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Grain Dust Dreams
Contributor(s): Tarbet, David W. (Author)
ISBN: 1438458169     ISBN-13: 9781438458168
Publisher: Excelsior Editions/State University of New Yo
OUR PRICE:   $15.26  
Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats
Published: August 2015
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Business & Economics | Industries - General
- History | United States - State & Local - Middle Atlantic (dc, De, Md, Nj, Ny, Pa)
- Architecture | Buildings - Public, Commercial & Industrial
Dewey: 338.173
LCCN: 2014045150
Physical Information: 0.4" H x 5.5" W x 8.5" (0.30 lbs) 122 pages
Themes:
- Cultural Region - Canadian
- Cultural Region - Mid-Atlantic
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Winner of the 2017 Gertrude H. Dyke Award presented by the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society

Winner of the 2017 Ernest R. Zimmerman First Publication Award presented by the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society

Grain Dust Dreams tells the story of terminal grain elevators--concrete colossi that stand in the middle of a deep river of grain that they lift, sort, and send on. From their invention in Buffalo, New York, through their present-day operation in Thunder Bay, Ontario, David W. Tarbet examines the difficulties and dangers of working in a grain elevator--showing how they operate and describing the effects that the grain trade has on the lives of individuals and cities.

As Tarbet shows, the impact of these impressive concrete structures even extends beyond their working lives. Buildings that were created for a commercial purpose had a surprising and unintended cultural consequence. European modernist architects were taken by the size and elegance of American concrete elevators and used them as models for a revolution in architecture. When the St. Lawrence Seaway made it possible for large ships to bypass Buffalo, many Buffalo elevators were abandoned. Tarbet describes how these empty elevators are now being transformed into centers for artistic and athletic performance, and into a hub for technical innovation. Buffalo has found a way to incorporate its unused elevators into the life of the city long after the grain dust from them has ceased to fly.