"Arthur Brown Jr. (1874-1957) is one of the most important, yet underpublished architects of the twentieth century. Arthur Brown Jr.: Progressive Classicist, the first full study of Brown within his architectural and social context, unifies the varied strands of the architect's life, from the architectural forms and methods of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris to the reforming spirit and self-reliant confidence of San Francisco after the earthquake and fire of 1906 to the challenging economics and changing aesthetics of machine-age America. It details the development of Brown's major works and many other civic, commercial, religious, academic, and residential buildings.

It chronicles his unflagging commitment to the classical tradition, which he employed in contemporary, forward-looking institutional buildings that emphasized continuity with the past while meeting the needs of the future." "Arthur Brown Jr. is a look at the man - captivated by the classical movement and obsessed with the slightest architectural detail - and at his buildings, at once canonical and inventive and singularly American."--BOOK JACKET.