Shaping an American Landscape

New Hampshire: University of New England Press, 1995. First Edition (presumed; no prior editions or printings cited). Medium quarto; 199 pp: illustrations; 29 cm About fine; a tight and clean copy. Paperback. ISBN: 9780874517040

A comprehensive reassessment of Platt’s pivotal role in defining the American country house and garden at the turn of the twentieth century. Trained as a painter and sculptor before turning to architecture, Platt fused the classical symmetry of Italian Renaissance design with the picturesque sensibility of the American landscape, creating refined estates that harmonized architecture, garden, and site. Morgan situates Platt within the cultural currents of the American Renaissance, illustrating through drawings, photographs, and correspondence how his work bridged Beaux-Arts discipline and native landscape ideals, influencing generations of architects and designers who sought to blend artistry with environment.