PENCIL POINTS October 1936
The Work of Tecton by George Nelson

Russell F. Whitehead [Editor]

8.75 x 11.75 original magazine with 116 pages of vintage content and advertising. "Pencil Points," the forerunner of "Progressive Architecture" embraced the streamline moderne aesthetic in the arts.

Contents

• Architects of Europe Today: 12 - "TECTON," England by George Nelson: On the following pages is a presentation of the work and philosophies of a brilliant group of young British architects who have made a success of a joint practice under the name of "Tecton." [14 pages w/21 b/w illustrations]
• The Teaching of Architecture by Constantin A. Pertzoff
• Uncle Edward in Nantucket by Hubert G. Ripley
• Design for Better Living by Ralph Walker
• Guptill's Corner by Arthur L. Guptill
• THE MONOGRAPH SERIES: Tiverton, Rhode Island, and Some of its Early Dwellings by Roderick H. Parker [16 pages w/18 b/w illustrations]
• COMPARATIVE DETAILS [Group 31] -- Entrance Doorways: includes the work of W. Pope Barney, Adams & prentice, Breed, Fuller & Dick, Cameron Clark, Waldron Faulkner, Frank J. Forster, George Trofast-Gillette and Louis C. Rosenberg
• Data Sheets -- prepared by Don Graf include acoustical absorption coefficients, 2 sheets, concrete steps, dividing a circumference
• Departments include Letters from Readers and News from the Field
• General Advertising: an excellent assortment of vintage trade advertisments that espouse the depression moderne streamline aesthetic quite nicely.

Designers, architects and/or artists include TECTON [Anthony M. Chitty, Lindsey A. T. W. Drake, Michael A. S. Dugdale, Valentine Harding, Lubetkin, Godfrey H. Samuel and Russell T. F. Skinner], C. A. Pertzoff, Schell Lewis and G. W. Stoddard among many others.

The radical Tecton Group was co-founded by Berthold Lubetkin, Francis Skinner, Denys Lasdun, Godfrey Samuel, and Lindsay Drake in 1932. The name Tecton came from architecton, the Greek word for architecture. The group was one of the leaders in bringing continental modernism to Britain. The group's first commission was the 1932-1934 gorilla house in the London Zoo in Regent's Park. After the successful completion of the gorilla house, the group built a penguin pool for the zoo, which contained a double helix-shaped walkway for the penguins and a large swinmming area. The group's successes at the London Zoo resulted in them designing two other zoos: Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire and Dudley Zoo in West Midlands. The group then designed the Highpoint I tower, an apartment complex in Highgate. The complex set a new standard for luxury in city life, even though it was originally intended for working-class residents. The group later designed the Highpoint II tower on an adjacent piece of land, which was even more luxurious than its predecessor. After completing Highpoint I, Tecton received a commission to build the Finsbury Health Centre. The commission was the first public commission granted to a modernist architecture group. The building was created with the intention of improving public health through its construction by creating a positive atmosphere and encouraging patrons to enjoy the outdoors through murals.

"George Nelson was an outstanding designer. We all know that. But my hunch is that, in a hundred years, he'll be even better remembered for his thinking and writing about design.'

-- Stanley Abercrombie, architect and writer

Even if he had never designed a single piece of furniture or a wall clock, George Nelson (1908 - 1986) would be remembered as one of the founding fathers of American Modernism. The Hartford native's writing celebrated American Design with messianic zeal and pedagogical insight. Every book Nelson authored is a true classic in every sense of the word.

Spreads from this volume can be viewed here.

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