From New York's Rockefeller Center to Philip Johnson's Glass House, from Louis Kahn's Salk Institute to Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum - these are the buildings that have defined American architecture and changed how we think about buildings and space. These 31 great works - all recipients of the AIA's 25-Year Award, granted to only those buildings that have stood the test of time - are not only exemplars of good design but also play significant roles in their communities. What would Fifth Avenue in New York be without Rockefeller Center? Who does not immediately think of the Gateway Arch as emblem of St. Louis? This book examines each of these buildings in depth - how its inhabitants feel about the interior space, how they function as public cultural artifacts, how their designers conceived of their projects and how they see them now, how it takes great clients to produce great architecture. What makes a great building, and why does its signifcance endure? Architecture at its best influences society, culture, and life, and it touches and changes everyone who confronts it. This book shows us how and why. we are considering a CD with supplementary texts and illustrations; this material may go on the website due to time constraints