Peculiarities of American Cities

Street markets, waterfronts and public buildings give Willard W. Glazier his starting points for describing cities across the United States and Canada. In Peculiarities of American Cities, he draws on residence in more than a hundred cities and on the sights encountered during his daily walks. The chapters move through places such as Albany, Boston, Chicago, Montreal and Ottawa, combining local landmarks with accounts of commerce, industry and civic history.

The New York passage shows how closely buildings and money are connected in his account. Trinity Church's architecture and old graveyard lead into a discussion of its extensive property holdings, while the Astor House introduces the growth of a family fortune. Parks, bridges, churches and markets recur throughout the contents. Readers interested in urban history can use these descriptions to see which places a nineteenth-century observer considered distinctive and how he linked a city's appearance to its economic life.