The Tale of Tomorrow

This gorgeous book published by Gestalten explores the optimistic view of architecture and indeed, society from an historical, utopian viewpoint.

‘There was a time when its seemed like blueprints, dreams and raw concrete could change the world’ – Robert Klanten

The utopian buildings of the 1960s and 1970s never go out of style. This book compiles radical ideas, rediscovered photos, and visionary structures. The retro-futuristic epoch is one of the most visually spectacular in architecture’s history.

The Tale of Tomorrow surveys this diverse twentieth-century phenomenon, featuring renowned works like The House of the Century or the TWA terminal, as well as lesser-known masterpieces, and profiling major thinkers such as Oscar Niemeyer, Le Corbusier, and Eero Saarinen.

By digging through archives, corresponding with descendants of departed architects, and restoring photographs, the collection of utopian approaches herein maintains a visual power and infectious optimism. Looking at past dreams, The Tale of Tomorrow is a call to reclaim our future.

Driven by idealistic visions, utopian architecture aimed to overcome social divisions and political strife, to put us in touch with nature, and to enable us to live humane, healthy lives. For half a century, it was both hope and inspiration. 

See more and buy the book at gestalten.com