Architecture, Design and Craft in Toronto 1900-1940

Alla Myzelev is Visiting Assistant Professor, SUNY Geneseo, USA.

'This book offers a unique and engaging perspective on the history of architecture and design in Toronto. Focusing on a series of domestic and semi-domestic spaces, including hotels, Myzelev weaves together stories of patronage, design, aspiration, tradition, and the staging and performance of modern lifestyles. Her book makes a vital contribution to the study of design culture in early twentieth-century Toronto, illuminating the interrelationships between architecture, art, craft, and design, and how patrons, architects, and designers sought to express themselves and their communities in response to the conditions of modernity.' Michael Windover, Carleton University, Canada 'Alla Myzelev's new book fills an important gap in our knowledge of North American architecture of the twentieth century. Focussing on the first and second great building booms of Toronto, it charts the complex rise of Toronto as Canada's cultural capitol and one of North America's greatest urban metropolises. Over seven well-paced chapters, Myzelev discusses its great homes, such as Sir Penry Pellatt's Casa Loma and the home of Group of Seven painter Lawren Harris, as well as its major commercial and cultural buildings, most notably the Royal York Hotel. Topically published during the city's current building boom, Myzelev's carefully researched account rightly positions Toronto among the great cities of the twentieth century. It will be required reading for all scholars of modern architecture.' Matthew Reeve, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada