In this edition of the monthly ICAA Essentials series, we celebrate one of the highlights of the ICAA's academic offerings, the Summer Studio in Classical Architecture, held each year in New York City. For the first time in two years, students who travelled to New York are participating in-person in this four week immersive exploration of the principles of classical architecture and design. Even now, this year's students are hard at work in the ICAA's New York City classroom, taking part in this one-of-a-kind program that incorporates studio work and site visits.

In today's newsletter you will find the latest dispatch from this year's Summer Studio in Classical Architecture alongside complete online courses and lectures from the Driehaus Summer Studio Retrospective, a compendium of sources for the study of classical architecture and design, and interviews with alumni.

Thank you to our sponsors for this year's program, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New York Properties and David M. Schwarz Architects.

Follow the ICAA’s 2021 Summer Studio in Classical Architecture program, from June 14th through July 10th, as students from across the country spend four weeks in New York City and the surrounding region exploring ideas, methods, and issues related to classical architectural design, returning to in-person learning for the first time in two years.

For week one, students reflect on why they were drawn to study traditional design through this year's Summer Studio program, and what they have learned so far.

Last year, as part of the 2020 Driehaus Summer Studio Retrospective, the ICAA invited alumni and teaching assistants from past years to share their Summer Studio memories, and to describe the impact that the program has had on their careers.

Listen to past participants describe the life-changing effects of this one-of-a-kind program:

Adam Vandepeer, 2016

Michael Alexander, 2017

Patrick Vercio, 2017

Mallory Smith, 2018

Jarrett Thomas, 2018

Gary Glinsey, 2019

Sydney Matsumoto, 2019

Emmie Ruth Wise, 2019

As part of the 2020 Driehaus Summer Retrospective, complete courses led by renowned instructors were made available remotely to students for the first time ever, ensuring that the ICAA's educational programming remained accessible regardless of location. Today, this online curricula is an invaluable resource to the student of classicism, and represents a cross-section of topics, talents, and disciplines.

Explore the complete courses of the 2020 Driehaus Summer Retrospective below:

Lead Sponsor for Continuing Education courses: Uberto Construction.

The ICAA's online Continuing Education courses are presented by Douglas C. Wright Architects.

TODAY, Tuesday, June 29

1 AIA CES Learning Unit|HSW | 1 credit towards the Certificate in Classical Architecture (Elective)

Today, the immense demand for new housing is driving a building boom in our cities, and much of this new housing must be accommodated by way of infill development in older neighborhoods. Profound change within the architectural profession, the construction industry, and the overall culture of building in our society, since the time these neighborhoods were originally built, has created a crisis of compatibility between old and new.

This session will examine a multi-family infill project in the historic district of Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, designed by Torti Gallas & Partners and recently completed in 2020. Sarah Alexander, Principal Designer, and Anthony Catania, the Project Architect, will discuss both the challenges and benefits to working in a historic district, and how the design responded to this process and to its context.

The ICAA’s drawing and study courses are centered around the long tradition of studying architecture in the field through measured, analytical and perspective drawing in sketchbook. These techniques have been used by practitioners since the renaissance to document precedents for reference in contemporary design.

The 2021 Christopher H. Browne Savannah Drawing Tour provides an opportunity to study, through field drawing, the rich diversity of architecture and unique urbanism of Savannah, Georgia - a living laboratory of design, building, and planning from the 18th century to the present day. Each day is structured around studying representative examples of building types that form the fabric of Savannah, with a focus on their composition, detail, and contribution to the urbanism and landscape of the city.

Each year, the ICAA is also pleased to award four scholarships to drawing tour students or emerging professionals annually in the name of Mr. Browne, a long-time supporter and champion of classicism. Scholarship recipients will receive the moniker “Christopher H. Browne Scholars.”

In addition, the ICAA is pleased to offer two scholarships for the Christopher H. Browne Savannah Drawing Tour through the Dorothy LaPolla-Czarnecki Scholarship, sponsored by John LaPolla and LaPolla Designs. This scholarship is offered in honor of John's late mother Dorothy LaPolla-Czarnecki for her unwavering encouragement and promotion of education. John, his family, and company continue this legacy of support and mentorship of aspiring students and craft persons in education and the arts.

Additional scholarships for the Christopher H. Browne Savannah Drawing Tour are available thanks to the Southeast and Southern California Chapters of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art.

Scholarship applications are due for the ICAA Intensive in Classical Architecture: Houston

Scholarship applications are due for the 2021 Christopher H. Browne Savannah Drawing Tour

Scholarship applications are due for the 2022 ICAA Intensive in Classical Architecture: New York

The ICAA is pleased to announce the resumption of in-person travel programs in 2021, once again opening access to a world of design and architectural discovery and inspiration, and offering the opportunity to share unforgettable experiences with fellow classicists.

The first tour of 2021 to the Hudson River Valley is sold out, but the calendar is rapidly filling up with new dates and journeys. Visit classicist.org or contact development@classicist.org to learn more.

Great Country Houses of the Hudson River Valley SOLD OUT

This tour, arranged in conjunction with Classical Excursions, will cover three centuries of some of the region’s finest architecture. Both sides of the Hudson River have a rich design legacy, and given the valley’s proximity to New York City, it had been the recipient of substantial investment in the construction of stunning architectural treasures.

Immerse yourself in the art, architecture, riads, and romance of Marrakech on this special journey crafted and co-hosted by luxury travel planning company Indagare in partnership with the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, on which participants will be joined by writer and historian Mitchell Owens.

Join this tour arranged in collaboration with Classical Excursions to the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts, where idyllic villages like Stockbridge and Lenox are located near bucolic lakes and rolling hills, vied with Newport and Bar Harbor as a resort colony for the wealthy and socially prominent.

The ICAA is pleased to partner with Classical Excursions to present this once-in-a-lifetime tour of Derbyshire, England. During the course of this program, participants will have the special opportunity to tour some of the county's most exquisite private residences and architectural sites.

The ICAA is pleased to partner with Classical Excursions to present this exciting tour of Copenhagen, Denmark and beyond. This tour will open doors to some of the area's most outstanding examples of classical design, allowing participants to tour beautiful private residences and other architectural sites.

Call for Entries:

Please note: All projects must be submitted electronically. No physical submissions will be accepted.

For information regarding sponsorship of the 2021 Stanford White Awards, please contact development@classicist.org.

If your membership is due for renewal, or if you would like to join and support the ICAA, you can do so on our website.

There is so much more available online at classicist.org: filmed lectures and public programs, panel discussions, and numerous online articles provide an opportunity to stay connected with the ICAA.