Architects to the nation

"Architects to the Nation provides the first comprehensive history of the Office of the Supervising Architect, the organization that designed federal government buildings from the early 1850s to the late 1930s. Author Antoinette J. Lee examines the evolution of the Office, traces its creative output, and describes the public relations battles between the government architects and the architects in private practice. The result is a unique and authoritative study of the nation's efforts to achieve an appropriate civic architecture."--BOOK JACKET.