarez sprays water-based stain on the home's exterior, while Bob, accompanied by paint consultant Sherry Hiller, tours the island with a...
Bob visits Drayton Hall, in South Carolina, for a tour of one of the finest examples of Georgian-Palladian architecture in the United States.
Bob tours homes that were designed by Thomas Edison. Built in Maine before being shipped to Florida, the homes are surrounded by indiginous plantings, and the dec...
Bob tours the Art Deco section of Miami Beach. His guide points out many notable sites, including the Bow Hotel, believed to be the oldest building in Miami Beach...
Bob visits Vizcaya, a remarkable Italian Renaissance-style palazzo. Head curator Doris Littlefield shows Bob around the 70-room mansion and 12-acre estate gardens.
Bob and Andrea, a Florida architect, look over some building models and visit examples.
Bob meets with architectural historian Susan Benjamin to tour five buildings in Chicago, the birthplace of the skyscraper.
Bob joins architectural historian Susan Benjamin for a tour of some of Chicago's landmark buildings.
Bob tours the Oak Park, IL studio of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Bob goes on to visit several nearby houses designed by Wright at the turn of the century.
Bob visits the historic neighborhoods and parks of St. Petersburg, FL.