Member Lectures and Tours — Fall 2008

Exclusively sponsored by Balmer Architectural Mouldings

John Blatteau and Sandra Tatman on John F. Harbeson

Friday, October 17, 2008 ~ Member Lecture

Esteemed architect, John Blatteau, and historian, Sandra Tatman, describe the system of architectural education developed in France, which is commonly known at the Beaux-Arts method. Until the 1940s, when supplanted by the advent of modernism, this method educated and trained every architect in America. Thanks to Mr. Blatteau and Ms. Tatman, who wrote a new introduction for the re-print by W. W. Norton (2008), this seminal text is available once again.
Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street, 6:30 reception and book signing; lecture to follow at 7:00 pm. FREE to ICA&CA members and employees of professional member firms. $10 for the general public. Space is limited; RESERVE ONLINE or by calling (212) 730-9646, ext. 109.

The Architecture of William Lawrence Bottomley

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 ~ Member Lecture

Sophisticated country houses, gracious urban dwellings, plush Broadway cafés, exotic nightclubs, and a high-rise apartment building that, 80 years after its construction, is still considered the epitome of tony living in Manhattan—these are among the many achievements of William Lawrence Bottomley, one of the best American architects of the first half of the twentieth century. Author and historian, Susan Hume Frazer, will talk about her research in preparing for the first comprehensive study of this master architect and designer for the 2007 Acanthus Press publication. Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street, 6:30 reception and book signing; lecture to follow at 7:00 pm. FREE to ICA&CA members and employees of professional member firms. $10 for the general public. Space is limited; RSVP required: Paid reservations required; RESERVE ONLINE or by calling (212) 730-9646, ext. 109.

Great Houses of the Wissahickon Valley 1880-1930

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 ~ Member Lecture

James B. Garrison is an architect at RMJM Hillier in Philadelphia, and the author of Mastering Tradition, The Residential Architecture of John Russell Pope (Acanthus, 2004). Mr. Garrison returns to the ICA&CA to talk about his most recent endeavor with Acanthus, a book about the three generations of architects who designed houses in the Wissachikon Valley near Philadelphia. Some of the architects represented include Mellor Meigs & Howe, Horace Trumbauer, and Peabody & Stearns. Many of the residences these architects designed were for the region’s elite in the arts, finance, industry, and politics.
Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street, 6:30 reception and book signing; lecture to follow at 7:00 pm. FREE to ICA&CA members and employees of professional member firms. $10 for the general public. Space is limited; RSVP required: RESERVE ONLINE or by calling (212) 730-9646, ext. 109.

Regency Redux

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 ~ Member Lecture

Design expert, Emily Evans Eerdmans, will talk about places where neoclassicism took hold during the twentieth century, starting with the Art Deco designs of Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann in France all the way to the 1930s when the Vogue Regency returned to England. She will also discuss the Regency Revival in America and how it influenced the lavish film sets through the 1940s. Ms. Eerdmans will cover the classical elegance of the regency period, touching on the high style interiors from the Napoleonic to the classical modern to the present day.
Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street, 6:30 reception and book signing; lecture to follow at 7:00 pm. FREE to ICA&CA members and employees of professional member firms. $10 for the general public. Space is limited; RESERVE ONLINE or by calling (212) 730-9646, ext. 109.

Member Lectures and Tours — Winter/Spring 2008

Thomas Messel Furniture: Classically Inspired British Design

Thursday, January 24 ~ Special Event!

The ICA&CA and the Royal Oak Foundation are pleased to present British craftsman, draftsman, and painter, Thomas Messel for an illustrated talk about his projects, which incorporate fine cabinet work and marquetry, carving, gilding, painting, metal work, glass work, stone and marble work, and scagliola. One of England’s most distinguished furniture designers, Mr. Messel is a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, and is a member of their Guild Mark Awards Committee. Mr. Messel’s work is noted for its elegant and often witty designs, which are always coupled with meticulous craftsmanship. In his talk, Mr. Messell will cover his background and influences; in particular those of his creative and cultivated family, including the inspiration of his uncle, the celebrated stage designer, Oliver Messel, on his decidedly English custom furniture design.

Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street. Reception at 6:30 pm, Lecture to begin at 7:00 pm. Admission is $25 for Members of the ICA&CA and the Royal Oak Foundation $30 for non-members. To reserve, please call (212) 730–9646, ext. 106.

Harrison Design Associates: A Decade of Work

Thursday, February 7 ~ Member Lecture

Speaker: William Harrison

Please join architect and ICA&CA board member, William Harrison, for a talk about his firm’s recent work, which has been recently published by Images. Responding to a demand for finely detailed projects, excellent materials, and lasting construction, Mr. Harrison will talk about how his firm has grown to foster the continued growth of traditional and classical design in the United States.

ICA&CA Classroom, 20 West 44th Street, third floor. Reception at 6:30 pm, Lecture to begin at 7:00 pm. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Admission is FREE to ICA&CA members and employees of professional member firms; $10 for the general public. To reserve, please call (212) 730–9646, ext. 109.

Fifteen Central Park West: The New York Apartment House Comes Home

Tuesday, February 12 ~ Member Lecture

Speakers: Arthur Zeckendorf and Paul Whalen

Fifteen Central Park West has captured the imagination of New York’s press and public like few other buildings in recent history. The project’s economic success and its high-profile location have demonstrated the continuing viability of classicism in today’s market as well as in current architectural discourse. Developer Arthur Zeckendorf will describe the vision and financial foundation that made the project possible; Paul Whalen, Partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects, will talk about designing a modern New York building that learns from our city’s great apartment house tradition.

Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street. Reception at 6:30 pm, Lecture to begin at 7:00 pm. Admission is FREE for Members of the ICA&CA and employees of professional members firms; $10 for the general public. To reserve, please call (212) 730–9646, ext. 109.

Mistress of the Arts: Stuart & Revett’s Antiquities of Athens

Wednesday, February 27 ~ Member Lecture

Speakers: Richard Cameron and Victor Deupi

Please join the ICA&CA to celebrate the recent reprint of Stuart & Revett’s Antiquities of Athens, published by Princeton Architectural Press in association with the ICA&CA’s “Series in Art and Architecture.” Victor Deupi, Arthur Ross Director of Education, and Richard Cameron, designer and co-founder of the ICA&CA, will discuss the legacy of Stuart & Revett’s seminal work and its remarkable influence on contemporary classicism.

Authentic Architecture, a discussion and book signing with the authors of Get Your House Right

Friday, March 14 ~ Member Lecture

As the housing boom of recent decades draws to a close, Americans are looking closely at what generates real value in their houses. It is becoming clear that size, “lawyer foyers,” and number of gables don’t count any more. Get Your House Right- Architectural Elements to Use and Avoid, a new book by Marianne Cusato and Ben Pentreath, shows how well-considered, traditional design that is appropriate to place and region can create houses that feel right and have lasting value. Through their book, Ms. Cusato and Mr. Pentreath, together with co-authors Richard F. Sammons and Léon Krier, illustrate ways to add value to homes through everyday design and details. Marianne Cusato is the renowned designer who pioneered the Lowe’s Katrina Cottage, for which she was the winner of the first annual “People’s Design Award” from the Copper Hewitt Museum, the Nation Design Museum of the Smithsonian Institute. Ben Pentreath is an award-winning architectural designer based in London, where he is working on a variety of new housing developments, in particular for HRH The Prince of Wales, at Poundbury, Newquay, and Truro. Sponsored jointly by the ICA&CA and the New York Chapter of the CNU, the authors will discuss the topic of their new book and explore ways to achieve authentic architectural design in today’s world.

Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street. Reception at 6:30 pm, Lecture to begin at 7:00 pm. Books will be available for sale and signing by the authors. Admission is FREE for Members of the ICA&CA and employees of professional members firms; $10 for the general public. To reserve, please call (212) 730–9646, ext. 109.

SPECIAL OFFERING

Architectural and Visual Literacy with Calder Loth, Francis Morrone, and Victor Deupi

The ICA&CA will again present its popular Architectural Literacy course on three consecutive Wednesday mornings this spring in our 20 West 44th Street classroom, culminating with a Saturday afternoon walking tour. The series consists of a broad and lively summary overview of the history of architecture with particular focus on its classical underpinnings and their reinterpretation as part of the Western cultural tradition. The evidence of this tradition in New York’s built environment allows for contemporary illustration and is cited with due gusto. In this cycle, the series is held in partnership with The Burden Center. $75 tuition fee for ICA&CA and Burden Center members (7.25 AIA/CES LUs for those who so request); and $125 fee for nonmembers, which includes complimentary member dues for 2008.

March 26 at 11 am with Victor Deupi, Arthur Ross Director of Education
April 2 at 11 am with Calder Loth, Director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources
April 9 at NOON with Francis Morrone, Architectural Historian, Author, Journalist and Scholar Walking Tour, Saturday,
April 12 at 2 pm. Participants will meet at the Sherman monument in Grand Army Plaza, Fifth Avenue and 59th Street.

For additional information and to reserve your place, call Sara Durkacs, (212) 730–9646, ext. 106.

Member Events