Welcome!
Below are the SAH regional chapter news updates received by the liaison during the month of September 2022.
-Amanda Roth Clark
Save the Dates for
The Philadelphia Chapter, Society of Architectural Historians Fall 2022 Programs
Wednesday, September 14 (time TBA)
LONG AND IMPORTANT PRACTICES RENDERED TOO BRIEFLY: THE ARCHITECTURE OF ALFRED AND JANE WEST CLAUSS
by George Dodds, PhD
This program has been rescheduled from Dec. 2, 2021.
More details will be sent out shortly.
Tuesday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m.
RECENT DISCOVERY: SAMUEL SLOAN, TERRA COTTA, AND THE FRANKLIN COUNTY COURTHOUSE IN CHAMBERSBURG, PA
with Jay Shockley, architectural historian and preservationist and Susan Tunick, ceramic artist and President, The Friends of Terra Cotta
More details will be sent out in September.
Thursday, December 1 (Time TBA)
JOE BRIGHT, ARCHITECT (1905-1976): FROM PENN TO PIONEERING MODERNISM IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA
by Alfred Willis, PhD
More details will be sent out in November.
For more info on or to become a member of the Chapter visit
www.philachaptersah.org
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The East Falls Historical Society presents
MOUNT VERNON CEMETERY: HISTORY AND RESURRECTION
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 6:30 pm:
Free and open to all.
The Zoom. Link will be posted on eastfallshistoricalsociety.org on September 6.
Founded in 1856, Mount Vernon joined other “rural” cemeteries in northwest Philadelphia. Among its notable residents are members of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families. By the 21st century, it had become abandoned, but is now under conservatorship. Historian Brandon Zimmerman, a leading activist in the current restoration effort, will present an illustrated lecture and update on progress.
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Enjoy!
Mary Anne
The Philadelphia Chapter Society of Architectural Historians invites you to another in our series of talks on
“The Elusive Philadelphia School – The Many Guises of Philadelphia Modernism”
LONG AND IMPORTANT PRACTICES RENDERED TOO BRIEFLY:
THE ARCHITECTURE OF ALFRED AND JANE WEST CLAUSS
by George Dodds, PhD
Alvin and Sally Beaman Professor of Architecture
University of Tennessee, School of Architecture
Wednesday, September 14 at 7:00 PM (rescheduled from Dec. 2, 2021)
Online via Zoom
Free, but in order to receive a private link to the Zoom presentation registration is required with david.breiner@jefferson.edu
Join us for another in our series of talks on “The Elusive Philadelphia School – The Many Guises of Philadelphia Modernism”
Architectural history is a fickle thing. Until the publication of the new edition of Kenneth Frampton’s, Modern Architecture: A Critical History, Carlo Scarpa’s work occupied an important place in the book’s conclusion, offered as a paradigm of “critical regionalism.” In the new edition, published last year, Scarpa’s work is all but relegated to a footnote. The work of the Philadelphia-based architects Alfred and Jane West Clauss has been visited a similar fate, albeit over a much longer trajectory. Absent from virtually every major overview of Modern Architecture, one finds fragmentary references to Alfred alone in two monographs on William Lescaze, and Mark Lamster’s, The Man in the Glass House: Philip Johnson, Architect of the Modern Century. Even in Mies van der Rohe’s own payroll accounts from his Berlin office, used while designing The German Representation Pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, and the Tugendhat House, an “Alfred Claus” appears, but absent the second “s.” And while many of the most provocative claims about Alfred Clauss’s role in watershed moments of 20th-century modern architecture are almost invariably traced back to Alfred himself, there is still this. Over the course of his career, he worked with Mies van der Rohe while the Barcelona Pavilion was being designed, with Howe & Lescaze on arguably the most important tall building in the United States before WWII, with Philip Johnson on Johnson’s apartment designed by Mies and Lilly Reich, and the design of the perhaps the most important exhibition of the 20th century, MoMA’s 1932, Modern Architecture: An International Exhibition, while also included in the exhibition. And all of this was before he and Jane West Clauss designed the first enclave of modern houses in the United States on an isolated knoll in an obscure corner of Knox County, Tennessee. And yet, there is more.
George Dodds earned his professional architectural degree at the University of Detroit and his Master of Architecture, and a PhD in architectural history and theory from the University of Pennsylvania. Dodds has published two books: Building Desire: On the Barcelona Pavilion (Routledge, 2005) and Body and Building: Essays on the Changing Relation of Body and Architecture (MIT Press, 2002) co-edited with Robert Tavernor. He has authored over fifty articles, papers, and public lectures spanning the work Mies van der Rohe, Richard Neutra, Carlo Scarpa, Gabriel Guevrekian, William Lescaze, and current practitioners such as KieranTimberlake, and Duvall Decker Architects (recently on the Common Edge website). He is currently working on a feature for Architectural Record on the recently completed conservation of the Brion Tomb and Sanctuary while continuing his research into the work of Alfred and Jane West Clauss.
Subject: From Chicago Chapter of SAH
To: Members of Chicago Chapter of SAH and friends:
It is with profound sorrow that I must report that Pauline Saliga, the executive director of SAH for 27 years, passed away on Sunday. She was at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. A memorial service will take place at a later date.
Pauline will be remembered for her many contributions to SAH and her ability to continually advance the organization. A fund has been established to honor Pauline’s memory. For more information, www.sah.org.
Love, Judy
 NEW ZOOM EVENT! Authors on Architecture:When Brains Meet Buildings Sunday, September 25th, 1:00 PM PST Learn about the science behind architecture, with noted author Michael Arbib, author of When Brains Meet Buildings (Oxford University Press, 2021). Why do we react to some buildings differently than others? What is the neural basis for architecture and what does it mean for design? Architects and enthusiasts will be fascinated by this program!Purchase $5 ticket!Photo courtesy Michael Arbib.Read more |
We have a few spaces left for Vicki Kastner’s fabulous Julia Morgan lecture/tour on September 29th. More information in the attached Fall 2022 Newsletter. Contact Ward Hill at whill@pacbell.net with any questions.
Hi all, Our fall newsletter, attached below, features a tour on September 29th of Julia Morgan’s East Bay buildings. Beginning with a lecture on Julia Morgan, the tour will be led by Victoria Kastner, whose new book on Julia Morgan has just been published. Attendance is limited and current members of NCCSAH will have priority, so get your application into Ward Hill as soon as possible. For more information about Ms Kastner, see her website: victoriakastner.com Stay well, Ian
| Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Breakers, Newport, RIWhen: 8 Oct 2022 1:00 PM, EDT Where: 44 Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, RI 02840 .jpg) Image credit: Sebastien Dutton / The Preservation Society of Newport CountyEVENT DETAILS: On October 8th, the Preservation Society of Newport County invites members of NESAH to tour areas of The Breakers never before seen by the public.History of the Breakers:The Breakers is the legendary Newport residence of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and his family. Constructed in 1893-1895, the house contains 70 rooms including some 23 family bedrooms and guest rooms as well as 33 servant bedrooms. After World War II, houses like The Breakers were seen as obsolete, windows to a fading lifestyle and era. With the foresight of the late Countess Laszlo Szechenyi (born Gladys Vanderbilt), she loaned her childhood home to be used as a house museum. Following the opening of The Breakers to the curious public in 1948, the Vanderbilt family decamped to the third floor of the house – originally designed for the Vanderbilt boys, guests, and staff – and lived there seasonally when in Newport. The residency of the Vanderbilt family and their descendants continued on for the next 70 years, while hundreds of thousands of visitors toured the floors below every year.Tour details:To provide an introduction to the history of the house, all attendees will take a tour of areas of the house already opened to the public: the grand rooms on the first floor, designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt and the Parisian decorator Jules Allard and Sons, as well as the principle bedrooms on the second floor, designed by Boston interior designer Ogden Codman, Jr. Attendees will then choose one of two additional tours that will provide the rare and unique behind-the-scenes opportunity to view the third floor family bedrooms or the servants quarters. All tours will be led by knowledgeable guides from the Preservation Society.When the last Vanderbilt descendants moved out of The Breakers in 2018, the PSNC was left to decide what the future will hold for the third floor. Following the tours, attendees will be invited to a discussion on the future of the third floor bedrooms and the servants quarters. The discussion will be moderated by Leslie Jones, Curator and Director of Museum Affairs for the Preservation Society of Newport County. Light refreshments will be served during the discussion.Ticket price:$25 to register$15 for up to one additional guestWill you be attending?Register here! Best regards, NESAH |
The Philadelphia Chapter Society of Architectural Historians presents
RECENT DISCOVERY: SAMUEL SLOAN, TERRA COTTA, AND
THE FRANKLIN COUNTY COURTHOUSE IN CHAMBERSBURG, PA
Tuesday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom
Free, but in order to receive a private link to the Zoom presentation registration is required with david.breiner@jefferson.edu
Chambersburg, PA, was the only Northern town burned down by the Confederate Army, in 1864. This included the Franklin County Courthouse of 1841-43. Even though the reconstruction of this building following the war is central to the town’s history, it was never known who was responsible for it. During the pandemic, one of the lecturers discovered that the beautiful column capitals on the courthouse are terra cotta. Prior research by both lecturers on the central role of Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan in the promotion of American terra cotta in the 1850s led to the further discovery that Sloan and his partner Addison Hutton were the architects of the 1865- 66 courthouse.
Jay Shockley, an architectural historian and preservationist, was employed by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission between 1979 and 2015. As the senior historian in the Research Department, he researched and wrote more than 100 reports covering all aspects of the city’s architectural and social cultural history. Currently he is a Co-Director of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project.
Susan Tunick, a New Yorker, is a ceramic artist, historian, and preservationist. She combines her interest in making ceramics with her concern about preserving historic architectural ceramic surfaces. As president of the Friends of Terra Cotta, she is active in research and advocacy, working to protect terra cotta and tile.
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Save Our Sites
Announces a Special Fall 2022 Event
The First Public Philadelphia Screening of the Film:
LOUIS KAHN’S TIGER CITY
Directed by Sundaram Tagore
Wednesday, September 28, 2022, 7:30 PM
at the Philadelphia Ethical Society, 1906 Rittenhouse Square
Event is $10 Per Person – Tickets May Be Purchased at the Door – Seating is Limited
Info: contact Save Our Sites · 2005 Cambridge Street · Philadelphia, PA 19130 · (215) 915-6627
Sundaram Tagore says of his film, that upon a visit to Bangladesh, “I visited Kahn’s famous parliamentary complex Sher-e-Bangla Nagor, also known as the Tiger City. The complex was the beating heart of the newly formed democratic nation. I was unprepared for the raw emotional power and poetic beauty of these buildings. Tiger City looked futuristic and ancient at the same time.”
The film is a superb document bringing to life for the audience that “emotional power and poetic beauty” of Kahn’s architecture.
Sundaram Tagore is a Calcutta-born Oxford-educated art historian, gallerist, and award-winning filmmaker. A descendant of the influential poet and Nobel Prize-winner Rabindranath Tagore, he promotes East-West dialogue at his art galleries, with their multicultural and multidisciplinary events, as well as his contributions to numerous outside exhibitions.
Mr. Tagore will attend the event and present a talk about his film.
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Enjoy!
Mary Anne
 NEW DISCOUNT ON BOOK AVAILABLE!Authors on Architecture:When Brains Meet BuildingsSunday, September 25th, 1:00 PM PSTLearn about the science behind architecture, with noted author Michael Arbib, author of When Brains Meet Buildings (Oxford University Press, 2021). For a limited time, Oxford University Press is offering a 30% discount on this book. Order online at www.oup.com with promotion code AMPROMD9 to save 30% on the book. For more information, click here to view the publisher’s flyer.Too lazy to read? Attend the Zoom program this Sunday!Purchase $5 ticket!Photo courtesy Michael Arbib. |
| BOOK NOW! “It baffles me how we put it all together!” Jessica Thebus, DirectorThey All Fall Down: A Staged Reading Thursday, September 29 6:00-7:30 pm Back in 2001, as the digital age was dawning, Lookingglass Theatre produced “They All Fall Down: The Richard Nickel Story,” a theatrical reimagining that included Louis Sullivan and Richard Nickel meeting in real life, across time and space. Using Nickel’s photography in innovative ways– as a backdrop, as illustration, and as a character–and all without the help of Photoshop!– the team at Lookingglass brought the passion of Richard Nickel to life. Join us for a special evening featuring readings from the play, photographs of the original production, and a conversation between director Jessica Thebus, actors Andrew White and Alfred Wilson, photographer Michael Brosilow, and Richard Cahan, the prolific author who documented Nickel’s life in letters. Ticket includes $5 off admission to the Museum until 10/2. MORE INFORMATION AND RESERVE TICKETSSAVE THE DATE! The Art of Architecture: Perspectives on Sullivan & NickelSaturday, October 22 10:00 am- 5:00 pmThis day-long symposium will explore important themes in the architecture of Louis Sullivan and the photography by Richard Nickel that documented the destruction of many of Adler & Sullivan’s most important Chicago buildings. More details and reservations will be available shortly.  Open House ChicagoSunday, October 16 10:00 am- 5:00 pm We are inviting visitors to marvel at the 1926 John B. Murphy Memorial Auditorium as part of Open House Chicago’s Sunday program. The event is free; no reservations are necessary.  SHOP SULLIVANShop the Store in person or online and… Learn: Dig into Tim Samuelson’s definitive book, Louis Sullivan’s Idea. Play: Quiz yourself with flashcards about architecture. Dress: Wear one of four earrings with Sullivan motifs.The holidays will be here before you know it. Join as a Member now and get 15% off in the Museum Store, the perfect place to find gifts for even the most discerning person on your list. CLICK HERE TO JOINThe Richard H. Driehaus Museum 40 East Erie Street Chicago, IL 60611 |
| Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Breakers, Newport, RIWhen: 8 Oct 2022 1:00 PM, EDT Where: 44 Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, RI 02840Value: The price of NESAH’s guided tour is lower than the regular cost of a visit to The Breakers! A portion of your ticket price goes to support NESAH programs.Will you be attending?RegisterNot attending EVENT DETAILS: On October 8th, the Preservation Society of Newport County invites members and guests of NESAH to tour areas of The Breakers never before seen by the public.History of the Breakers:The Breakers is the legendary Newport residence of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and his family. Constructed in 1893-1895, the house contains 70 rooms including some 23 family bedrooms and guest rooms as well as 33 servant bedrooms. After World War II, houses like The Breakers were seen as obsolete, windows to a fading lifestyle and era. With the foresight of the late Countess Laszlo Szechenyi (born Gladys Vanderbilt), she loaned her childhood home to be used as a house museum. Following the opening of The Breakers to the curious public in 1948, the Vanderbilt family decamped to the third floor of the house – originally designed for the Vanderbilt boys, guests, and staff – and lived there seasonally when in Newport. The residency of the Vanderbilt family and their descendants continued on for the next 70 years, while hundreds of thousands of visitors toured the floors below every year.Tour details:To provide an introduction to the history of the house, all attendees will take a tour of areas of the house already opened to the public: the grand rooms on the first floor, designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt and the Parisian decorator Jules Allard and Sons, as well as the principle bedrooms on the second floor, designed by Boston interior designer Ogden Codman, Jr. Attendees will then choose one of two additional tours that will provide the rare and unique behind-the-scenes opportunity to view the third floor family bedrooms or the servants quarters. All tours will be led by knowledgeable guides from the Preservation Society.When the last Vanderbilt descendants moved out of The Breakers in 2018, the PSNC was left to decide what the future will hold for the third floor. Following the tours, attendees will be invited to a discussion on the future of the third floor bedrooms and the servants quarters. The discussion will be moderated by Leslie Jones, Curator and Director of Museum Affairs for the Preservation Society of Newport County. Light refreshments will be served during the discussion.Ticket price:$25 to register$15 for up to one additional guestBest regards, NESAH |
  NEW ZOOM EVENT!Authors on Architecture:French on Hitchcock and ArchitectureSunday, October 2nd, 1:00 PM PSTJoin us for a presentation by Christine Madrid French, author of The Architecture of Suspense: The Built World in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock. Recently featured in Vanity Fair, the book looks at how the legendary director selected his backdrops for maximum effect. Don’t miss this dynamic program where film and architecture combine to make high art…Purchase $5 ticket!Photo courtesy Michael Arbib |
| LAST CHANCE FOR PROGRAM AND BOOK DISCOUNT!Authors on Architecture:When Brains Meet BuildingsSunday, September 25th, 1:00 PM PSTLearn about the science behind architecture, with noted author Michael Arbib, author of When Brains Meet Buildings (Oxford University Press, 2021). For a limited time, Oxford University Press is offering a 30% discount on this book. Order online at www.oup.com with promotion code AMPROMD9 to save 30% on the book. For more information, click here to view the publisher’s flyer.Too lazy to read? Attend the Zoom program this Sunday!Purchase $5 ticket! |
Dear SESAH community,
With a heavy heart, I recognize the loss of two people important to SESAH and architectural history in the United States.
David Sachs, historian of American architecture, a longtime SESAH member, and secretary for SESAH’s board from 2002 until 2018, passed away on September 17. David joined SESAH when he was in private practice in Mississippi, and his PhD dissertation, “The Work of Overstreet and Town: The Coming of Modern Architecture to Mississippi” (Univ. of Michigan,1986) turned a discerning eye on modernism in the Deep South. He had taught at the Kansas State University College of Architecture, Planning & Design since 1988, and he hosted our conference there in 2018. SESAH has made a donation to the Kansas State University Foundation for the College of Architecture, Planning & Design in David’s name. His obituary may be read here. You may add your memories of David to a digital book here and send photos or comments to me to be included in our remembrance at our Memphis meeting.
Pauline Saliga, the former executive director of the Society of Architectural Historians, passed away on September 11. Pauline was the head of SAH for 27 years, overseeing many programs in which many of our members have been involved, including the implementation of Archipedia. SESAH has made a donation to the Pauline Saliga Fund, which supports SAH’s technology expenses to recognize her commitment to the digital humanities.
We look forward to being able to gather in Memphis to remember these extraordinary people and to give thanks for our community of scholars.
Lydia Mattice Brandt, PhD
President, Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians
Professor, School of Visual Art and Design, University of South Carolina
Wednesday, October 19: A lecture by John Zukowsky: “Architecture in Print: Chicago and Beyond”.
Where: Cliff Dwellers, 200 S. Michigan Avenue, 22nd floor, Chicago Illinois.
Time: Cash bar opens at 4:30 pm
Dinner available at 5:15 pm; for optional dinner reservations, please call the Cliff Dwellers Club at 312-922-8080
Slide lecture start at 6:15 pm
Our presenter is best known for his curatorial work on award-winning architectural exhibitions and publications for the Art Institute of Chicago (1978-2004), including the large exhibits and books, Chicago Architecture: 1872-1922 and Chicago Architecture and Design: 1923-1993, as well as Japan 2000, Building for Air Travel, and 2001, Building for Space Travel. These shows featured architect-designed installations.
After retirement from the Art Institute in 2004, he worked on several consulting projects and has published articles and books on a variety of architectural subjects. This ‘where are they now’ talk will update you on his post-Art Institute projects since 2005, books which give you a glimpse into the architectural publishing world, past and present.
With a doctorate from Binghamton University, John Zukowsky is an architectural and design historian with more than four decades of museum experience. Recently he was a consultant to the Chicago Architecture Center for their exhibitions opening in 2017-18, and he has authored several books on architecture and design, including Building Chicago (2016), Architecture Inside Out (2018), New Military Museums (2019), and A Chronology of Architecture (2020).