The buildings of main street

"As varied as America's downtowns are, often a single image comes to mind when Main Street is mentioned: small-scale Victorian buildings with elaborate cornices and tall, arched windows. In truth, Main Street offers as rich a spectrum of buildings as any other place in the American landscape. This ground-breaking book is the first to classify these structures, not on the usual basis of style, but as parts of a common language of buildings designed to meet business and urban needs."--BOOK JACKET.