Spiro Kostof
Encyclopedia
Dr. Spiro Konstantine Kostof (7 May 1936 - 7 December 1991) was a leading architectural historian and inspirational teacher at the University of California, Berkeley
. His books continue to be widely read and some are routinely used in collegiate courses on architectural history.
A Bulgarian born in Turkey
, Kostof was educated at Istanbul's Robert College. He came the United States in 1957 for graduate work at Yale University
. Although he intended to major in drama, his interests shifted to architectural history. He received his Ph.D. in 1961, then taught at Yale for four years, before moving to the University of California to join the faculty of the College of Environmental Design
. He was to remain at Berkeley for the duration of his career.
Kostof's approach to architectural history
emphasized urbanism as well as architecture and showed how architectural works are embedded in their physical and social contexts. Commonly accepted today, Kostof's approach was a break with previous directions in architectural history which tended to emphasize the sequence of styles and to study architectural works in relative isolation from their settings. Kostof's textbook, A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals (1985) embodied these ideas and soon became one of the standard texts in the field.
In 1987, Kostof hosted a five-part PBS series, America by Design.
Kostof's publications were wide-ranging and included The Architect: Chapters in the History of the Profession, The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History, America by Design, and The City Assembled: Elements of Urban Form through History.
In 1993, following his death, the Society of Architectural Historians
established the "Spiro Kostof Award," to recognize books "in the spirit of Kostof's writings," particularly those that are interdisciplinary and whose content focuses on urban development, the history of urban form, and/or the architecture of the built environment.
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. His books continue to be widely read and some are routinely used in collegiate courses on architectural history.
A Bulgarian born in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Kostof was educated at Istanbul's Robert College. He came the United States in 1957 for graduate work at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Although he intended to major in drama, his interests shifted to architectural history. He received his Ph.D. in 1961, then taught at Yale for four years, before moving to the University of California to join the faculty of the College of Environmental Design
UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design
The College of Environmental Design, also known as the or simply is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. The school is located in Wurster Hall on the southeast corner of the main UC Berkeley campus...
. He was to remain at Berkeley for the duration of his career.
Kostof's approach to architectural history
Architectural History
Architectural History is the main journal of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain .The journal is published each autumn. The architecture of the British Isles is a major theme of the journal, although it includes more general papers on the history of architecture. Member of...
emphasized urbanism as well as architecture and showed how architectural works are embedded in their physical and social contexts. Commonly accepted today, Kostof's approach was a break with previous directions in architectural history which tended to emphasize the sequence of styles and to study architectural works in relative isolation from their settings. Kostof's textbook, A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals (1985) embodied these ideas and soon became one of the standard texts in the field.
In 1987, Kostof hosted a five-part PBS series, America by Design.
Kostof's publications were wide-ranging and included The Architect: Chapters in the History of the Profession, The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History, America by Design, and The City Assembled: Elements of Urban Form through History.
In 1993, following his death, the Society of Architectural Historians
Society of Architectural Historians
The Society of Architectural Historians is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the study and preservation of the built environment worldwide....
established the "Spiro Kostof Award," to recognize books "in the spirit of Kostof's writings," particularly those that are interdisciplinary and whose content focuses on urban development, the history of urban form, and/or the architecture of the built environment.
Books
- Kostof, Spiro, America by Design, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, New York 1987.
- Kostof, Spiro, Caves of God: CappadociaCappadociaCappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
and its Churches Publisher: Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 1989 ISBN 0195060008 ISBN 978-0195060003
- Kostof, Spiro, The Architect: Chapters in the History of the Profession, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 1977; third edition, University of California PressUniversity of California PressUniversity of California Press, also known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish books and papers for the faculty of the University of California, established 25 years earlier in 1868...
, Berkeley Los Angeles London 2000.
- Kostof, Spiro, The City Assembled: Elements of Urban Form through History, Little Brown, Boston 1992; second printing Thames & Hudson New York 2005.
- Kostof, Spiro, The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History, second edition Thames & Hudson, New York 1999
- Kostof, Spiro, A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, New York Oxford 1985; second edition 1995.