by Brandon McGrath-Neely, Library Assistant

Having recently moved to Boston from a much smaller, younger town, 我一直惊讶于这座城市有这么多美丽的建筑. In less than half a mile, 你可以从保罗·里维尔(Paul Revere)的中世纪风格的木屋走到现代混凝土巨人, Boston City Hall. 一路上，你会看到六种建筑风格和运动并排放置.

While this gives the city a beautiful character, blending the old with the new, 如果不事先了解城市的发展或建筑词汇，就很难理解周围的环境. Wanting to more fully engage with the city’s built environment, I consulted the MHS reference library. Before this research, 我对建筑只有最低限度的了解——我能分辨出地板和墙壁, and that was about it.

像任何一次去历史学会的好旅行一样，我的项目开始于ABIGAIL，我们的在线目录. I used keywords to find items that might fit: “architecture,” “buildings in Boston,” and “Boston city planning” all returned some interesting results, but I knew I could refine my search further. I began searching by subject, 我经常向想要快速查看MHS在给定主题上有哪些材料的研究人员推荐这种方法. 通过尝试不同的短语，我能够很快地生成一个相关材料的列表.

I found that the MHS has plenty of published works on architecture. Some were broad, 我用它们来熟悉美国建筑中最基本的思想和历史运动. Others were specific, 为我提供了几种类型的砖图案和屋顶形状的词汇. My personal favorites were handbooks, designed to help readers identify architectural styles at a glance. Written for architecture students and laypeople alike, 他们出色地总结了重要动作及其主要特征.

When I left Ellis Hall at the end of each day, 我很兴奋地开始在我看到的建筑中识别不同的元素. On the short walk to the nearest train station, you leave the Georgian Revival MHS, 经过哥特式圣克莱门特圣餐圣殿的尖顶拱门, 在到达波士顿建筑学院的罗马式大楼前拐弯, rough stone exterior.

MHS的研究人员经常致力于某种形式的出版项目:一本书, a thesis, or a family tree. 但这里的材料对于那些只是对了解我们周围的世界感兴趣的人来说同样有用. I found the research valuable because as I walked through Boston, 我可以看着一座建筑，思考它如何以及为什么让我产生某种感觉. 这让我对这座有着悠久历史和文化的城市产生了一种熟悉感，甚至是归属感, 我感到一种自豪和兴奋，因为我是自己学会的.

In future blog posts, 我将通过考虑MHS本身的部分体系结构来分享我所学到的一些东西. Ellis Hall的细节和我们建筑的外观设计都令人赏心悦目，并通过建筑设计共同讲述MHS的故事和价值. 跟着看，如果你有机会亲自去参观，那就自己去看看吧! As I learned through this research, MHS不仅仅是研究生和专业研究人员的空间——它是任何人阅读和思考对他们重要的事情的地方.

Interested in architecture? Here’s what I used to start learning:

• A-B-C of Architecture – by Frank E. Wallis (NA200 .这是对欧洲建筑史上主要运动的简明而有效的介绍. Wallis packs quite a bit in this brief handbook, and does a good job of connecting engineering, aesthetics, and history. 对于那些寻找更具叙事风格的人来说，这是一个很好的开始.
• 识别美国建筑:风格和术语的图片指南，1600-1945 – by John J. Blumenson (NA705 .B55). 在我为这个项目读的所有书中，这本书是我觉得最有用的. Blumenson为美国的每一个建筑运动挑选了一些照片和大约十几个关键特征, and outlines what makes them distinct. 如果你对识别你周围的建筑感兴趣，这是最好的起点.
• 《利记手机官网》 – by Norman Morrison Isham (REF. NA7206 .对于那些从建筑和材料的角度对早期殖民建筑感兴趣的人来说，这是一本很有帮助的书. 这些文章直接关注殖民地结构中的特定建筑元素, 这个词汇表是开发您的架构词汇表的一个非常好的资源.
• Boston After Bulfinch: An Account of its Architecture 1800-1900 – by Walter Harrington Kilham (REF. NA735.B7 K5) This book has a narrative feel, 引导读者从联邦主义时期的波士顿建筑到“钢架”时期. 这本书在列出每个运动的重要建筑师时特别有用, and helpfully lists some of the buildings they constructed. This is an excellent all-around text for beginners (like me).
• The A.I.A. Guide to Boston – by Michael and Susan Southworth (REF. NA735.B7 S68 1984)这本指南是由一对在波士顿担任城市规划师和建筑师的已婚夫妇编写的, hired by the city to work on preservation projects. 这本书包含了数百个地点和地标的信息, as well as self-guided tours based on different themes. 如果你对城市的某个区域或方面特别感兴趣, this would be a great choice.
• Architecture, Boston – By the Boston Society of Architects (REF. NA735.B7 B67 1976然而，这里推荐的大多数书籍是按建筑风格或时期组织的, this book seeks to consider the architecture of Boston, neighborhood by neighborhood. Filled with dozens of high-quality photos, 对于那些对波士顿当代外观和特征感兴趣的人来说，这是一个很好的资源.
• Great Georgian Houses of America – by the Architects’ Emergency Committee (NA707 .A7) This is a well-soruced, clear display of the wide variety in styles, materials, and approaches to the Georgian style in the late 18^th century. There’s little commentary throughout, so it isn’t a useful resource for introductory readers, 但是那些有现成的词汇和对格鲁吉亚风格的理解的人可能会发现这本书在寻找这种风格的例子方面很有用.

对于我自己的研究，我主要使用我们收集的出版材料. 虽然我查阅了一些与建筑有关的手稿, 我发现出版的材料对获得基础知识更有用. 出版的材料有时会被我们收集的总统签名或美丽的肖像所掩盖, but these books and pamphlets are just as useful for research. Don’t miss out!