Co-sponsored with the White House Historical Association and the U.S. Capitol Historical Society
The Stephen Decatur House Museum, 1610 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

This special event commemorated the 250th anniversary of the birth of James Hoban. Presentations examined Hoban himself as federal architect and local civic and church leader; as well as Irish artisans in early 19th-century Washington; and residential styles and construction in the nation's capital, 1790-1830.

The city of Washington, D.C. is richly endowed with outdoor sculpture. These works vary greatly in size, purpose, location and style. Befitting a nation’s capital, many are elegant classical statues or relief sculptures personifying such ideals as law and justice. Grand public statues and equestrians punctuate parks and traffic circles. Some sculptural works are religious; others are solemn, such as the famous Adams Memorial by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Still others are light-hearted, even whimsical, like the many statues of animals adorning the National Zoo. This lecture takes a close look at the breadth of sculpture in Washington, D.C., discussing well-known works, as well as lesser known examples. 

Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the most acclaimed and influential architects of the late 19th and 20th centuries. His name is recognized by a broad public. His works, such as the Guggenheim in New York, and Fallingwater in Bear Run, Pennsylvania, are among the most famous architectural designs of the modern period. Wright was the architect of a wide range of building-types from places of worship to office buildings, but is perhaps most closely linked to domestic architecture. 

This special behind-the-scenes tour offers a rare opportunity to visit a private home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for one of his own children, Robert Llewellyn. Robert was the youngest of the Wright children. The house has been owned and lived in by the Wright family ever since its completion in 1958. Today, Wright’s grandson, Tom, lives there. The house is based on the intersection of two circles and designed in an almond formation.

Led by John Wright, great-grandson of Frank Lloyd Wright 

Demolition isn't the only threat to historic sites.  Equally threatening can be alterations, additions,and new construction that comprise the iconography and/or integrity of the site.  The preservationist, therefore, has the responsibility of managing change to the historic artifact.  

Writing a landmark nomination and obtaining historic designation are only the first steps in an ongoing process that can be controversial and contentious—and sometimes with luck—enormously rewarding.