Built to Last - An Architectural History of
Silver City, New Mexico
A book review by Nancy J. Reid

One can look at history from several angles, but perhaps one of the more personal aspects is through architecture. When you have the privilege of entering an historic building, whether it be a church, mining camp, cabin, or home--it immediately gives you a real sense of what it was like "way back when."  Built to Last, by Susan Berry and Sharman Apt Russell, is an unusual book in that the authors have managed to explain a period of history through architecture in a extremely personal way. Anytime history can be made personal, it is automatically more interesting, so I feel this book is a valuable contribution.

Silver City, New Mexico, is a beautiful city tucked away in a beautiful part of the southwest. Having four seasons, it is a place you can visit all year round and experience a different feeling each season. If you walk through the town and have a look at the buildings, you will see that the people who settled Silver City, had pride in their city. One of the benefits of owning and taking Built To Last with you, is you can use the maps and the Historic Building Inventory, to locate specific buildings and the Architectural Glossary to identify the features of the buildings.

In an interview with Susan Berry, co-author of Built To Last and director of the Silver City Museum, she competently covers the history of Silver City and points out why this community architecturally developed in the way it did. To hear the interview, please double click on the Play button below.

To purchase a copy of ‘Built to Last’ or to find out more about the Silver City Museum, or Silver City’s colorful history visit www.SilverCityMuseum.org