Tanglewood Conservatories Blog

The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America which is headquartered in New York, is offering a great program in Annapolis, Maryland (near our hometown) on October 3 – 5, 2008. The weekend program includes a series of lectures and presentations by Institute practitioners and local experts.

Included will be tours of significant historic and contemporary architectural sites which have been set up to illustrate the evolution of classical architectural elements and styles. The program will also be focusing on strategies that can be used to adapt classical architectural styles to contemporary design issues.

Annapolis Maryland was named for Princess Anne of England and became the capital of Maryland, and briefly the United States. Street names such as King George, Prince George and Duke of Gloucester date from the colonial era at which time Annapolis was a thriving town with a well heeled citizenry.

Industry included packing houses for the Chesapeake Bay oyster catch, shipbuilding and sail making. There are many great examples of eighteenth century architecture, many of which will be featured as part of this program. Main styles to be covered will be American Georgian and Colonial Revival.

Among the premier sites is the well known Hammond Harwood House a premier example of British colonial period architecture in America and the only existing piece of American colonial architecture whose design is directly based on the works of Andrea Palladio as illustrated in his Four Books of Architecture. Other stops will be the Chase Lloyd House, a Georgian 3-story home and the James Brice and William Paca houses.

Additionally, there will be a presentation and tour of Kentlands in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Built in the 1990’s, Kentlands is one of the first planed communities using the planning guides known as New Urbanism. The concepts of mixed use zoning coupled with neighborhoods designed for walking is a concept growing in popularity.

This is also a terrific opportunity to get out and about in the Chesapeake region during a season of mild weather and few crowds.

Alan