Mid-century residential architecture was shaped by Modernist architects, many of whom studied at Harvard and who were among the first to design in this style. Through their distinctive designs, many with abundant glass, open rooms, and functional shapes that lead the eye to the out-of-doors while providing a bright interior, these Harvard-trained architects produced a collection of landmark Modernist homes in New Canaan, an area known for traditionally designed housing.

William Earls, author of The Harvard Five in New Canaan (W.W. Norton, 2006), will share the highlights, controversies, and lasting impact of the five architects — Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, and Eliot Noyes — whose designs, ideas, philosophies, and interactions profoundly influenced residential housing for generations. An award-winning architect who also lectures throughout the country, Earls was recently honored with an Award of Merit by the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation.

Admission for Lecture and Reception: $10
Registration is requested by Friday, February 15. Open to all. 

Watch the lecture video →

Sponsored by Post Road Residential and sustained by your contributions to the Herzan Lecture Fund.

Cultures change, so our buildings evolve. Some buildings that we loved are torn down for the next use. And history is lost forever.

What has been lost in New Haven? This illustrated talk will wend through the epochal shifts in our place, the buildings that defined our landscape and that have been swept away by changes. In these tidal swells and ebbs are individual tragedies of loss that may have simply been forgotten or softened by the passage of time.

Duo Dickinson, FAIA, will focus his talk on the architecture that has been lost by the unthinking energy of social change that propels America and New Haven forward. The particular lessons of each building can reveal what we have been, where we are, and, perhaps, where we are going.

5:30 p.m.
Reception with Pizza and Cash Bar

6:00 p.m.
Presentation by Duo Dickinson, FAIA

Admission for Talk and Reception: $10
Registration is requested by Thursday, November 8.

Watch the lecture video →