The later Colonial era saw a need to replace the buildings hurriedly assembled by earlier colonists, but competent builders were difficult to find. Capable housewrights were usually well paid and many became respected and prosperous members of their communities, but craft apprenticeships and a gentlemanly taste were two of the primary requirements for becoming an architect. As the profession developed, architects in the Northeast initiated efforts to distinguish between their work and that of housewrights and builders. This work is a history of the development of architecture as a profession in the United States. It is divided into four chronological sections. Section One covers the beginnings in Colonial times before 1800 when there were no identifiable professionals. Section Two examines architecture from 1800 to the Civil War, a period during which the first architects appeared. Section Three considers the profession from the time of the Civil War to World War I and the strengthening of the profession's status. Section Four covers architecture since World War I up to the present. Each section discusses the training of architects, standards of practice, general management methods, information sources, minority participation, and other aspects of professional operation, with special attention given to the relationship between the profession's development and the social history of the periods.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Preface     A Note to the Reader     BEFORE 1800: COLONIAL ORIGINS A Compelling Need for Buildings     Carpenters, Builders, and Gentlemen     Apprenticeship and Education     Colonial Books and Libraries     Westward Colonization     1800 TO THE CIVIL WAR: FORMATION OF THE PROFESSION     The New Capital     Defining the Profession     The Government as a Client     Matters of Faith     Available Knowledge     Professional Libraries     Arrivals from Europe     The Southern Frontier     A Professional Community     Architects’ Fees     Documents and Contracts     State Capitols     Westward Movement     THE CIVIL WAR TO WORLD WAR I: STRENGTHENING THE PROFESSION    Immigration     Publications     Learning in Europe     Learning in the United States     The Government’s Own Architects     The AIA Revived and Challenged     Women Architects     Registration     Competitions     Unfortunate Political Involvements     Practices and Partnerships     Extending Practices     Drawings and Specifications     Staff     The First African-American Architects     Specialization     Battling the Government     WORLD WAR I TO THE PRESENT: ADAPTATION TO EXTREMES     World War I     The Small House Movement     Estates and Mansions     Women in Architecture     The American Beaux-Arts     Sketch Clubs     Government Relations     African-American Architects     Associated Architects     The Great Depression     World War II     Registration and Reciprocity     New Influences on Practice     Deprofessionalization     The Present     Notes     Bibliography     Index