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Jefferson and Palladio in Virginia
April 9 – 13, 2008
Arranged by Classical Excursions
“With Mr. Jefferson I conversed at length on the subject of architecture. Palladio, he said ‘was the bible.’ You should get it and stick close to it…”
Colonel Isaac Coles in a letter to John Hartwell Cocke, 1816
There is no state in the union other than Virginia where the influence of the great Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio, is as pronounced, that is, influential by way of English Palladianism that reached its maturity in the early eighteenth century. The architect’s drawings were carefully studied by Inigo Jones in the seventeenth century. Palladio’s great book, Il Quattro Libri, which was reproduced and interpreted frequently, became an extraordinary promotional piece for classical architecture worldwide. Even before Jefferson’s time, Palladio’s works reached America through translations of his book, as well as through the writings of such eighteenth-century English architects as Colin Campbell, James Gibbs, and Robert Morris.
But it was Virginia’s own Thomas Jefferson, the architect, who greatly expanded the Palladian influence on American classical architecture. Like Palladio, Jefferson cherished the lessons to be learned from ancient Roman architecture, especially the columned temple. Thanks to him, classical architecture has been the set style for the American government from his Virginia State Capitol and his ideas for the White House and the United States Capitol to hundreds of civic and public buildings built over two centuries. Jefferson, though a man for a democratic society, could never have imagined the sheer numbers of “colonial” houses that dot the American landscape.
As part of its 2008 celebratory program for the 500th anniversary of the birth of Palladio, the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America is inviting you to join its four-day tour of some of the finest examples of three centuries of Palladian architecture in Virginia. The earliest buildings to be privately visited are such Tidewater plantation houses as Shirley, Brandon, and that icon of American Georgian architecture, Westover.
Central to the scheme of the excursion is time spent in the Charlottesville area with private viewings of Palladian Monticello, the University of Virginia, Edgemont, Mirador, Shack Mountain, and Farmington, as well as other sites.
In Richmond, you will see on a private basis Jefferson’s magnificent State Capitol, the elegant Federal-style Wickham House, Wilton (1753), a Georgian gem where we will have lunch, and Tuckahoe Plantation, Jefferson’s boyhood home, as well as twentieth-century American Palladian houses such as Milburne by architect William Lawrence Bottomley.
Overnight accommodations will be offered at the Beaux Arts classical-style Jefferson Hotel, designed in 1895 by none other than Carrère & Hastings, architects for the New York Public Library, and the Omni Charlottesville Hotel.
Expert lecturers and tour leaders include Calder Loth, senior architectural historian of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources; and K. Edward Lay, Cary D. Langhorne Professor Emeritus of Architecture, University of Virginia, and William Beiswanger, architectural historian for Monticello.
Tour Price
$2,050.00 per person, $375.00 Single supplement. Please contact Classical Excursions for reservations. Limited availability. 800-390-5536 or contact@classicalexcursions.com
Finland: The Classical Roots of Its Architecture and Design
May 17 – 24, 2008
Sponsored by The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America
Arrangements by Classical Excursions
One of the great sons of Finland, Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), was once asked what advice he would give a young aspiring composer. He replied “one should consistently avoid the use of unnecessary notes, because every note should have a life of its own.” This philosophy seems fitting in a country where waste is frowned upon and grandeur does not impress.
Whether it’s an eighteenth century manor house or twenty-first-century fabrics designed by Marimekko, Finnish design is known for a simplicity and functionalism that takes its cues from nature. Helsinki was founded in 1550 by the Swedish King Vasa and the city continued to be a major political pawn between Sweden and Russia until 1809, when Finland was lost to Sweden and later absorbed into the Russian empire. After gaining twentieth-century postwar independence, Finland has managed to reassert and advance an extraordinary, recognizable national identity in design as in so many other cultural and social pursuits.
During our week-long tour of Finland, participants will experience the beauty of the elegant and restrained eighteenth-century Sweden, and nineteenth-century Imperial Russia, culminating with Finland’s own unique twentieth-century national romantic aesthetic. Participants will enjoy five nights in Helsinki along with two nights in historic villages in south western Finland’s coastal region.
Tour Highlights
- A five night stay in Finland’s capital city Helsinki at the renowned Hotel Kamp
- A private lecture & tour at the Finnish Museum of Architecture
- Tours of the great eighteenth-century neoclassical compositions of Helsinki’s waterfront including: Market Square, The Kings Gate & The Church of St. Nicholas.
- Visits to such eighteenth-century Gustavian masterpieces as, Pukkila, Mustio, and Louhisaari manors. Architecturally linked to Sweden and erected during Swedish rule of Finland, these manors have their original interiors intact.
- Excursions to the picturesque UNESCO World Heritage villages of Porvoo & Rauma. Both retain their historic eighteenth-century town centers, cobbled public squares, and preserved wooden houses from the period.
- Visits to such national icons as Aalto Alvar’s home and studio, along with Hvittrask, the home and studio of Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen.
- A tour of Aalto Alvar’s renowned Villa Mairea, located in western Finland near the village of Pori and considered as canonical in world architectural history as Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Fallingwater.”
Tour Price
$3,500.00 per person based on double occupancy, single supplement of $750.00 per person applies. Immediate registration suggested. Contact Classical Excursions to register, 800-390-5536 or contact@classicalexcursions.com
Brought to you by Classical Excursions.
Private Classical, Pascal Paris
Sunday, April 5 – Saturday, April 11, 2009
Tour Highlights
- Welcoming Cocktail Buffet Dinner at the Paris Residence of Juan Pablo & Pilar Molyneux
- Hôtel Lauzun Owned by the City of Paris, architect Le Vau
- Optional Attendance of Pascal Concerts, Recitals and Services
- Chancellérie and the Palais de la Legion d’Honneur, Hôtel de Salm, architect Pierre Rousseau
- Luncheon at the Residence of the Editor of Edward Andrew Zega & Bernd H. Dams
- École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts and the Chapelle des Petits Augustins
- Institut de France, architect Le Vau
- Private visit with the Château’s expert guide of the Petit Trianon, the Pavillon Français, the Chapelle, the Théâtre de la Reine, the English Garden and the Hamlet of Marie-Antoinette
- Farewell Dinner Reception at the Hôtel du Duc de Gesvres, architect Antoine Lepautre
As the program will be limited to 18 participants maximum (12 minimum), your response is immediate response is kindly requested.
For reservations and information contact Email Pamela Huntington Darling at pdarling@eventsofprestige.com or by calling Events of Prestige (Paris, France) at 011 33 1 45 67 62 81.
Cost/Learning Unit: Tour price is $6,000.00 per person based on double occupancy; $1,000 single supplement applies. A tax-deductible $300 donation to ICA&CA is included in the tour price. Rate includes 6 days of private visits; 6 nights accommodation at the Hôtel des Grands Hommes; all breakfasts; 3 luncheons; 6 cocktail receptions in private residences and institutions; 3 dinners of which 2 in private residences. All costs involved in the program, including transport to and from events during tour, all private visits, expert guides, etc.
Classical Antebellum Natchez
April 15 – 19, 2009
Overlooking a broad expanse of the Mississippi River and untouched by the ravages of the Civil War, Natchez contains the Deep South’s finest array of Federal, Greek Revival and other style mansions, built between 1800 and 1860 when extravagant prosperity from cotton trade produced more millionaires per capita than any other city in America.
Brought to you by Classical Excursions.
The Traditional Kitchen: Combining Classical Practice With State of the Art Design
One Saturday Session: Saturday, April 18, 2009; 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; 2:00 – 5:00 PM
Some of the most successful kitchens combine a traditional look with modern appliances, lighting, and other state of the art devices. This workshop will examine strategies for creating classic kitchens for today’s home that are beautiful, yet functional. Topics to be discussed include an overview of the history of the kitchen, planning issues, cabinetry design and details, appliances and plumbing fixtures, lighting, and materials for the kitchen. Several case studies will also be discussed, and students’ own work will be critiqued. Students are encouraged to bring plans or photographs of their own work to the class for discussion.
Cost/Learning Unit: $160 ($144 members); 6 HSW AIA/CES LU’s (Theory and Practice)
Eighteenth-Century Sweden: The Golden Age of Gustavian Style
May 15 – 26, 2009
In 1771, the future Gustav III returned to his native Sweden from the French court at Versailles to ascend the throne as king after his father’s sudden death. The young monarch had been profoundly inspired by French Neoclassical architecture and decorative arts. Later trips to France and Italy gave further impetus to Gustav’s passion for the Classical. During his reign (1772 – 1792), Sweden rose to a level of architectural and cultural sophistication never known before.
Brought to you by Classical Excursions.
Inside-Out: Winterthur Garden and House Tour
Winterthur Museum and Country Estate, Wilmington, Delaware Saturday, May 16, 2009; 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM (includes travel time)
Presented in collaboration with the ICA&CA Philadelphia Chapter
Winterthur, an American country estate nestled in the heart of Delaware’s beautiful Brandywine Valley (halfway between New York City and Washington, DC), is the former home of Henry Francis du Pont (1880 – 1969). In the early 20th century, H. F. du Pont and his father, Henry Algernon du Pont, designed Winterthur in the spirit of 18th- and19th-century European country houses. We will begin our day at Winterthur with a tour of the estate’s grounds and extraordinary flower gardens by landscape designer Kathryn Herman. Following an alfresco boxed lunch, we will hear a talk by Thomas Jayne, Interior Designer and consummate authority on Americana, who will consider H. F. du Pont’s love of nature and how that passion informed his decorative design schemes and collecting. We will then be provided with a guided tour of the house, which contains significant period detailing and an unparalleled collection of antiques.
Lastly, to encourage drawing as an experiential practice enhancing perception and design proficiency, participants will have the option of joining a plein-air watercolor workshop led by artist, architect, and ICA&CA faculty member James Cooper.
Cost/Learning Unit: $190 ($175 members). Round-trip coach (departing from and returning to the ICA&CA midtown offices), museum admission fees, and a boxed lunch are included in the tuition price. 5 HSW AIA/CES LUs (Theory and Practice)
Rome Drawing and Painting
7 Day Tour: Saturday, June 13 – Saturday, June 20, 2009
The ICA&CA is pleased to again offer a classical architecture study program and drawing tour centered in Rome. Led by experienced faculty of the Institute and following the great tradition of Grand Tour travel, the program will include side trips to the ancient sites situated in Tivoli, Caprarola, Lazio and Ovieto. Open to both architects and artists, the program will offer instruction in Italian art and architecture history and opportunities for the observation and representation of classical architecture, with the aim of providing tour participants at all levels with practical knowledge of the classical tradition as manifested in Rome.
The program includes evening lectures and instruction in perceptual observation and rendering techniques. Tour highlights include Ancient and Renaissance Rome, the sublime Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli and the magnificent gardens of the Villa d’Este and Rome’s great collections (Villa Borghese & Doria Pamphili). Travel arrangements to Italy are the responsibility of the participant. A tuition deposit, due by March 15, is required along with a registration form to hold a place in the program. Full payment covering outstanding tuiton and fees is due by May 1. For further details, contact Leah Aron, Academic Programs Coordinator, at la@classicist.org. Registration forms may be downloaded or completed online.
Cost/Learning Unit: Tuition for the program is $1,675 which covers the cost of instruction, lecture fees, ground transport, and double accommodations. A limited number of single rooms are available for an additional supplement. Travel arrangements to Italy are the responsibility of the participant. A $400 deposit, due by March 15, is required along with a registration form to hold a place. Full Payment of the remaining cost is required by May 1. For further details, contact Leah Aron, Academic Programs Coordinator, at la@classicist.org. Registration forms may be downloaded or completed online.
Architectural Drawing Tour of London and Oxford
June 18 – 24, 2009
Christine G. H. Franck, designer and educator who developed ICA&CA’s first architectural drawing tours, will be joined by the distinguished British watercolorist, Alexander Creswell, and other architects, craftsmen and historians in contributing specialized instruction on this first drawing tour in England. The Banqueting House, St. Paul’s Covent Garden, Regent’s Park, Oxford University are just a few of the splendid drawing sites on the itinerary (dates subject to change.)
Brought to you by Classical Excursions.
Cost/Learning Unit: This tour has been cancelled.
Berlin and Potsdam: From Rococo to Karl Friederich Schinkel
September 10 – 16, 2009
The exclusive seven-day tour, planned by Classical Excursions and guided by experts on the area’s historic architecture, will include sites that were inaccessible before the 1990s reunification of Germany. Participants will tour Berlin and Postdam — two adjoining centers of stunning classical, neo-classical, and neo-gothic architecture built during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Join the ICA&CA on this tour and experience firsthand the glorious rococo architecture and interiors ordered by — among others — King Frederick the Great, the multi-talented Prussian patron and practitioner of the classical arts during the Age of Enlightenment. The private tour will continue with visits to the influential neo-classical and neo-gothic work of Prussia’s most famous architect, Karl Friederich Schinkel, who designed public and private buildings so important that his name conjures up a whole era in Prussian culture known as the Schinkelzeit, or Schinkel period. He remains a pivotal figure in the history of architecture. His was a new Prussia with its capital at Berlin which, along with the surrounding Brandenburg countryside, most notably Potsdam, was to become in the late nineteenth century the center of imperial power and culture for a new nation called Germany.
Accommodations will at the chic five-star Hotel Sofitel Berlin Gendarmenmarkt near the Gendarmenmarkt, one of the city’s most beautiful squares, and Unter den Linden, the city’s historic grand avenue within view of the Brandenburg Gate, the quintessential symbol of Berlin.
Brought to you by Classical Excursions.
Itinerary:
Download the PDF
Cost/Learning Unit: Land tour will cost $3,845 for doubles (a single supplement of $750 applies). Price includes a private motor coach for all sightseeing, admissions, two meals per day, six nights accommodations. Enter for a chance to win a complimentary space (minus the cost of airfare) to the Institute’s upcoming Berlin and Potsdam Travel Program. The winning ticket will be drawn by board Chair Anne Fairfax on July 2, 2009. Read More »
Private Hudson River Valley: Celebrating the Quadricentennial of the Voyage of the Half Moon
September 30 – October 4, 2009
Come celebrate explorer Henry Hudson’s 1609 discovery of the river later given his name with a fabulous tour of three centuries of some of the region’s finest country-house architecture—Dutch, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Hudson River Bracketed, Beaux Arts, and the latest Classical work. Experts, specialists and homeowners will lead the way.
Select Highlights:
Edgewater (c.1825), is owned by financier Richard H. Jenrette, a collector of some of the East Coast’s finest historic houses. Its proximity to the Hudson River gives it a breathtaking combination of nature and a Federal-style house fronted by a Roman Doric two-story portico. Originally owned by members of the Livingston family, an Italianate library and bay windows were added later by famed architect Alexander Jackson Davis. Mr. Jenrette has filled the house with period antiques, having bought it in 1969 from writer Gore Vidal.
Astor Courts (1906), now a stunningly restored and decorated private home, was originally the 40,000 square-foot sports and guest pavilion for the Ferncliff estate owned by John Jacob Astor IV, who hired Stanford White to design the pavilion. The consulting architect for the restoration and revamping was Samuel G. White, Stanford’s great-grandson. The owners will host a reception for the group.
Teviotdale (c.1773), possesses both Georgian and Federal characteristics, built of stone and brick construction. Owned originally by Walter Livingston, it later was the home of Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat, who married Livingston’s daughter, Harriet, in 1808. Of the few 18th century estates located along the Hudson, Teviotdale is the most prominent and intact example of its style and period. The present owner will show us through.
Haight-Gantley House (ca. 1812) stands on a knoll with a commanding view of the river. Legend has it that the mistress of the planned house wanted an oval ballroom and had it constructed while her husband was away fighting the British in the War of 1812. Exquisite detail, from the unusual recessed entrance doorway to the most minor of interior finishes, reveals the sure taste of the builder. We will be given an exclusive tour.
Anson Pratt House (ca.1802-12) has been restored and wonderfully decorated with antique furnishings, colors and materials under the professional hand of one of the owners. Not to be overlooked is the extensive collection of late 19th century and early 20th century paintings. The beautiful details of this charming American Federal country house reflect the style of Robert Adam. The owners will host a lunch for us.
Drumlin Hall was recently built by Peter Pennoyer Architects and decorated by the Thomas Jayne Studio to house a collection of Federal style furniture and Hudson River School and American Impressionist paintings. The pedimented south façade of this spectacular Classical country house commands the long approach from the south, while the north elevation is more romantic in character and heroic in scale. One passes through the front door through a groined vaulted hall, past the spiral staircase and library, to the parlor. Mr. Pennoyer will be our guide.
Additional highlights:
Springwood, Vanderbilt Mansion, Staatsburgh, Howard Hall, Plumb Bronson House, Olana, Crow Hill, Luykas Van Alen House, Lindenwald, James Vanderpoel House, Longfield Farm (newly built and designed by ICA&CA board member Gil Schafer), and Middlefield (architect Gil Schafer’s own Classical home where he will host a brunch). For more information, click here.
Brought to you by Classical Excursions. Reservations and Information: Lani Sternerup (contact@classicalexcursions.com) at Classical Excursions or by calling (800) 390-5536.
Cost/Learning Unit: $1,875 per person; double hotel occupancy (single supplement, $300). A tax-deductible $300 donation to ICA&CA is included in the tour price. Registration deadline: Monday, August 24, 2009. Please register early, as this tour will sell out long before the registration deadline.
Private Washington, D.C.
December 2 – 6, 2009
From its restrained Federal infancy to later flamboyant Beaux Arts opulence, the architecture of Washington DC rose from the ranks of colonial outpost to an international center of diplomacy and society. The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America is pleased to present an exclusive viewing of some of Washington’s most extraordinary historic and architecturally significant buildings and interiors. Many of these locations which are normally not open to the public include works by McKim Meade & White, John Russell Pope, Horace Trumbauer, and Carrere & Hastings to name a few.
Several magnificent Embassy residences representing nations of Europe, the Middle East, and South America will be visited. Also featured will be entrance to eminent classical rooms of private institutions as well as viewings of some of the most opulent interiors of Government buildings from the city’s 200-year history. We are privileged that the doors of significant private Georgetown, Kalorama, and Embassy Row homes and apartments—many by current acclaimed architects and designers—will be opened to the participants. Various historic private clubs will be host to meals and programs during the tour.
Brought to you by Classical Excursions.