Seaside and its evolution over the past 30 years are the focus of a new book by Washington, D.C., architect Dhiru A. Thadani.
“Visions of Seaside: Foundation, Evolution, Imagination, Built & Unbuilt Architecture” is available exclusively from various Seaside merchants until Sept. 3, when it will be released nationwide.
The book’s 608 pages offer readers a detailed look at Seaside’s origins and development. It features essays, photos, drawings and other historical materials.
“I’m thrilled with the quality of the book,” said Thadani, an urbanist who spent a month-long artist residency at Seaside in January 2011. “There are many more stories that could have been included.”
Thadani, an architect since 1978, is a charter member of the Congress for the New Urbanism. He views Seaside as a unique model of architecture and town planning.
“The month I stayed there I didn’t have a car,” Thadani recalled. “I did have a bicycle. … It showed me I could actually live comfortably in a place without actually owning a car. That’s remarkable in this country.”
His month at Seaside inspired him to delve deeper into the town’s history and how people have come to view and enjoy it through the years.
“It’s a community that’s really engaged with the place,” Thadani said. “I really got to enjoy the people at Seaside, from the vendors to the residents to the even the tourists who came in.”
The book’s many contributors include Seaside founder Robert Davis and the town’s designers, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk.
Davis described Thadani’s work as “a legacy in written form for future generations of Seasiders.”
“It is a pretty picture book,” he said. “But it’s primarily a kind of encyclopedic overview of what our intentions were, how they evolved, what we learned and what we think the next generation of people taking care of Seaside … ought to at least have in mind as they move forward.”
Davis said he is excited about the reception the book has received.
Thadani plans to visit Seaside on Friday for a book signing at 6 p.m. at Pizitz Home & Cottage.
He said he feels it’s important to tell Seaside’s story so people understand how it came to be the place it is today.
“In many ways it has been an exemplary model for people to emulate,” Thadani said. “A lot of architects, including myself, have really benefitted from the fact that Seaside is there because we can bring our potential clients there and say, ‘Look, this actually can be done!’ In that sense, it’s been amazing.”
