Past Events
May 31 – Rosalie Reynolds Explore History! Series
The ICAA, North Carolina Chapter is pleased to be a partner of The Duke Mansion to support the Rosalie Reynolds Explore History! Series with presenting sponsor Wells Fargo Private Bank.
2026 Lecture Series – Between the Great Wars
As 2026 marks the semi quin-centennial of the Declaration of Independence, we will look at a few of Charlotte and North Carolina’s historic milestones from the 1770’s through WWII – from the great war establishing the United States to the great war that defined our country’s role in the world today.
May Lecture – Tryon Palace – 1770: Explore the history of Tryon Palace and its importance before and after the American Revolution. In 1767, construction began in New Bern, North Carolina on the building now known as Tyron Palace. It was intended to be a convenient dwelling house for the British Royal Governor and any successor who filled the post. By the time it was completed in 1770 it was referred to as a “very elegant and noble palace.” It was a reflection of the British wealth and colonial rule, pad for through increased taxes levied on the people of North Carolina.
Rachel C. Kirby is a researcher, educator, writer, and cultural historian of the U.S. South, with experience working in public history, museum, non-profit and academic settings. As of late 2025, Rachel is the Research Historian at Tryon Palace Historic Site and Gardens in New Bern, North Carolina. In this presentation, Dr. Kirby will explore the colonial origins of the “Palace,” and how those fighting for independence used the building during and after the American Revolution.
@ The Duke Mansion
Sunday, May 31 • 3 PM – 5 PM (doors open at 2:30)
This event is free for but advanced registration is required.
Register HereIt is central to The Duke Mansion’s mission and a strategic organizational imperative to tell and showcase our own history and share the impact on the community of the people who lived in The Mansion. We also believe we have a leadership role to play in the advancement of the importance of history across our community.
May 1 – Sip & Sketch at Old Salem with MESDA
The ICAA North Carolina Chapter is pleased to partner with the Museum of Southern Decorative Arts to host a Sip & Sketch in conjunction with the 2026 A Modern Twist on the Classics: A MESDA Design Seminar.
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT
May 1, 2026
3:00-5:30pm
Old Salem Visitor Center
Wachovia Room
900 Old Salem Road
Winston Salem, North Carolina 27101
SCHEDULE
3:00-3:30 – Reception @ Visitor Center
3:30-4:00 – Class Session @ Wachovia Room
4:00-5:30 – Drawing Session @ Old Salem
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Throughout history architects and designers have continually looked to antiquity for inspiration and
instruction, studying historic buildings as precedent for contemporary practice. As students of the built
environment, we primarily turn to measured drawing and observational sketches as a medium for capturing
these precedents— which can vary in scale from something as small as a moulding profile, all the way up to a building façade study, or a site plan that illustrates the relationship between building and landscape. This course aims to introduce participants to a step-by-step process to produce measured drawings, and to provide an opportunity to put the process into practice by doing a guided measured drawing at a historic location in Old Salem, NC.
INSTRUCTOR
Alex Ancona is a project architect for the Charlotte, NC based architecture and interior design firm, Pursley Dixon. He is also a board member for the North Carolina chapter of the ICAA, as well as the inaugural recipient of the Kyle D. Taylor Memorial Scholarship. His love of drawing and historic buildings, particularly the 19th century log cabin he calls home, has led to continued study and appreciation of traditional architecture and details.
This event is free for all ICAA Members and MESDA Design Seminar Attendees, please register here
The Sip & Sketch is approved for 2.5 of AIA CES Learning Units Elective & 2.5 credits for the Certificate in Classical Architecture (Analytical Drawing).
ICAA, NC is pleased to be a major sponsor the 2026 A Modern Twist on the Classics: A MESDA Design Seminar in Winston-Salem, May 1 and 2. Moderated by J. Thomas Savage, MESDA’s longtime Design Seminar host and the Director of Educational Travel & Conferences at Colonial Williamsburg, this program brings together notable architects, designers, and gardeners to share the latest trends in design, and how they create harmony between a home, garden, and a space’s history.
During the Saturday seminar program, guests will hear from Edward Bulmer, Author of The Colourful Past: Edward Bulmer and the English Country House, about his experiences using natural materials and rich color to re-envision the future of the English Country House. And then learn from design historian Scott Powell, author of Frances Elkins: Visionary American Designer, about the famed interior designer and the methods she used to merge traditional and modern home design while adding unexpected, timeless touches. After lunch, Steven Spandle, architect of the White House Tennis Pavilion, will share his journey with classical architecture, from his time working with Norman Askins to his current projects, including the design of his new home and his fascinating Americana collection. The day will close out with a book signing.
March – Tradition, Craft, and Meaning in Architectural Millwork — A Conversation with Brent Hull
Join the North Carolina Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art for an evening with master craftsman, author, and educator Brent Hull, exploring the lasting value of authentic architectural millwork.
March 25
5pm-7pm
Bird Decorative Hardware
2228 Hawkins Street, Charlotte, NC 28203
SOLD OUT!
Drawing on decades of experience in traditional craftsmanship and preservation, Brent will discuss how historically informed design and careful execution continue to shape meaningful architecture today. The lecture will also examine how principles of historic millwork can be successfully applied to contemporary projects, offering practical insights for architects, designers, and passionate advocates of the classical tradition.
Following the program, Brent will host a book signing for his most recent publication, Millwork: The Design and Manufacturing of Historic Millwork from 1740–1950.
We invite you to join us for this special program at Bird Decorative Hardware in Charlotte, and engage with one of the country’s leading voices in classical craftsmanship and preservation.
2. Understand how architectural design choices change architectural millwork.
3. Learn how industrialization changes the look of moldings and millwork.
4. Learn how to build more beautifully today by studying the past.
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Brent Hull is an award-winning master builder and expert in historically accurate architectural millwork and moldings. For over thirty years his craftsmanship has enhanced nationally registered properties and homes across the country. Hull honed his expertise at Boston’s North Bennet Street School where he trained in the art of traditional building and historic preservation prior to founding Hull Millwork & Hull Homes in Fort Worth, Texas. When Brent is not working with his teams, speaking or consulting about how to build better and more beautifully, he enjoys reading and writing about historic architecture. He has authored five books on historic millwork; his most recent book released this spring, Millwork: The Design and Manufacturing of Historic Millwork from 1740-1950.
Thank you to our sponsor
Order your copy of Millwork: The Design and Manufacturing of Historic Millwork from 1740 – 1950
March “My Greatest Design Secrets” with Jay Sifford at Wing Haven
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, North Carolina Chapter is pleased to partner with Wing Haven for My Greatest Design Secrets
Join us @ Wing Haven
Sunday, March 8
2pm to 5pm
Wing Haven
Elizabeth “Pepper” Dowd Education Building
248 Ridgewood Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28209
Speaker: Jay B. Sifford, Sifford Garden Design
Hear about Sifford’s discoveries from 20 years of garden design. Learn how to create a magical, immersive, and profound space versus ‘decorating a yard.’ I share tips on rhythm, lines, shapes, and light; creating theater using scrim; and the power of emotion.
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Cost is $50/member for Wing Haven and ICAA, NC members and $60/non-member
Virtual Recording: $10/Member, $20/Non-member
Registration includes live presentation in-person or a recording after the program. (Recording will only be available for two weeks)
Space is limited; register in advance
Make a Year End 2025 Gift to ICAA, NC!
December Appeal at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, North Carolina
Support us before the year end!
Giving Tuesday is over but you can still support the work of our North Carolina Chapter!
This year, we invite you to join the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, North Carolina Chapter (ICAA-NC) in celebrating the preservation and advancement of classical design across our state.
Our Goal: $25,000
To expand our educational programs, workshops, lectures, scholarship offerings, and member events, we have set a year end fundraising goal of $25,000.
Your gift—whether modest or substantial—directly helps us build a vibrant and enduring community of architects, designers, craftsmen, students, and supporters who believe in the power of timeless design.
How Your Support Makes an Impact
Your generosity fuels:
- Educational Programs & Lectures
Featuring leading architects, scholars, and practitioners who share their expertise. - Hands-On Workshops
Offering training in classical principles, traditional building methods, and the applied arts. - Scholarships & Emerging Professional Support
Nurturing the next generation of classical designers through meaningful opportunities. - Community-Building Events
Connecting individuals who value the enduring traditions of architecture and the arts.
Each contribution helps preserve craftsmanship, history, and the architectural heritage that shapes our built environment.
Ways to Give This Year
Make a Tax-Deductible Donation
Support our mission directly by making a donation of any amount. Every dollar contributes to educational programming and resources that enrich our community.
Give the Gift of Membership
Share your passion for classical architecture by gifting an annual ICAA-NC membership to a friend, family member, colleague, or student. It’s a lasting gift that supports the arts while welcoming new voices into our chapter.
Join Us in Celebrating Generosity
Your support ensures that the traditions of classical architecture and art continue to thrive in North Carolina for generations to come. Thank you for giving, for sharing, and for championing the beauty and importance of timeless design.
November Reception & Talk Introducing Charlotte in the Era of John Nolen
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, North Carolina Chapter is pleased to present a very special talk by Historian Tom Hanchett
Join us for a talk + wine & cheese reception
Tuesday, November 4
5pm to 7pm
Duke Mansion
400 Hermitage Road
Charlotte, NC 28207
SOLD OUT
Historian Tom Hanchett offers an overview of Charlotte’s development from its Colonial beginnings to the present, emphasizing the city’s rapid early 20th-century growth as the center of the south’s textile manufacturing region. Guests will learn about neighborhood design in Myers Park by the prolific Boston-based planner John Nolen, and in Eastover by his Charlotte-based, yet regionally and nationally influential protege, Earle Sumner Draper. The lecture also highlights historic landmark homes by key Charlotte architects Louis Asbury, C.C. Hook, and Martin Boyer.
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Dr. Tom Hanchett enjoys working with community groups on neighborhood histories, museum exhibitions and walking tours. Educated at Cornell, University of Chicago and UNC Chapel Hill, he is best known for his Charlotte history books Sorting Out the New South City and Affordable Housing in Charlotte. Check out his lively website HistorySouth.org for fresh perspectives on topics ranging from the South’s Rosenwald Schools to Charlotte’s international food scene today. Charlotte Magazine calls him “Charlotte’s Dr. History” and named him a Charlottean of the Year.
Tom’s books will be available for purchase at the event!
NC Chapter December Holiday Soiree & Home Tour
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, North Carolina Chapter invites you to join us for a very special holiday event.
Join us for an exclusive Charles Barton Keen Home Tour & Holiday Social
Thursday, December 11
6pm to 8pm
94 North Union Street
Concord, NC 28025
Stewart Butler, expert on the Charles Barton Keen architectural history, will give a short introduction followed by a short Q&A with architect Don Duffy.
Click here to purchase tickets
About the Charles Albert & Ruth Coltrane Cannon House (1928)
Charles A. Cannon, whose father founded Cannon Mills, and his wife Ruth, an active historic preservationist, hired Keen to design their residences, as did his sister Laura, the wife of Charlotte mayor Charles Lambeth.
Thank you to our sponsors
Charles Barton Keen (1868-1931), a prolific designer of suburban residences and country estates primarily on Philadelphia’s Main Line for more than thirty-five years, added a second locus of activity—North Carolina—when he became a favorite architect of wealthy tobacco and textile families starting around 1912. In several of his projects in North Carolina he was associated with landscape architect Thomas Sears. His best-known project in the state is Winston-Salem’s Reynolda (1912-1917) for Katharine and R. J. Reynolds. On the strength of that commission he found a wider clientele associated with the state’s unprecedented industrial wealth of the early twentieth century and who in the 1910s and 1920s were advancing the national trend from downtown living to country houses or newly created elite suburbs.
October Member Social @ Trouvaille Winston-Salem
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, North Carolina Chapter is pleased to host a member
social at Trouvaille Home in Winston-Salem.
Join us for Lite Bites & Drinks
Tuesday, October 21
5:30 to 7:30pm
Trouvaille Home
938 Burke Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
This event is free for all ICAA, NC Chapter Members
please RSVP you attendance by October 15 to info@classicist-nc.org
Founded in 2014, Trouvaille has grown into one of the South’s premier destinations for bespoke interiors. Located in Winston-Salem’s historic West End, the 12,000 sq. ft. showroom offers an immersive luxury shopping experience, featuring locally crafted designs alongside custom North Carolina–made upholstery. In addition, Trouvaille Home provides full-service residential and commercial interior design.
Sponsored by
Mr. and Mrs. William E. Hollan, III
Mr. Stuart Parks
January Workshop in Classical Architecture: University of North Carolina, Charlotte
7 credits towards the Certificate in Classical Architecture (Tuscan Order & Measured Drawing) | 7 AIA CES Learning Units|Elective
September Member Social @ Ann Sacks Charlotte
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, North Carolina Chapter is pleased to host a member
social with our friends Ann Sacks Tile & Stone at their new Charlotte Showroom.
Join us for Lite Bites & Drinks
Thursday, September 11
5:30 to 7:30pm
Ann Sacks Tile & Stone
721 Gov Morrison Street
Unit 110A
Charlotte, NC 28211
This event is free for all ICAA, NC Chapter Members
please RSVP your attendance by September 5 to info@classicist-nc.org
Located in Charlotte, NC, Ann Sack’s tile & stone showroom offers clients the ability to view collections installed in inspired vignettes; lay-out plans and concepts in their design studio, and easily compare selections through a sample library. Offering a vast selection of ceramic, concrete, porcelain and stone tile collections suitable for the whole home.
Sponsored by
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With additional sponsorship support from
