Lectures, Tours, Events
The Splendor of Cuba: 450 Years of Architecture and InteriorsRegister Now!
Thursday, February 9; Reception at 6:30 PM; Lecture at 7:00 PM
Many have seen in person or in books the rich architectural gems of Cuba, most in gentle decay, islands within an island. Dr. Michael Connors’ recent book, The Splendor of Cuba, has been said to be a quiet revelation. The Splendor of Cuba presents the secret and extraordinarily well-preserved opulence of colonial Spanish Creole aristocracy, with its Mudejar craftsmanship, classically inspired grand mansions, baroque palacios, and coffee and sugarcane plantations known as “ingenios”. Exceptional preservation work has kept these villas in their magnificent state. New photos shot exclusively for this book show examples in each area of the island—from Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos, and Pinar del Rio to Ernest Hemingway’s, Finca Vigia (“Lookout Farm”), certainly a new discovery for anyone with an interest in Cuba and architecture.
Dr. Michael Connors is an expert in Caribbean antiques and architecture writing for over thirty years on the subjects. He received his Ph.D in Decorative Arts from New York University where he taught for fifteen years.
Location: Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street. Space is limited and reservations are required. To reserve call the ICAA reservations line: (212) 730-9646, ext. 109 or register online.
Cost/Learning Unit: FREE for ICAA members and employees of professional members firms; FREE for full-time students with current ID; $10 for AIA NY Interiors Committee members; $20 for the general public.
Southeast Chapter: Sixth Annual Shutze Awards Ceremony & Celebration
Saturday, February 11, 2012; 6:30-8:30 pm
The Southeast Chapter of the ICAA presents the 6th Annual Shutze Awards & Celebration at the Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta, GA.
Details coming soon.
The Vintage House: A Guide to Successful Renovations and AdditionsRegister Now!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012; Reception at 6:30 PM; Lecture at 7:00 PM
Sponsored by Carlisle Wide Plank Floors
The Vintage House guides readers through typical projects and issues, such as finding more space within an existing footprint or blending in new windows or dormers without destroying historic character. Richly illustrated with color photos, plans, and drawings from nationally recognized architects, as well as examples from the authors’ 30 year careers, this book shares analysis and experience from two of the nation’s most respected old-house professionals: Mark Alan Hewitt, 2009 Arthur Ross Award recipient and long-time Classical America and ICAA member, along with Gordon Bock, former editor of Old House Journal.
“The Greenest House is the one that lasts the longest. In a useful book that is part architectural history primer and part building manual. Mark Alan Hewitt and Gordon Bock show how old houses can be given new life-sensibly and beautifully.”
—Witold Rybczynski, author of Makeshift Metropolis
Location: Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street. Space is limited and reservations are required. To reserve call the ICAA reservations line: (212) 730-9646, ext. 109 or register online.
Cost/Learning Unit: FREE for ICAA members and employees of professional members firms; FREE for full-time students with current ID; $20 for the general public.
Northern California Chapter: Proportions I & II with Steve Bass
February 25-26, 2012
Course will be held from 9:00 am-5:00 pm on Saturday and 9:00 am-1:00 pm on Sunday at Ft. Mason, Room C210.
For more details, visit www.classicist-nocal.org.
Cost/Learning Unit: 11 AIA/CES CEHs available.
Northern California Chapter: Lecture with Dr. Gray A. Brechin, “Time in the Palace: Bernard Maybeck’s Palace of Fine Arts in Context”
February 28, 2012; 6:00 – 8:00 pm
At the Walt Disney Family Museum in The Presidio of San Francisco.
For more details, visit www.classicist-nocal.org.
The Beaux-Arts Atelier initial application deadline.
March 1, 2012
For more information, go to www.beauxartsatelier.org.
Tour of the Harkness House
Saturday March 3, 2012
Sponsored by Hilton-VanderHorn Architects
Two tours will be offered.
The residence of Edward S. and Mary S. Harkness was designed by James Gamble Rodgers in the style of a Roman Renaissance palazzo on a unique corner lot. The English, French, and Italian style rooms are impeccably maintained and remain virtually unchanged since the house was completed in 1908. Since 1952 the house has been the headquarters of The Commonwealth Fund, established in 1918 by Edward’s mother, Anna Harkness. The tour will be led by the Harkness House Curator, Paul Wentworth Engel.
Participants will meet in front of Harkness House at 10:15 AM for the 10:30 tour and at 1:15 PM for the 1:30 tour. The tour will last approximately one hour. Harkness House is located at 1 East 75th Street, New York, NY 10021. Space is limited and reservations are required. To reserve call the ICAA reservations line: (212) 730-9646, ext. 109 or register online at www.classicist.org.
Cost/Learning Unit: FREE for ICAA members and employees of professional members firms; FREE for seniors and full-time students (with current student ID); $20 for the general public. 1 AIA/CES LU is available.
Gertrude Jekyll and the Country House GardenRegister Now!
Thursday, March 8; Reception at 6:30 PM; Lecture at 7:00 PM
Sponsored by R. D. Rice & Associates
Co-Sponsored by The Royal Oak Foundation
One of the most important garden designers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) was a prolific writer and hugely influential horticulturist. Her own writings delve into the themes of Home and Garden, Gardens Old and New, Gardens for Small Country Houses, Color in the Flower Garden, and Garden Ornament, highlighted in this lecture. Landscape historian and author, Judith Tankard, will explore Jekyll’s gardens and her legendary theories on color, planting, and design with a wonderful selection of some of her famous garden commissions. We will discover Jekyll’s most important collaboration with Sir Edwin Lutyens, spanning over forty years and producing such seminal masterpieces of the Arts and Crafts movement as Hestercombe, Folly Farm, and Deanery Gardens. Tankard offers the opportunity to view these great country house gardens and more through a selection of superb photographs from the Country Life archives.
Location: Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street. Space is limited and reservations are required. To reserve call the ICAA reservations line: (212) 730-9646, ext. 109 or register online.
Cost/Learning Unit: FREE for ICAA members and employees of professional members firms; FREE for full-time students with current ID; $20 for the general public.
McKim & Me: Eleventh Annual McKim Lecture with Allan GreenbergRegister Now!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012 ; Cocktail Reception at 6:15 PM; Lecture at 6:45 PM; Optional Dinner to follow
Sponsored by Balmer Architectural Mouldings and Vella Interiors
The Institute partners annually with the University Club and the One West 54th Street Foundation to present the McKim Lecture.
As a young architect from South Africa, Allan Greenberg’s decision in the early 1970s to build a practice based on classicism sprung from his revulsion over the cavalier way the work of McKim, Mead & White and other classical architects was being thoughtlessly and systematically demolished and replaced by buildings of unparalleled banality. It was also driven by his admiration for the accomplishments of McKim, Mead & White as well as that of the next generation of architects, many of whom who either served in their office or were inspired by their work. Their achievements in architecture—from the design of houses, statehouses, and just about every other building type—and in city planning—from a single block to an entire city—remains unequalled.
Location: College Hall at the University Club, One West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019.
Cost: $60.00 per person for Cocktail Reception and Lecture; $130.00 per person for Cocktail Reception, Lecture, and Dinner. Dinner includes a seafood buffet with two glasses of wine.
Paid reservations by phone until noon on day of event: (212) 730-9646, ext. 109, or register online.
The Annual McKim Lecture is a collaboration between the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA) and the One West 54th Street Foundation. The One West 54th Street Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established to preserve the architectural integrity and design of the University Club, a New York Historic Landmark building. The Foundation also provides scholarship to students, including those at the ICAA enrolled in its full array of programmatic offerings.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York Council for the Humanities and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
Photo credit: ©photo by Lise Metzger
Northern California Chapter: Lecture with Dr. David Watkin, Cambridge University Professor Emeritus, “Classical Language Past and Present”
March 21, 2012; 6:00 – 8:00 pm
At the Walt Disney Family Museum in The Presidio of San Francisco.
For more details, visit www.classicist-nocal.org.
Northern California Chapter: Drawing the Doric Order with Domiane Forte
March 24, 2012
Course will be held from 9:00 am-5:00 pm at the Ft. Mason Gatehouse.
For more details, visit www.classicist-nocal.org.
Cost/Learning Unit: 7 AIA/CES CEHs available.
Winterthur: Traditional American RoomsRegister Now!
Wednesday, March 28; Reception at 6:30 PM; Lecture at 7:00 PM
Sponsored by Kuiken Brothers Classical Moulding
Set in the bucolic Brandywine Valley, Winterthur Museum and Country Estate is a treasure of historic American architecture and decorative arts. Created by avid collector and connoisseur Henry Francis du Pont, the vast collection includes period rooms from all thirteen original colonies. Central to the revival of taste for colonial America, today Winterthur is an unparalleled resource for architects, decorators, and patrons alike. For the first time, with full color photography and original measure drawings, the architectural millwork of selected rooms is examined by master craftsman Brent Hull and designer Christine G.H. Franck in Winterthur Style Sourcebook: Traditional American Rooms. Join the authors for an exploration of Winterthur’s period rooms, the role of the Colonial Revival throughout America and the South, and their relevance for the best of design and craftsmanship.
Location: Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street. Space is limited and reservations are required. To reserve call the ICAA reservations line: (212) 730-9646, ext. 109 or register online.
Cost/Learning Unit: FREE for ICAA members and employees of professional members firms; FREE for full-time students with current ID; $20 for the general public.
Northern California Chapter: Drawing the Ionic Order with Domiane Forte
April 21, 2012
Course will be held from 9:00 am-5:00 pm at Ft. Mason, Room C205
For more details, visit www.classicist-nocal.org.
Cost/Learning Unit: 7 AIA/CES CEHs available.
Northern California Chapter: Drawing the Corinthian Order with Domiane Forte
May 19, 2012
Course will be held from 9:00 am-5:00 pm at Ft. Mason, Room C370
For more details, visit www.classicist-nocal.org.
Cost/Learning Unit: 7 AIA/CES CEHs available.
Northern California Chapter: San Francisco Fall Antiques Show Luncheon?
October 27, 2012
Check back for more details.