Alumni Association of the Victorian Society Summer Schools 1

11/21/2025

Don't miss the VSA's first lecture tomorrow, and sign up for the new season of online lectures today!

Our sixth season of online lectures kicks off this Saturday, November 22nd, with a lecture by USC Professor of History, William Deverell, who will be speaking on Los Angeles in the Victorian era. We hope you can join us!

Fore more information and to register (all lectures are FREE!), go to https://victoriansociety.org/lectures-6/

This season's topics range from historic preservation in Newport and Oscar Wilde on Fashion, to resort architecture and the American landscape, the life and work of English architectural historian Gavin Stamp, and the evolution of Boston's Saturday Evening Girls Club and the Paul Revere Pottery.

11/12/2025

Dear Alumni Association Members, please join us for the annual meeting of The Victorian Society in America, followed by the annual meeting of the Alumni Association of the Victorian Society, which will be held tonight, Wednesday November 12th, 2025. Please join us via Zoom at 6pm Eastern (5pm Central, 4pm Mountain, 3pm Pacific). We are excited to share with you the progress we have made as an organization in 2025. You can attend by clicking the link below at the designated meeting time.

Issue 67 of the newsletter contained the minutes of the previous board meeting, and can be reviewed here:https://www.vsaalumni.org/all_stuff/uploads/2025/10/ENewsletter2.67.pdf

We look forward to seeing you later today, Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81394333263?pwd=hzNsHBcRPX90ZDAEeMvsdNOfMBqMVq.1



Meeting ID: 813 9433 3263

Passcode: 063844



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https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/81394333263/invitations?signature=gFbFi5teb92ab2nYJDC09yDLcO0_GVeDtsFngM_KUVc

10/28/2025

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis is home to one of the largest mosaic installations in the world with over 83,000 square feet of shimmering glass tesserae. Among its many treasures are the mosaics designed by Hildreth Meière, one of America’s foremost muralists, whose vision transformed sacred spaces across the country.

Join architect, author, and historian John C. Guenther for an in-person book talk, book signing, and visual presentation of his new work, Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis: An Illustrated Timeline. Guenther’s richly illustrated book traces the Cathedral’s 352-year history — from the earliest parishes of St. Louis to the completion of its breathtaking mosaics, including Meière’s celebrated designs for domes, pendentives, and arches.

About the Author:

Architect John C. Guenther, FAIA, LEED AP, holds a fellowship in the American Institute of Architects and was a lecturer in the College of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, where he cofounded and taught Mid-Century Modernism in St. Louis 1930–1970. John serves as president of the Society of Architectural Historians–St. Louis Chapter. He wrote The Gateway Arch: An Illustrated Timeline; “Missouri’s Architectural Treasures,” published by Missouri Life magazine; “25 Must See Buildings in Missouri” for USA TODAY; and the introduction to The Lost St. Louis Riverfront 1930-1943.

Sunday, November 2nd

Time: 1:30-2:30pm Central Time / 2:30-3:30pm Eastern Time

No registration necessary!

📍 In-Person Event:

Location: Boland Hall, Enter Classroom Door #1, adjacent to playground, proceed to Classroom #3 4430 Maryland Ave, St Louis, MO 63108

🎥 Can’t attend in person?

We’ll be streaming the event live on Instagram at , so you can experience the story behind the Cathedral Basilica and Meière’s mosaics from anywhere!

Join Instagram Live
Learn more about Hildreth Meière’s mosaics in St. Louis:

👉https://www.hildrethmeiere.org/commissions/cathedral-basilica-of-saint-louis-north-dome

10/10/2025

07/21/2025

https://www.newportmansions.org/events/the-jacalyn-and-william-p-egan-lecture-2025/

The exhibition at Rosecliff, “Richard Morris Hunt: In a New Light,” aims to show not so much what the architect made, but what made the architect.

Toward this end, Preservation Society Curatorial Research Fellow Théo Lourenço extensively researched Richard Morris Hunt, the man: a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a friend; an avid traveler, sketcher and collector. He will share some of his findings during our annual Jacalyn and William P. Egan Lecture, at Rosecliff on July 29 starting at 6 p.m.

Lourenço reviewed records in the archives of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris of Hunt’s student days, and consulted sources at the Newport Historical Society, the New York Public Library and the Library of Congress. The latter holds an unpublished biography of Hunt written by his wife, Catharine Howland Hunt, that sheds light on the great man's friendships. For example, this anecdote about Hunt’s friend Thomas Gold Appleton, for whom he designed a house in Newport (and whose portrait is in the exhibition):

"Tom Appleton, too well known as a wit and literateur for me to attempt to describe him, used to say that his house grew out of the good things we gave him to eat, particularly lobster prepared in some way which tickled his palate. He was immensely original and an intelligent companion, but I sometimes used to wish he wouldn't come at eleven o'clock and stay all day!"

Lourenço's lecture is free but registration is required; please see the event webpage.

Two Preservation Society Fellows present results of their research during the past year, including the elaborate interiors designed by Jules Allard in our houses and the life, collection and influence of architect Richard Morris Hunt.

06/13/2025

Come out to the Alexander Jackson Davis: Designer of Dreams Symposium at Lyndhurst on Sunday, 22 June 2025, from 10 am to 6 pm.

https://lyndhurst.org/events/alexander-jackson-davis-symposium/

This year, Lyndhurst curates a special exhibit exploring the life and work of the architect who designed the influential Gothic Revival-style mansion. Alexander Jackson Davis: Designer of Dreams will open to the public on the 23rd of May and run through September 23rd, 2025. This exhibition will explore Davis’s career as an architect and designer through his commission and building of Lyndhurst, his extant Gothic revival masterpiece. It will also explore other residences in the region and will reunite Davis’s archive with his fully realized designs. This exhibit will be comprised of rarely seen paintings, drawings, and furniture.

In honor of this exhibition, our Davis Symposium on June 22nd will explore Alexander Jackson Davis’s work and his influential style. The Symposium will consist of a full day of talks on topics surrounding Alexander Jackson Davis, including who he was and how his work impacted architecture, decorative arts, and landscapes, including Lyndhurst, which was one of his most important architectural achievements.

Speakers:
Howard Zar, Executive Director of Lyndhurst.
David Scott Parker, FAIA, Trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Kerry Dean Carso, Professor of Art History at SUNY New Paltz
Emma Gencarelli, Collections & Curatorial Coordinator at Lyndhurst
Steven Baltsas, Historian, Curator, and Winterthur Graduate
Benjamin Prosky, President of the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation

The morning tour begins at 9 am. A separate ticket is required.

Schedule:
9:00 am: Early tour of the mansion with the Executive Director, focusing on special Davis pieces being exhibited. A separate ticket will be required for this tour.

10:30 am: Alexander Jackson Davis, an Overview; Howard Zar, Lyndhurst Executive Director.
Who was Alexander Jackson Davis, and how did an artist and amateur theatrical performer become America’s first great architect? How did someone who never left the United States become a major proponent of a European architectural style? This will explore Davis’s trajectory and examine his place as a tastemaker in a new country looking for an identity.

11:15 am: Alexander Jackson Davis and the Literary Context of the Gothic Revival; Kerry Dean Carso, Professor of Art History, SUNY New Paltz.
While his buildings were supposed to express an erudition reminiscent of medieval European universities and cathedrals, Davis’s Gothic Revival castles drew from popular literature and theater. Carso explores Davis’s influence on popular Romantic authors and painters.

12:00 pm: The Furniture Designs of Alexander Jackson Davis; David Scott Parker.
Davis designed furniture for many of his architectural commissions and publications produced by his collaborator, Andrew Jackson Downing. The exhibition includes many pieces of furniture from private collections, and this lecture explores the complicated nature of attributing furniture to Davis’s hand.

12:45 pm: Included Lunch & Tour of the Exhibition Gallery.

2:15 pm: From “Country Mansion in Pointed Style” to Gothic Revival Masterpiece: The Evolution of Lyndhurst; Emma Gencarelli, Assistant Curator, Lyndhurst.
Lyndhurst as seen today reflects two major inflection points in the career of Alexander Jackson Davis. The original mansion, half the current size, was designed by Davis between 1838 and 1842 as his first fully realized Gothic Revival edifice. From 1864 to 1867, when the second owners asked Davis to return and expand the original house, it was essentially Davis’s last major commission. This talk explores Davis’s evolution through his architectural masterpiece.

3:30 pm: Davis, Downing and Gothic Intimacy; Steven Baltsas.
In addition to being an architect, furniture designer, and landscaper, Alexander Jackson Davis wanted to be a major influencer of American taste. However, his florid writing style failed to find an audience. Davis’s collaborator, Andrew Jackson Downing, was a popular writer and landscape architect whose many publications found wide appeal. By providing the designs for his publications, Downing was responsible for popularizing Davis’s architecture. This talk explores the relationship between these two leading figures of American architecture and landscape.

4:45 pm: Closing remarks: Ben Prosky, President of the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation

5:00 pm: Reception.

Your ticket includes all of the lectures, exhibition gallery access, lunch, and a closing reception with drinks and light bites. Tickets for the morning Symposium tour given by Howard Zar must be bought separately to attend.

Important Event Information:

Please be advised that the tour of the mansion requires periods of standing and flights of stairs.
A limited number of tickets are available for events, and they do sell out.
Some tickets may be available for purchase on-site, but these are not guaranteed.
Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of the morning tour.
Check-in at the Welcome Center.
All ticket purchases are non-refundable.
A Grounds Pass is not needed if you already have a Tour or Event Ticket.
Not recommended for children under 16 years of age.
To best accommodate groups, including special needs, please contact us in advance to make reservations at 914-303-6844.

06/13/2025

As part of the VSA's Chicago Summer School, are invited to a lecture by Professor Richard Guy Wilson, followed by an exhibition viewing and walking tour of part of Kenilworth on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Here is the schedule of events:

2:15-3:45 —tour of Kenilworth Assembly Hall interior and lecture by Richard Guy Wilson on George W. Maher and other Prairie Architects

3:45-4:30—view exhibition on architectural styles in Kenilworth at Kenilworth Historical Society

4:30-5:15 —walking tour of Kenilworth, highlighting houses by George W. Maher (led by Richard Guy Wilson, Tina Strauss, and Diane Dillon)

Alumni who drive will need to find street parking near the Assembly Hall, so drivers should allow some extra time for this. For those who prefer to take the Metra, the Kenilworth station for the Union Pacific North line is just across the street from the Assembly Hall. There may be brief opportunities for attendees to look around the interior of the hall before and after the lecture.

Alumni who plan to attend should send an email to [email protected] by June 7. That will allow the Assembly Hall staff to know how many chairs to set up. Please note "RGW Lecture" in the subject line.

Learn more about George W. Maher here:
Celebrating Architect George W. Maher | Classic Chicago Magazine https://classicchicagomagazine.com/celebrating-architect-george-w-maher/

06/12/2025

The Alumni Association of
The Victorian Society in America Summer Schools
and The Victorian Society Cordially invite you to join the London Summer School Class of 2025 For drinks and other refreshments, at The Victorian Society, 1 Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT

6-8 p.m. on Thursday 10 July 2025

03/06/2025

Help spread the word, and apply today - the VSA Summer Schools application deadline has been extended to March 20th!