"Castles of the Capital"
The Meaning of Classical Architecture in the Private Clubs of Washington
An Educational Lecture Series Sponsored by the Institute for Classical Architecture & Classical America — Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Produced By:
Claudia Powell, Allied A.S.I.D., Allied A.I.A. & Gregory Tinius, Tinius-Arts Photography
Classical design principles have existed for thousands of years. Nearly everyone who has taken high-school geometry knows about the “Golden Mean” and how the ancients applied it to their architecture. What is less widely known, however, is how that ratio is reflected throughout nature and science, and how each architectural detail has a specific “meaning” reaching back to the Ancient Classicists.
These principles, developed by the Ancient Greeks and adapted by the ancient Romans, have been applied by architects and interior designers to many of the best-known luxury design styles: from the original Classical, to Georgian, to Beaux Arts to the New Classical tradition of the 21st century. America’s private clubs — ever the bastions of luxury, opulence, and exclusivity — naturally adopted these styles for the buildings in which they reside. While some clubs chose to construct their own buildings, other clubs saved for posterity many magnificent private mansions built in Washington, DC by some of America’s greatest entrepreneurs. As a result, the private “Castles” of the Washington clubs offer a particularly rich variety of rooms filled with Classical design elements not generally accessible to the public, and to which we have been graciously granted unprecedented access to view and photograph.
In this presentation, we briefly cover how the Golden Section and other repeating ratios are revealed in the human body, in nature, and even in the harmonics of music, and how these geometries were applied to design and architecture. The audience begins to discover how a beautifully designed Classical building reflects the underlying geometry of human creation itself.
Next, through a collection of stunning room and detail photographs, you will see how these principles are applied specifically to the interior architecture of some of Washington’s most elegant private clubs. Finally, we will show how easily these design principles may be applied to a variety of settings within a private residence.
This lecture is created for presentation to members of the Institute, and is also available to the participating clubs and organizations free of charge. The program includes a photographic presentation personally narrated by Classical designer Claudia Powell and is tailored for content and length to the particular club and its members' interests. Please contact Claudia L. Powell Interior Design for more information about participating and scheduling availability.