Lost in America

Lost in America documents the life and death of America's architectural and historic treasures. The book is based on a remarkable archive created by the Historic American Building Survey (HABS), a Works Progress Administration project that still documents the nation's most important buildings. This book focuses on buildings that have been torn down over the past 90 years.

Lost in America tells the story of 100 structures. Some--like New York's Penn Station and Chicago's Stock Exchange--were majestic. Others--like a tiny bridge in rural Montana and a small farmstead torn down for Denver's International Airport--were modest. But they all reflected America's story before they were razed. Lost in America also tells the story of this country's love-hate relationship with historic architecture. We Americans talk about the importance of saving our past, but we are a nation compelled to change.

The photos and words in Lost in America are meant to be a soundless supplication for the need to embrace and save our past. We hope the book will open the eyes of people who don't think seriously about the importance of historic preservation. We also hope it will be cherished by others who do.