Historian Michael G. Smith talks about his new book, Concrete Century: Julius Kahn and the Construction Revolution (University of Michigan Press, 2024), which highlights architect Albert Kahn's brother, who invented the world's first practical method of building with concrete.  Combining architecture and engineering, the brothers completely altered the technology of construction. Concrete Century will be available for purchase, with proceeds supporting JHSM.

Michael G Smith is an architectural historian and author with two books and numerous articles on twentieth-century Detroit architecture. He serves on the boards of JHSM and the Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation (AKLF). Smith’s first book, Designing Detroit: The Rise of Modern American Architecture (Wayne State University Press, 2017), locates Detroit as the birthplace of the most innovative ideas in architecture during the early twentieth century. Designing Detroit received the Michigan State History Award, the Forward INDIES Book Award, and the Michigan Notable Book award.

REGISTER HERE

Sponsored in part by:

Need assistance?  info@jhsmichigan.org or 248-915-0114, option 4