At once a memoir, a monograph, and a history, Going Home is the first-person account of Jacksonville–based architect Richard Skinner and a record of the search for his life’s purpose, finding it in family, in work, and, so richly, in architecture.
Composed in three parts, the book begins with the author’s return to the place of his birth and the land of his progenitors, going back for more than a hundred years, then diving into family stories while simultaneously unveiling the rich history of the place—Northeast Florida; specifically, Jacksonville. Part Two encompasses the origins and development of an architecture practice, Richard Skinner & Associates, from founding, through boom times and recession, to the present day, offering the reader a nuanced account that is equally a guide to creating a thoughtful, artful, and responsive business (for those who might try it), and an inspiration to those who would follow their dreams. Part Three presents selected projects that represent a comprehensive portfolio of built work designed and realized over the life of the firm, a period extending over thirty years.
Richly illustrated through contemporary photographs, drawings, and evocative archival imagery, the book is an invitation to enter into a life and its stories…and to find here the distinct experience, and welcome, of home.
