Over the concluding decades of the twentieth century, the historic preservation community increasingly turned its attention to modern buildings, including bungalows from the 1930s, gas stations and diners from the 1940s, and office buildings and architectural homes from the 1950s. Conservation efforts, however, were often hampered by a lack of technical information about the products used in these structures, and to fill this gap Twentieth-Century Building Materials was developed by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service and first published in 1995. Now, this invaluable guide is being reissued—with a new preface by the book’s original editor.

With more than 250 illustrations, including a full-color photographic essay, the volume remains an indispensable reference on the history and conservation of modern building materials. Thirty-seven essays written by leading experts offer insights into the history, manufacturing processes, and uses of a wide range of materials, including glass block, aluminum, plywood, linoleum, and gypsum board. Readers will also learn about how these materials perform over time and discover valuable conservation and repair techniques. Bibliographies and sources for further research complete the volume.

The book is intended for a wide range of conservation professionals including architects, engineers, conservators, and material scientists engaged in the conservation of modern buildings, as well as scholars in related disciplines.

• Foreword to the 2014 Edition, Timothy P. Whalen
• Preface to the 2014 Edition, Thomas C. Jester
• Preface to the First Edition, Thomas C. Jester
• Acknowledgments
• Twentieth-Century Building Materials: A Photographic Essay
• Introduction: Building Modern America: An Era of Standardization and Experimentation, Michael A. Tomlan
• PART I. METALS
  • 1. ALUMINUM, Stephen J. Kelley
  • 2. MONEL, Derek H. Trelstad
  • 3. NICKEL SILVER, Adrienne B. Cowden
  • 4. STAINLESS STEEL, Robert Score and Irene J. Cohen
  • 5. WEATHERING STEEL, John C. Scott and Carolyn L. Searls
• PART II. CONCRETE
  • 6. CONCRETE BLOCK, Pamela H. Simpson; Harry J. Hunderman and Deborah Slaton
  • 7. CAST STONE, Adrienne B. Cowden; David P. Wessel
  • 8. REINFORCED CONCRETE, Amy E. Slaton; Paul E. Gaudette, William G. Hime, and James D. Connolly
  • 9. SHOTCRETE, Anne T. Sullivan
  • 10. ARCHITECTURAL PRECAST CONCRETE, Sidney Freedman
  • 11. PRESTRESSED CONCRETE, Howard Newlon, Jr.
• PART III. WOOD AND PLASTICS
  • 12. FIBERBOARD, Carol S. Gould, Kimberly A. Konrad, Kathleen Catalano Milley, and Rebecca Gallagher
  • 13. DECORATIVE PLASTIC LAMINATES, Anthony J. T. Walker, Kimberly A. Konrad, and Nicole L. Stull
  • 14. PLYWOOD, Thomas C. Jester
  • 15. GLUED LAMINATED TIMBER, Andrew McNall; David C. Fischetti
  • 16. FIBER REINFORCED PLASTIC, Anthony J. T. Walker
• PART IV. MASONRY
  • 17. STRUCTURAL CLAY TILE, Conrad Paulson
  • 18. TERRA COTTA, Deborah Slaton and Harry J. Hunderman
  • 19. GYPSUM BLOCK AND TILE, Susan M. Escherich
  • 20. THIN STONE VENEER, Michael J. Scheffler and Edward A. Gerns
  • 21. SIMULATED MASONRY, Ann Milkovich McKee
• PART V. GLASS
  • 22. PLATE GLASS, Kimberly A. Konrad and Kenneth M. Wilson; William J. Nugent and Flora A. Calabrese
  • 23. PRISMATIC GLASS, Dietrich Neumann
  • 24. GLASS BLOCK, Dietrich Neumann; Jerry G. Stockbridge and Bruce S. Kaskel
  • 25. STRUCTURAL GLASS, Carol J. Dyson
  • 26. SPANDREL GLASS, Robert W. McKinley
• PART VI. FLOORING
  • 27. LINOLEUM, Bonnie Wehle Parks Snyder
  • 28. RUBBER TILE, Sharon C. Park
  • 29. CORK TILE, Anne E. Grimmer
  • 30. TERRAZZO, Walker C. Johnson
  • 31. VINYL TILE, Kimberly A. Konrad; Paul D. Kofoed
• PART VII. ROOFING, SIDING, AND WALLS
  • 32. ASPHALT SHINGLES, Mike Jackson
  • 33. PORCELAIN ENAMEL, Thomas C. Jester
  • 34. ACOUSTICAL MATERIALS, Anne E. Weber
  • 35. GYPSUM BOARD, Kimberly A. Konrad and Michael A. Tomlan
  • 36. BUILDING SEALANTS, Michael J. Scheffler and James D. Connolly
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Sources for Research
• Authors and Contributors
• Index
• Illustration Credits

Thomas C. Jester, AIA, formerly an architectural historian with the National Park Service, is a senior architect at Quinn Evans Architects, where he specializes in historic preservation.

Michael A. Tomlan is director of the Historic Preservation Planning Program, Cornell University.

Stephen J. Kelley is an architect and structural engineer with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Chicago.

Derek H. Trelstad is senior editor of Building Renovation Magazine and adjunct assistant professor in the Historic Preservation Program, Columbia University.

Adrienne B. Cowden is a historic sites surveyor with P. A. C. Spero and Company in Baltimore.

Robert Score is an architect with Muller and Muller in Chicago.

Irene J. Cohen is an architect with McDonald’s Corporation in Oak Brook, Illinois.

John C. Scott is an architectural and fine arts conservator with the New York Conservation Center, New York City.

Carolyn L. Searls is an engineer with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Emeryville, California.

Pamela H. Simpson is professor of art history at Washington and Lee University.

Harry J. Hunderman is an architect with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Chicago.

Deborah Slaton is an architectural conservator with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Chicago.

David P. Wessel is an architectural conservator with Architectural Resources Group in San Francisco.

Amy E. Slaton is a doctoral fellow in the Department of the History of Science, Harvard University.

Paul E. Gaudette is an engineer with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Chicago.

William G. Hime, a chemist, is a principal of Erlin, Hime Associates in Northbrook, Illinois.

James D. Connolly, a chemist, is manager of Erlin, Hime Associates in Northbrook, Illinois.

Anne T. Sullivan is an architect with Johnson-Lasky Architects in Chicago and is an adjunct professor in the Historic Preservation Program, School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Sidney Freedman is director of architectural services at the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute in Chicago.

Howard Newlon, Jr., is adjunct professor in the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Virginia.

Carol S. Gould is a historian with the Preservation Assistance Division of the National Park Service, Washington, D.C.

Kimberly A. Konrad is a preservation planner with the Boston Landmarks Commission.

Kathleen Catalano Milley is an architectural historian with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office of the National Park Service, Philadelphia.

Rebecca Gallagher is a design consultant in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.

Anthony J. T. Walker is an architect with Damond, Lock, Grabowski Partners in London.

Nicole L. Stull is a graduate of the Historic Preservation Planning Program, Cornell University.

Andrew McNall is a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy at the University of Wisconsin.

David C. Fischetti is a structural engineer with DCF Engineering in Cary, North Carolina.

Conrad Paulson is a structural engineer with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Chicago.

Susan M. Escherich is a historian with the Preservation Assistance Division of the National Park Service, Washington, D.C.

Michael J. Scheffler is a professional engineer with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Chicago.

Edward A. Gerns is an architect with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Chicago.

Ann Milkovich McKee is assistant professor of architecture in the Historic Preservation Program at Ball State University.

Kenneth M. Wilson recently retired as director of collections and preservation at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. He is the author of New England Glass and Glassmaking and American Glass: 1760–1930.

William J. Nugent is a structural engineer with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Northbrook, Illinois.

Flora A. Calabrese is a structural engineer with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Northbrook, Illinois.

Dietrich Neumann is assistant professor of art history at Brown University.

Jerry G. Stockbridge is an architect, structural engineer, and president of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Northbrook, Illinois.

Bruce S. Kaskel is an architect and structural engineer with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Chicago.

Carol J. Dyson is an architectural historian with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency in Springfield.

Robert W. McKinley, formerly manager of technical services at PPG Industries, is a management consultant based in Hancock, New Hampshire.

Bonnie Wehle Parks Snyder is a principal with P.S. Preservation Services and an environmental planner with the California Department of Transportation, Sacramento, California.

Sharon C. Park is senior historical architect with the Preservation Assistance Division of the National Park Service, Washington, D.C.

Anne E. Grimmer is an architectural historian with the Preservation Assistance Division of the National Park Service, Washington, D.C.

Walker C. Johnson is a principal of Johnson-Lasky Architects in Chicago and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

Paul D. Kofoed is a chemist with Erlin, Hime Associates in Northbrook, Illinois.

Mike Jackson is chief architect of the Division of Preservation Services of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency in Springfield.

Anne E. Weber is an architect with Ford, Farewell, Mills and Gatsch in Princeton, New Jersey.