Architectural Archives

Wooden model of Trenton Bathhose

Group '55 and Midcentury Abstraction in Philadelphia

This show is part of a multi-venue exhibtion that takes a look at Group '55, a group of Philadelphia painters, architects, musicians, and dancers who organized a series of exhibitions and public forums across the city, presenting their work as a catalyst for vigorous public dialogue about the role of art and science in the postwar era. The Architectural Archives loaned a model of Kahn's Trenton Bathhouse, and a wallpaper recreation of the mural at Trenton Bathhouse.

Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA

September 26, 2020 — January 24, 2021

Painting of an art museum

Dreaming of Utopia: Roosevelt, New Jersey

This exhibtion examines the history of Roosevelt, from its early days as an antidote to the Great Depression to a twenty-first century arts community. The Architectural Archives loaned a sketch by Louis Kahn. Now on-view through January 24, 2021.

Morven Museum, Princeton, NJ

November 15, 2019 — January 24, 2021

View of funriture and decorative objects on display at Shofuso House.

Shofuso and Modernism: The Architecture and Design of George Nakashima, Antonin and Noémi Raymond, and Junzo Yoshimura

Co-curated by Architectural Archives Curator, William Whitaker, Shofuso and Modernism focuses on the artistic interconnections between George Nakashima, Antonin Raymond, Noémi Peressin Raymond, and Junzo Yoshimura, and their impact on mid century modern design. The Architectural Archives loaned furniture and archival images from the Antonin and Noémi Raymond Collection.

Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, Philadelphia, PA

September 2, 2020 — November 29, 2020

Pastel sketch of skyscraper by Raymond Hood

Raymond Hood and the American Skyscraper

Co-curated by Dietrich Neumann and Jonathan Duval, Raymond Hood and the American Skyscraper looks at the career of Raymond Hood, hailed by the New York Times as "the greatist skyscraper architect of all time''. The Architectural Archives loaned original drawings and model photographs from the Raymod Hood collection. Due to COVID-19, this is an online exhibiton.

David Winton Bell Gallery, Brown University, Providence, RI

September 11, 2020

B/W photo of men working at construction site with other man watching them while smoking a pipe

Miracles in Concrete. Structural Engineer August Komendant

This exhibtion is focused on the work and life of August Komendant, a structural engineer who was influential on some of the best known buildings by architects Louis Kahn, Eero Saarinen, Moshe Safdie, Oscar Tenreiro, Mitchell/Giurgola and others. The Architectural Archives loaned original drawings, architectural model, photography and correspondence from the Kahn, Komendant, and Mitchell/Giurgula. Extended viewing through July 26, 2020

Estonian Architecture Museum, Tallinn, Estonia

January 10, 2020 — July 26, 2020

painting of blue fabric

Invisible City: Philadelphia and the Vernacular Avant-garde

This exhbition is a multi-exhibiton, interdisciplinary look at Philadelphia’s significant contributions to visual, literary, and musical culture between 1956 and 1976, spread across three locations. The Architectural Archvies loaned original drawings, paintings, models, and photographs for the architecture focused exhibition in the Art Aliance.

Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA

January 21, 2020 — April 4, 2020

sketch of liberty bell exhibit

Structure & Purpose: The Legacy of Engineering at Keast & Hood

This exhibition explores the role of the firm’s founding engineers, Carl A. Baumert Jr., Nicholas L. Gianopulos, and Thomas J. Leidigh, longtime principals at the firm of Keast & Hood Co. from the years 1953 – 2007. The Architectural Archives loaned drawings, images and correspondence of architecture firms Keast & Hood worked with, including Venturi Scott Brown, Louis I. Kahn, and Mitchell/Giurgola.

Athenaeum of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

January 9, 2020 — March 31, 2020

painting of city street with lights in trees

Architecture Arboretum

Curated by Sylvia Lavin, Architecture Arboretum examines the use of trees in architectural drawings and what these representations say about conceptual shifts in architectural thinking. The Architectural Archives loaned drawings from the Hennepin Ave. and California City projects from the Venturi Scott Brown Collection.

North Gallery, Princeton University School of Architecture, Princeton, NJ

November 4, 2019 — January 21, 2020

B/W photo of men standing next to blueprints of an area next to the Schuylkill

Ian McHarg's Scotland

Curated by Amber Roberts, the Landscape Institute of Scotland held an exhibiton and conference to look at Ian McHarg's environmentalism and early teaching in Scotland, and the impact of McHarg's scottish students. The Architectural Archives provided images from the Ian McHarg and Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning department collections.

Sculpture Court, Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh, Scotland

October 21, 2019 — October 25, 2019

Abstract painting featuring boxes containing rows of lines and blue and green background

Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx

An immersive art and botanical garden exhibition of modernist landscape designer and painter, Roberto Burle Marx. The Architectural Archives loaned a wall tapestry by Burle Marx.

New York Botanical Garden, New York, NY

June 8, 2019 — September 29, 2019

Anne Griswold Tyng sitting on floor surrounded by wooden cutouts

Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America

Co-curated by Milwaukee and Denver Art Museums, this exhibit "presents the concept of playfulness in postwar American design as a catalyst for creativity and innovation." Architectural Archives loaned photographs, drawings, and pamphletes for the Tyng Toy from the Anne Griswold Tyng collection.

Milwaukee Art Museum and Denver Art Museum

September 28, 2018 — August 25, 2019

Side of wooden building with design on it similar the Aries astrological sign

The Sea Ranch: Architecture, Environment, and Idealism

This exhibition brings together original skeches and drawings from project designers, contemporary and archival photographs and full size models to tell the story of the environmentally attentive and revolutionary design of The Sea Ranch in the 1960's. The Architectural Archives loaned 73 drawings, sketches, photographs and slides from the Lawrence Halprin collection.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA

December 22, 2018 — June 2, 2019

Artists notes on color samples

Architecture Itself and Other Postmodernist Myths

This exhibition examines the postmodern movement in architecture through archival materials to understand the "myth of architecture as an irreducibly autonomous and artistic practice." The Architectural Archives loaned forty-six sketches, notes, prints and photographs from the Lawrence Halprin and Venturi Scott Brown collections.

Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, Canada

November 7, 2018 — April 7, 2019

Drawing of judson memorial church and environs

Judson Dance Theater: The Work Is Never Done

This exhibit examines the impact and history of a group of choreographers, visual artists, composers, and filmmakers that gathered in Judson Memorial Church, a socially engaged Protestant congregation in New York’s Greenwich Village, for a series of workshops. The Architectural Archives loaned materials on the dance deck Lawrence Halprin design for his wife, dancer Anna Halprin.

Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY

September 16, 2018 — February 3, 2019

lots of people in strange clothing lying on floor smiling at the camera above them

West By Midwest

West by Midwest looks at the work of sixty-three artsits who migrated from the east coast to the west and mid-west from the 1960s to the 2010s. The Architectural Archives sent images from the Experiments in Enviroments workshops lead by Lawrence Halprin and Anna Halprin in 1966 and 1968.

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

November 17, 2018 — January 27, 2019

sketched blueprint of landscape design

Kahn in Venice/Louis Kahn and Venezia

This exhibit showcases the close ties between Louis Kahn and the city of Venice, especially his design for the unbuilt Palazzo dei Congressi. The Architectural Archives loaned original drawings, photographs and documents from the Louis I Kahn and August Komendant collections.

Mendrisio Academy of Architecture, Mendrisio, Switzerland

October 12, 2018 — January 20, 2019