Design Post Update

This past weekend offered beautiful fall weather, perfect for our Mid-Atlantic ICAA tour of Dumbarton Oaks arranged by landscape architect and boardmember Jennifer Horn.
Dumbarton Oaks has been owned by Harvard University since the early 1940s and hosts a number of their graduate programs on campus.  Sections of the famous gardens are open to the public and their renowned museum has a separate entrance on 32nd street NW.
Although much changed and constantly evolving, the gardens are the the work of famous landscape designer Beatrix Farrand, seen in the portrait above.
Unfortunately the house is undergoing some renovation work (roof and some structure being replaced) so scaffolding covered the neo-Georgian facade. You can see photos of the house at my earlier post from 2009 HERE.
The library is housed in the wing seen above designed by Thomas Waterman -a really spectacular period room in which one can study the antique landscape books in an elegant setting.
This grotto is only one of the many charming spots to be found throughout the gardens. The modern balustrade is very plain-jane compared to others found throughout the property but I suppose it meets code (most ugly railings do).
One of the best parts of attending the ICAA tours (everyone is welcome btw!) is that you get an opportunity to see many behind the scenes areas not open to the general public.
I had never seen most of the campus before and was thrilled with many of the original structures like the green house above, where plants are still grown for the gardens. The brick structure in the center was originally designed to be the library until someone came to their senses and realized antique books and water don't mix!
Washington is enjoying a spectacular fall this year which doesn't often happen. So often I feel we move directly from summer into winter.
 Many of the older structures such as the garage above have been wonderfully preserved on the exterior while the interiors have been unfortunately gutted and rebuilt in an institutional manner. Don't even ask about some of the modern buildings I'm not showing here and other work done on campus by architectural firm Robert Venturi - the less said there the better ( # inappropriate, # generic, # ugly ).
Many of us architects marveled at the lovely back door above - nicer than the front doors on many houses! Also notice the intricate brick paving patterns designed by Farrand.
The use of ornate brick and stone walls throughout the hilly, terraced gardens is one of my favorite aspects.
 While these are special details, they are to be found throughout the entire property.
Above is one of the many railing designs by Farrand - this may not meet modern day codes but is none-the-less pleasing to the eye.
Even the simple wooden garden bench above has lovely details; notice the scrolled bracket to the sides.
Inside the museum there are more wonderful treasures to check out. I particularly like the antique byzantine mosaics which are built into the flooring. The rather strange addition by Phillip Johnson, celebrating its 50th birthday, is growing on me and is a great example of marrying a modern addition to a classical structure (Robert Venturi take note!). Please join the ICAA on our next adventures and be sure to check out Dumbarton Oaks while in Washington, you won't be disappointed!

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of hearing Charlotte Moss speak for the Mid-Atlantic ICAA in Georgetown at the historic Dumbarton House. The Federal styled house, built in 1800, has been a museum since 1928 when it was bought the the Colonial Dames of America.
The house is kept accurate to the time of its building and is a hidden gem here in Georgetown. Not to be missed are the beautiful gardens which are somewhat eclipsed by their famous neighbor up the street, Dumbarton Oaks.
 Moss's appreciation of gardens has changed over the years. She started loving the classic English Garden, which is so influential here in the USA because of our climate. She loves their beautiful flowers but found the style to be high maintenance; difficult for a city dweller who only visits her garden on the weekends. Even with help in the garden she prefers to be very hands on.
After giving up on her dreams of a English styled garden, she moved onto the more formal French gardens, famous for their symmetry. She was also drawn to the style for their love of the sculptural tree, 'No one can shape a tree like a Frenchman' - except perhaps Bunny Mellon whom Moss spoke about at length.  The third favorite garden type she spoke about was the Italian, rare in the USA where our climate is not hospitable to the plants, but if one learns abundance from the French, one can learn ease from an Italian garden.
Collaboration in her gardens in East Hampton are important and Charlotte designed hers with professionals -namely Lisa Stamm and her architect husband Dale Booher. Garden festivals are one of Moss's passions and she travels the world exploring these functions. She may not be able to bring the plants home but she can talk to the gardeners and pick up tips and ideas. They're also generally hosted in some of the most beautiful gardens in the world.
Charlotte spoke personally about her love of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, which she visited first as a 4th grader in Richmond, Virginia, and fell in love with the house and gardens. That love continues to this day as she is on their board of directors and helps in the care of this important site. She believes in historic preservation as one of the most important cultural institutions we have, as do I, because it preserves how people have lived through different times. We can always learn from the past, and as it turns out, from gardens. One can also learn from Charlotte, who encourages us all to ' Do something mad... you can do anything you like with your own house, who cares what anyone else thinks'!
I highly encourage you to grow your collection of Charlotte's inspirational tomes, with the addition of Garden Inspirations and go out there and do something MAD!
Images from Garden Inspirations by Charlotte Moss.

Last week I had the pleasure of touring the Carnegie Institute of Science with our local branch of the ICAA (these lunch time tours we offer are my favorite aspect of the ICAA).  I have been walking past this building on 16th street NW for as long as I've lived in Washington but never knew the glories that were inside!
The old front door facing 16th street is seldom used (it is solid bronze and weighs literal TONS) which is a shame because the detailing on the front porch is phenomenal.
As the institution grew the need for more space was accommodated by a large addition by the architects Delano and Aldrich in 1938 (click the link for more projects by Delano and Aldrich featured on this blog).  Part of this addition is the carriage drive and new entrance which is a streamlined version of the Carrere and Hasting's Classicism.
The block to the left of the new entrance very closely matches the original structure but with a stripped-down style of classicism so popular in the 1930s (which I find to be my favorite classical 'flavor').
The 'new' entry opens into a sedate 2 story stairhall which closely matches the pared-down classicism of the exterior.  Notice the nod to Andrew Carnegie's Scottish heritage with the thistle motif incorporated into the balustrade (more on this later).
1938 was nearing the end of grand public classicism and hints of what were to come are to be found throughout the structure; the custom light fixture below was designed in a 'scientific' Art Deco style for the space by Delano & Aldrich. Notice the barrel vaulted ceiling with Greek key plaster trim.
At the top of the staircase is Carrere and Hasting's meeting room -which was a multi purpose room used as both large meeting room and auditorium.
The classical detailing here is superb.  Notice the excellent care which the institute takes of the building - they are to be commended for it! Everything is original; maintained and kept in admirable working order.
The herringbone floors add a layer of scale to the enormous space.
The only modern touches are the occasional (dreaded) recessed lights.  Other than occasional use in kitchens and bathrooms I would be very happy to BAN recessed lighting from all buildings - ceiling acne.
Symmetry and classical detailing make sense of the space and add human scale. This is something modern architecture has a hard time dealing with.
The enfilade effect created by symmetry make the building seem much larger than it actually is by setting up views.  People may poo-poo lining everything up in plan but I've never met anyone who wasn't impressed with this architectural trick when viewing it in person; it just feels good.
The original entry foyer is a grand domed space; so sad it isn't still used as the entry! It is however available to rent and is frequently used for weddings and other private events.  On these occasions they'll open up the original front doors as Carrere and Hastings intended (money talks).
The graceful stair to the 2nd floor is off the entry hall.
Who doesn't love a curved staircase like this?
The columns aren't marble but rather scagliola, a faux-finish which mimics the stone.  The Carnegie just restored the scagliola finish to 8 of the columns last year and plan on doing the remaining 8 this next year -all part of the maintenance of an old building (or house!).
The use of natural light is found throughout the building with skylights as well as the large French doors found on the exterior.
Above are the original bronze front doors.
One's eyes are instantly drawn up into the dome though - topped with a chandelier centered on a skylight.
Probably my favorite part of the entire building though is the economical use of linoleum on the 2nd floor instead of the marble found on the main level.  I think linoleum is going to be making a comeback and you can see why!
The wood paneled library on the 2nd floor is also lit by a large skylight making for a pleasant environment.
These HVAC vents in the library also feature the Scottish thistle. I wonder if they date to Carrere & Hastings and Delano & Aldrich picked up on this motif for their new staircase or if this custom vent was lated added by D&A.
On the main level this impressive wood paneled room with enormous marble mantel was originally the office of the president. It is used as rental space and for meetings today.
These enormous old brass andirons in the fireplace caught my eye.
As did the beautiful brass cremone bolts on the french doors.
An easy and inexpensive trick found in some of the other lesser rooms help with the proportions of the tall ceilings is seen above. Rather than a standard base of 5 to 8" tall a chairrail was added about 18" off the ground, everything below it painted the same color as the base. This raises the visual height of the base without a lot of expensive woodwork (which would sloppily jut beyond the door casing). I'm definitely filing this away for future use!
The main aspect of the Delano & Aldrich 1938 addition was a formal auditorium for lectures.  This beautiful wood-paneled, art-deco vestibule seen above leads to the auditorium.  Notice the barrel vaulted ceiling and bowed (rounded) ends - much like a ship. I also loved the very art deco linear light fixture.
The auditorium space is lined with an expansive mural which was recently restored.
This room has a lot of personality between the beautiful murals and the purple mohair upholstered seats!
The mural is painted on perforated homosote board to help with the acoustics.
The most unusual feature of the auditorium is the light fixture: recessed lights in the barrel-vaulted ceiling are covered with photocells featuring the phases of the moon! Ok -so maybe not ALL recessed lighting is so bad.
This bust of Andrew Carnegie is prominently displayed in the entry hall.  He may have amassed his wealth in a less than friendly fashion (as is most wealth accumulated to this day) but he spectacularly donated it to the public through institutions such as this and the libraries we all know and love to this day.
I hope if you're in the area you'll join us at the ICAA on our future tours!