Thomas Mellins

November 2, 2018

The Durst Collection shows ‘New York Rising’ from the 17th century to the skyscraper age

If you want to go on a visual journey that begins with Manhattan's first European settlement, way back in the seventeenth century, up through the skyscrapers and urban planning of the late twentieth century, look no further than New York Rising: An Illustrated History from the Durst Collection. The book, set to come out on November 13th, originates from the sprawling Durst Collection at Columbia University's Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library. Incredible photography captures the most definitive parts of New York history, accompanied by the thoughts of ten scholars who were asked to reflect on the images. Their writing ranges from the emergence of public transit to the "race for height" to affordable housing. 6sqft spoke with Thomas Mellins, who edited the book with Kate Ascher, on their efforts delving into the Durst Collection -- which has its own unique history -- to come up with this comprehensive visual history. See a selection of photos from the book, along with thoughts from Mellins, after the jump.
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