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Guardians of Michigan

Architectural Sculpture of the Pleasant Peninsulas

Jeff Morrison author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:The University of Michigan Press

Published:12th Sep '22

Should be back in stock very soon

Guardians of Michigan cover

Guardians of Michigan profiles the extraordinary architectural sculpture found in both the pleasant peninsulas of the Great Lakes State. Author Jeff Morrison spent years exploring Michigan’s largest cities and smallest towns, using telephoto photography to capture the sculptural details hidden from the naked eye, and researching the beautiful historic architecture he encountered. Organized alphabetically by city, each section documents the history and design of an individual building, accompanied by beautiful photos of the building and its unique ornamentation.

The buildings profiled in Guardians of Michigan range from county courthouses, churches, and government buildings constructed during the 1800s, to skyscrapers with intricate sculptural decoration too far above street level for passersby to see. As a result, the book highlights examples of Gothic, Romanesque Revival, Beaux Arts, as well as Art Deco and Art Moderne. Guardians of Michigan is a loving tribute to the architecture of the state, preserving forgotten stories and beautiful buildings for all readers to enjoy.

"'Guardians of Michigan,' by Detroit author, photographer and architectural historian Jeff Morrison, takes readers on a trip across the Lower and Upper Peninsulas of Michigan in search of the most illustrative embellishments on some of Michigan’s most important historical structures. . . It’s hefty, but it’s worth it."
City Pulse

* City Pulse *

Named a 2023 Michigan Notable Book

* Michigan Notable Book *

Finalist: Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA) 2023 Midwest Book Award in Nonfiction – Arts/Photography/Coffee Table Books

* MIPA Midwest Book Award *

Winner: Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU)'s 2023-2024 Stuart D. and Vernice M. Gross Award for Literature


"a 2023 Michigan Notable Book and a tour de force resource for architectural, art, cultural, and Michigan-focused
historians and scholars. . . . Morrison’s photographs, of which there are more than 1,200 in Guardians of Michigan, brilliantly capture the sculptures that adorn buildings around the state. Part of the magic of Morrison’s photos is that they urge us to slow down and pay attention to the artistic details that we often overlook when whizzing by in our automobiles."

ISBN: 9780472133215

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

464 pages