Barbara Miller Lane, Author of “Houses For A New World: Builders & Buyers In American Suburbs, 1945-65”

Date: November 1, 2016

In this lecture local author Lane discusses often-dismissed small Cape Cods, ranches and split levels with the extensive analysis formerly reserved for high-style architecture. Broomall’s Lawrence Park and Rose Tree Woods are among developments by lesser-known tract house developers she selected from four diverse regions. Based on a decade of research, her book contains hundreds of historical images, plans and maps, presenting an entirely new interpretation of American suburbs which espoused a modern way of life – informal, democratic, multi-ethnic, and devoted to improving their owners’ lives and those of their children. The result is an insightful history of houses and developments that continue to shape how tens of millions of us live today. Barbara Miller Lane joined the faculty of Bryn Mawr College in 1962, is Mellon Foundation Professor Emeritus of Humanities, and Professor Emeritus of History.