As I Was Saying: Recollections and Miscellaneous Essays

Colin Rowe is one of a handful of studio teachers of architecture and his first essay, The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa (1947), led him to question the modern architecture as propounded by the giants of the early 20th century. Divided into three books, in more or less chronological order, As I Was Saying includes articles, essays, eulogies, lectures, reviews and memoranda. Also included is a retrospective view of selected work of the Urban Design Studio at Cornell and other projects by Rowe and his students and colleagues. The first volume, Texas, pre-Texas, Cambridge , comprises those items written during Rowe’s first extended introduction to the United States (1951-1958), prior to and during his two-year tenure at the University of Texas in Austin, followed by those written while at Cambridge University (1958-1962). The second volume, Cornelliana , contains writings on architecture he prepared while teaching at Cornell University from 1962 until his retirement. The third, Urbanistics , deals primarily with urban design.