Immigrant Architect

Rafael Guastavino and the American Dream (The History Makers Series)

By: Berta de Miguel, Kent Diebolt, Virginia Lorente (Illustrator)

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Hardcover | 7 April 2020 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
60 Pages

Age
8 - 12

Grade
P - 3

Dimensions(cm)
2.39 x 2.9 x 0.15

Hardcover

RRP $32.95

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Rafael Guastavino Sr. was 39 when he left a successful career as an architect in Barcelona. American cities--densely packed and built largely of wood--were experiencing horrific fires, and Guastavino had the solution: The soaring interior spaces created by his tiled vaults and domes made buildings sturdier, fireproof, and beautiful. What he didn't have was fluent English. Unable to win design commissions, he transferred control of the company to his American-educated son, whose subsequent half-century of inspired design work resulted in major contributions to the built environment of America.

Immigrant Architect is an introduction to architectural concepts and a timely reminder of immigrant contributions to America. The book includes four route maps for visiting Guastavino-designed spaces in New York City: uptown, midtown, downtown, and Prospect Park.

Industry Reviews

"Starred Review "An exceptional STEAM title."" -- Angela Leeper - Booklist
"Read this as a picture book, to spark discussion, or use it to expand options for biography assignments in elementary schools. There's great potential in this story. VERDICT Beautiful, informative, and fascinating, this is a great addition to school and public library biography collections. Recommended. " -- School Library Journal
"If you build it, they will marvel... This charming homage is a resounding tribute to immigrants' contributions. The text is narrated by Rafael in a proud, awestruck voice that makes both characters and their work come alive. A pictorial guide to the important architectural terms readers will encounter prefaces the book. Many of the lively, colorful, appealing illustrations prominently display tiled arches... A firm foundation for building interest in architecture and a solid STEM resource." -- Kirkus Reviews
"An esoteric architectural detail-the Guastavino vault-anchors this chatty, information-dense biography. In first-person narration, the authors share the story of Rafael Guastavino Moreno through his son, Rafael Guastavino Exposito. After the pair emigrated to the U.S. from Spain in 1881, the elder Guastavino "patented tiled vaults and domes as a fireproof construction system" (at the time, "fires were common in America's growing cities"). Engaging the same concepts used in pizza and bread ovens, the Guastavino vault proved enormously successful, and "the Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company... built curved ceilings in more than one thousand buildings." (Though many were demolished, vaults survive in Grand Central Terminal and the main hall at Ellis Island, among other locations.) Through a fluke of fate, an architecture professor rescued the company's drawings from a dumpster, thereby ensuring the Guastavino legacy. Lorente's retro-mod illustrations, washed in teal, yellow, and rust, portray undulating tiled vaults, grand spaces, and dapper architects at work. Ages 8-up." -- Publishers Weekly

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