The architectural criticism of Ada Louise Huxtable

Abstract

This thesis is a study of Ada Louise Huxtable's architectural criticism. Huxtable was the first full-time architecture critic on an American newspaper, and was recipient of the first Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism in 1970. There are three main objectives in this study: to analyze Huxtable's writing style, to illustrate how her criticism affected the everyday reader's attitudes toward architecture and the urban environment, and to provide a review of her career.

A brief literature review on this critic is provided. The method of study was to analyze Huxtable's work, found mainly in anthologies of her essays and in published interviews, to reveal her background and motives, writing style, message, legacy, and to provide a definition of good architectural criticism.

The conclusions of this study are that Huxtable was an integral force in the establishment of architectural criticism in the popular press, that she heightened the awareness of the public through her compelling writing style, and that she provided a benchmark for other architecture critics.

Suggestions for further study are also provided, including further study on critics who have been pioneers in their fields, and the influence of celebrity on architects and their designs.