The Brochure Series of Architectural Illustration, vol. 06, No. 01, January 1900 The Ten Most Beautiful Buildings in the United States.

A charming snapshot of American architectural pride at the turn of the twentieth century, this booklet records a reader‑driven vote to name the ten most beautiful buildings in the United States. The results, topped by the National Capitol in Washington and the Boston Public Library, are accompanied by elegant plates that showcase the structures’ silhouettes and details. Over two hundred architects and students of the craft contributed their preferences, giving the list a genuine professional flavor.

The second part offers Professor A. D. F. Hamlin’s thoughtful commentary, where he unpacks how the collective judgment reflects contemporary taste, the balance of exterior grandeur versus interior planning, and the shifting values of dignity, simplicity and richness. He also contrasts these preferences with a similar poll from fifteen years earlier, highlighting the evolution of American design sensibilities. The discussion remains rooted in the era’s aesthetic debates without revealing any later conclusions.

Listeners will enjoy a blend of visual illustration and scholarly insight, experiencing a historic dialogue about what was deemed beautiful in 1900. The work serves both as a visual tour of landmark buildings and as a window into the professional discourse that shaped early‑modern American architecture.