Exploring the stories behind a range of iconic American and British buildings from the turn of the twentieth century, Medieval Metropolis is the first book to reveal how the modern architectural world thrived upon a foundation of medievalism. A vivid and wide-ranging account, it takes a fresh look at Gothic-style modern buildings, seeing them as radical, experimental and progressive. Lepine argues that far from being conservative and nostalgic, medievalism built the skyscrapers of New York and the civic landmarks of London, at the dawn of a truly international modern age. Medieval Metropolis is the only study of its kind dedicated to the interactions between the Gothic Revival and modernism in Britain and America. The focus is on six cities - three in the UK and three in the USA - as the book demonstrates how a vigorous transatlantic exchange between American and British architects developed some of the most remarkable buildings and powerfully influential urban environments in history.
It explores a range of characteristically modern building types from museums and universities, to sacred spaces and underground stations, and examines major architects and thinkers including Giles Gilbert Scott, Cass Gilbert, Ralph Adams Cram, John Ruskin and William Morris. Arguing that the persistence of medievalism in modern architecture was a revolutionary and forward-looking strategy for cities and their architects, Medieval Metropolis demonstrates that our urban, globalised world is the product of rich and constant inspiration direct from the Middle Ages.