author
Henry Chandlee Forman
1904–1991
An architect, historian, and preservationist, he spent decades uncovering and documenting early American buildings and settlements. His books helped bring colonial and Southern architecture to life for later readers.
1 Audiobook
Virginia Architecture in the Seventeenth Century
by Henry Chandlee Forman
About the author
Henry Chandlee Forman was an American architectural historian, archaeologist, and trained architect whose work centered on early American buildings and historic sites. Born in 1904, he studied architecture at Princeton and later at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also completed advanced graduate work in fine arts. Early in his career, he took part in pioneering research at Jamestown, Virginia, and St. Mary’s City, Maryland, and he served as chief architect for the National Park Service’s Jamestown archaeological project.
Across his career, Forman worked not only as a preservation professional but also as a teacher. Archival and memorial sources describe him as an architect, educator, and historic preservation practitioner who later devoted much of his time to researching and writing about older American structures, especially in Maryland, Virginia, the South, and other colonial-era regions.
He wrote numerous books on architecture and historic houses, with subjects ranging from tidewater Maryland to the architecture of the Old South. His work is remembered for careful field research and for helping readers see historic buildings as part of everyday American life, not just as monuments.