The HABS and the HABs Nots:
Documenting the Architecture
of Newburyport in the
Historic American Buildings Survey
by Reginald W. Bacon
(Newburyport, Mass.:
Variety Arts Press, 2017)
8.5x11.0, 160 pages; hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-9977528-1-6
LOC: 20156920943
The HABS and the HABs Nots, "the newest 'must-have' book on Newburyport architecture" (Northshore Magazine), takes a look back at the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), the wide-ranging federal program that advanced historic preservation throughout the U.S. in the 1930s. For viewing pleasure, the large-format casebound volume presents the crisp analog photos and elegant measured drawings for the surveys conducted in Newburyport, Mass., the small coastal city north of Boston known widely for the riches of its authentic 18th- and 19th-century domestic architecture.
The "HABs Nots" Gallery, celebrating the city's smaller historic homes, then takes a look at the future of preservation in the once down-and-out but rejuvenated port city. The city's smaller-footprint historic homes, never the subject of the HABS-like attention lavished upon its Georgian and Federal-style showplaces, fill the city's 750-acre National Register Historic District and contribute to its ambiance. Yet their authenticity is at the greatest risk of being lost to the "march of progress."
For additional context, the book includes chapters on the economic history of Newburyport; the origin and evolution of the HABS program; and other notable efforts to document Newburyport architecture both before and after the HABS surveys. Also included is an illustrated guide to 300 years of house styles in Newburyport, plus a bibliography-by-topic sure to thrill avid history enthusiasts and preservation advocates.
The HABS and the HABs Nots received the 2017 Book Award for Informational Nonfiction from IPNE (Independent Publishers of New England). The author's presentation on historic structures at risk was featured at the Envisioning the Future symposium at the 2017 Boston Architectural Conference (ABX).
$35.00 (US) includes USPS media mail shipping in the U.S.
(Inquire for additional international shipping cost.)
Secure payment accepted by PayPal.
To order by postal mail, send order details, address, and payment by check to Variety Arts Enterprises, P.O. Box 489, Newburyport, MA 01950.
Also available:
Walk Newburyport:
Three Self-Guided
Residential Walking Tours,
With an Overview of
of Common Styles,
Local History, and
Significant Public Buildings
by the Newburyport
Preservation Trust
(Newburyport, Mass.: NPT, 2011)
6x9 softcover, 32 pages
As a convenience fo Newburyport architecture enthusiasts, also available through Variety Arts Press is Walk Newburyport, a compact walking tour guide that makes an ideal companion to The HABS and the HABs NOTS. The self-guided tours are sure to lead you to new discoveries of architectural gems, all within a short distance from downtown. A collaboration by a Newburyport Preservation Trust team of architects, writers, and designers, this 32-page book includes an introduction to the periods and styles of architecture in Newburyport, a glossary of terms, and historical sidebars in addition to the walking tours. Now in its third printing, Walk Newburyport is a fine reference for residents who want to learn more about the buildings that give Newburyport its special character, and a valuable guide for visitors from afar.
$14.00 (US) includes USPS media mail shipping in the U.S.
(Inquire for additional international shipping cost.)
Secure payment accepted by PayPal.
To order by postal mail, send order details, address, and payment by check to Variety Arts Enterprises, P.O. Box 489, Newburyport, MA 01950.
