Persuasion of Place : The Work of Cecil Baker Architect

This rich volume reflects on a body of work through the lens of the designer himself.

Cecil Baker has designed some of the most prominent buildings in Philadelphia’s recent history. Moving fluidly between scales, building types, and price points, his office helped shape the evolution of Philadelphia’s City Center and set modernist precedents in its traditionally minded suburbs and beyond. This collection contains 35 of his finest projects, all of which embody the ethos of “persuasion of place.” By that Baker means buildings that not only respect and reflect their surroundings but that also frequently achieve beloved status by responding to regulatory frameworks and community concerns in an intensely imaginative way. Over the course of nearly 50 years, Baker has completed buildings ranging from iconic luxury towers to affordable subsidized housing, custom single-family homes, mixed-use complexes, and civic and institutional buildings. Through Baker’s own narration and comments from his colleagues, the reader will learn about the architect’s design methods, the processes of collaboration that inform his work, and the powerful influence of his early years living with British parents in his native Argentina. Told through the lens of the designer himself, Baker’s story will inspire readers to view architecture in a new way.