Do we need another book about Las Vegas?
Three decades ago, Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, and Steven Izenour presented the first open-minded examination of Las Vegas's mind-boggling architecture. Their book, Learning From Las Vegas, is a provocative introduction to the Las Vegas phenomenon. However, the glittering city of excesses has seen many changes in the past 30 years. In Viva Las Vegas, Alan Hess picks up where Venturi and his associates left off.Who is Alan Hess?
Author Alan Hess is an architect, a syndicated columnist, and the author of Googie: Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture and numerous articles for both scholarly and popular magazines.How is the Book Organized?
Viva Las Vegas is a slim, lavishly illustrated chronicle of the city's progression from a Western pit stop to a neon Mecca of outrageous signs and buildings.Six chapters present six architectural eras, beginning in 1855 and ending with the corporate splendor of the 1980s and early 90s.
The final chapter, "Strip City," explores Las Vegas as an urban model and discusses the lessons we can learn from the city's phenomenal growth.
Appendixes include a catalog of Las Vegas icons which have disappeared, a bibliography, a listing of films, and an index.
A brief forward is written by Robert Venturi, Denise Scott-Brown, and Steven Izenour.
Why Read Viva Las Vegas?
Las Vegas is a city that will not stand still. In the years since Viva Las Vegas was published, several hotels of astounding proportions have sprung up. The Luxor and The Excalibar, which now dominate one end of the Strip, are noticeably absent from this text.Nevertheless, no other book currently on the market presents a more insightful study of the evolution of Las Vegas. Moreover, Hess's simple, lyrical style makes reading his book a delight.
Whether you are an architect or a casual tourist, you'll find yourself captivated by this compelling tale of a city that evolved - almost miraculously - in a desert wasteland.
