Architecture, Liberty and Civic Order

Carroll William Westfall's PhD in the history of architecture was conferred by Columbia University. Since 1982 he has taught students in history and architecture at the Universities of Illinois in Chicago, Virginia, and most recently Notre Dame. His special interest has always been the history of the city with particular attention to the reciprocity between the political life and the urban and architectural elements that serve the needs of citizens. In classes and in two previous books and numerous articles he has explored the role of the classical tradition in architecture in serving and building the good and beautiful city. His approach uses theories of architecture and the practices of architects and those who hire them to interpret how their buildings serve and express the interests of those who possess the authority that allows them to build. The answer lies within the center of the classical tradition whose history is a constant revision to the best possible use of the universal and enduring qualities of the good and the beautiful in governing and building the good and beautiful city. In the center of this narrative is the role of the imitating the order, harmony, and proportionality of nature that uses tradition as a guide and innovation as a vivifying tonic, a topic neglected in the current narrative of the history of architecture.