Andrew Jackson Downing, now considered the father of American landscape architecture, was among the first to develop aesthetic theories that differed sharply from those perpetuated in
eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Europe. He designed houses based upon American democratic values and advocated for domestic design that would satisfy basic human needs along with the
desire to live well.
In this book, Caren Yglesias, a practicing architect, examines Downing’s legacy with an eye for relevance to today’s domestic landscape. She builds on Downing’s work in order to redefine what
makes a “complete,” or nurturing and fulfilling, house and grounds.
