Past Events
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
with
With additional sponsorship support from
Private Charlotte: Exploring Classicism in the Southeast
Join the ICAA and Classical Excursions in collaboration with our ICAA North Carolina Chapter this November on an insider access tour of Charlotte, NC
November 4-7, 2025
Founded in 1768 and named in honor of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King George III of England, Charlotte proudly carries its royal heritage in both name and spirit, having earned its reputation as a hotbed of independence and defiance during the Revolution. Come discover Charlotte’s rich historic fabric—preserved in its buildings, museums, culture and communities.
This tour is arranged by Classical Excursions with the ICAA North Carolina Chapter. Please note, that you must contact Classical Excursions’ Director, Lani Summerville to formally register for this program. Upon completing a registration form, submitting a deposit to Classical Excursions, and receiving a confirmation from Classical Excursions you will be considered registered for this program. Payment of the $600 donation to the ICAA prior to registration does not guarantee placement on the trip. Again, to inquire about registration for this program, please contact Lani Summerville at lani@classicalexcursions.com or 413-446-8728.
A fully tax-deductible donation of $600 per person is required to participate in this travel program. Please note that this donation is non-refundable except in the case that this travel program is cancelled by the organization. All travel program participants have the opportunity to receive a complimentary Individual level membership for one year to the ICAA.
What’s included?
- A luxury 3-night stay at the historic Duke Mansion
- A visit to the Wing Haven Garden
- Private tours of residences designed by such architects as Pursley Dixon Architects, Ruard Veltman, Bobby McAlpine, and historic architect Martin Boyer
- A private reception at Jane Schwab’s residence (as featured in Veranda Magazine)
- A dinner at the charming Charlotte Country Club
- A dinner at the Stagioni, the former Reynolds-Gourmajenko House designed by William Lawrence Bottomley
Meals Included in the Itinerary: breakfast and lunch daily per itinerary, one reception and three dinners.
Images courtesy of Pursley Dixon Architects
Virtual Documentary Screening
MEMBERS ONLY – Virtual Screening – An English Vision: Traditional Architecture & Decoration for Today with Ben Pentreath
Wed, June 25 at 6PM
📍Virtual on Zoom
Join the ICAA for a virtual screening of An English Vision: Traditional Architecture and Decoration for Today with Ben Pentreath where he discusses his new publication An English Vision: The interconnected worlds of architecture, interiors, and places — of history and happiness — and how we live today.
For more than 20 years, award-winning architectural designer and decorator Ben Pentreath has been a champion of exceptional English design, creating homes, interiors, and town developments that are at once traditional and distinctively modern, timeless, and boldly contemporary. His new book, An English Vision, explores his unique way of creating buildings that are infused with a strong sense of happiness, history, character, color, imperfection, and a specific place in time. Above all, Pentreath believes in the intuitive nature of imperfection to make interiors truly sing. Join him as he opens the doors to a number of special city apartments, country houses, and farm estates, while sharing insight into his philosophy and process, along with many never before seen photos of these incredible spaces. In each, he will show how he integrates history, tradition, the different rhythms of time, and the personal tastes of his clients to create homes that replace fussy excess with a light, effortless sense of comfort and harmony, as though they were always meant to be just as they are.
Ben Pentreath is an award-winning architectural designer and decorator whose work embodies the highest principles of traditional and classical architecture, as well as urbanism in contemporary society. He studied Art History at the University of Edinburgh before attending the Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture. After working for five years in New York and then with the Prince’s Foundation, Ben started his own practice, Ben Pentreath Ltd, in 2004. Since then, the firm has grown to occupy two beautiful studios in Bloomsbury, London. Ben is also co-founder, with Bridie Hall, of Pentreath & Hall, one of London’s most distinctive interiors and decoration shops, located just around the corner from the Ben Pentreath Ltd studios.
FREE and for ICAA Members only
Images from An English Vision, published by @rizzolibooks. Courtesy of Ben Pentreath.