News Release F R O M T H E N A T I O N A L B U I L D I N G M U S E U M

For Immediate Release: TBD

Media Contacts: Johanna Weber, jweber@nbm.org, 202.272.2448, ext. 3458
PRESS PREVIEW: TBD
RSVP: Johanna Weber, jweber@nbm.org, 202.272.2448, ext. 3458

Drawing Toward Home: Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic New England
Traveling exhibition from Historic New England to open at National Building Museum
WASHINGTON, D.C. Nearly 200 years of design inspiration for the homefrom the Federal to the International
Stylecan be gleaned from this engaging survey of domestic architecture from the collections of Historic New
England. On display at the National Building Museum from February 13 to August 15, 2010, Drawing Toward
Home features 100 drawings from renowned architectural offices such as McKim, Mead & White; Peabody &
Stearns; and Little & Browne, as well as lesser-known architects. Drawing Toward Home illustrates the rich variety
of architecture found throughout the region, from urban three deckers to quaint, rural cottages, to extravagant
seaside mansions.
The drawings range in date from the late eighteenth through the twentieth centuries and document the development
of the architectural profession in America. The exhibition not only presents shifting residential design trends and
changing styles, Drawing Toward Home showcases the imagination of the designer and the consummate skill of the
draftsman. A wide scope of architectural drawing is included, from studies and preliminary sketches to highly
finished presentation drawings for clients, as well as detailed plans, elevations, and sections. In addition there are
drawings for landscaping, outbuildings, fences, and even a proposal for an elaborate birdhouse. Some of the
renderings are true to what was constructed, but the selection also presents projects that were never built, or are
now lost, and drawings which record stages in a design process that eventually resulted in something different.
From Great Diamond Island, Maine, to Bostons Beacon Street and from cottages on Cape Cod to mansions in
Newport, the houses featured in Drawing Toward Home remind us that the architecture of New England is a
touchstone of American architecture.
Drawing Toward Home: Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic New England is organized
by Historic New England in celebration of its centennial.
The National Building Museum is Americas leading cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design,
engineering, construction, and planning. Chartered by Congress in 1980 and open to the public since 1985, the Museum has become a vital
forum for exchanging ideas and information about the built environment through its exhibitions, education programs, and publications. The
Museum is located at 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday
from 11 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. Museum Shop. Caf. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org.

For more information, please contact Johanna Weber at 202.272.2448, ext. 3458 or jweber@nbm.org.

Drawing Toward Home

Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic New England
February 13 through August 15, 2010
at the National Building Museum

Warren House, Arlington, Massachusetts, 1840

EXHIBITION PRESS IMAGES

Bowen House, Woodstock Connecticut, c. 1846

Unidentied Residence, c. 1855

P.D. Wallis House, detail, Boston,

Massachusetts, 1858

Merriam House, Jamaica Plain

(Boston), Massachusetts, 1856

P.D. Wallis House, Boston, Massachusetts, 1858

Frick Estate, Beverly, Massachusetts, 1902-1905

W.S. Appleton House, Newton, Massachusetts, 1875

Unidentied interior, early twentieth century

For more information, contact:

NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM

Johanna Weber, Marketing & Communications Manager, 202.272.2448, ext. 3458 / jweber@nbm.org
Bryna Lipper, VP of Marketing & Communications, 202.272.2448, ext. 3201 / blipper@nbm.org

401 F STREET NW
WASHINGTON, DC 20001
202.272.2448 / www.NBM.org

Drawing Toward Home

Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic New England
February 13 through August 15, 2010
at the National Building Museum

Unbuilt house at Northeast Harbor,

Maine, 1928-30

EXHIBITION PRESS IMAGES

Unidentied Residence, 1930s

Dirlam Residence, unbuilt, Stoneham,

Massachusetts, 1935

Illustration from Better Houses for Budgeteers,

c. 1940

Proposal for Apartment Complex,

Newtown, Connecticut, c. 1960

Black Residence, Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1968

Drawing Toward Home

Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic New England
February 13 through August 15, 2009
at the National Building Museum
Warren House, Arlington, Massachusetts, 1840
Edward Shaw, architect. Courtesy Historic New England.
House for William W. Warren, Arlington, Massachusetts,
1840.
Bowen House, Woodstock, Connecticut, c. 1846
Joseph C. Wells, architect. Courtesy Historic New England.
House for Henry C. Bowen, Woodstock, Connecticut, c.
1846.
Unidentied Residence, c 1855
Alexander Esty, architect. Courtesy Historic New England.
Elevation of an unidentied residence, c. 1855.

EXHIBITION PRESS IMAGE CAPTIONS

Unidentied interior, early twentieth century
A.H. Davenport and Company, architect. Courtesy Historic New
England.
Interior rendering, unknown location, before 1914.
Unbuilt House at Northeast Harbor, Maine, 1928-30
Bigelow, Wadsworth, Hubbard and Smith architects. Courtesy
Historic New England.
Perspective of a house at Northeast Harbor, Maine, unbuilt, c.
1928-30.
Unidentied Residence, 1930s
David J. Abrahams, Courtesy Historic New England.
Perspective of an unidentied suburban residence, 1930s.

Merriam House, Jamaica Plain (Boston), Massachusetts, 1856

Luther Briggs, Jr., architect. Courtesy Historic New England.
Landscape plan for Ephraim Merriam, Jamica Plain (Boston),
Massachusetts, 1856.
P.D. Wallis House detail, Boston, Massachusetts, 1858
Luther Briggs, Jr., architect. Courtesy Historic New England
Detail of a staircase in a house for P.D. Wallis, Boston, 1858.

Dirlam Residence, unbuilt, Stoneham, Massachusetts, 1935

Arland A. Dirlam, architect. Courtesy Historic New England.
Elevation of an unbuilt residence for Mrs. Arland A. Dirlam,
Stoneham, Massachusetts, 1935.
Illustration for Better Houses for Budgeteers, c. 1940
Royal Barry Wills, architect. Courtesy Historic New England.
Illustration for Better Houses for Budgeteers, c. 1940.

P.D. Wallis House, Boston, Massachusetts, 1858

Luther Briggs, Jr., architect. Courtesy Historic New England
Plan and elevation of a house for P.D. Wallis, Boston, 1858.
W.S. Appleton House, Newton, Massachusetts, 1875
Peabody and Stearns, architects. Courtesy Historic New
England
Side elevation of a house for W.S. Appleton, Newton, Massachusetts, 1875.
Frick Estate, Beverly, Massachusetts, 1902-1905
Little and Browne, architects. Courtesy Historic New England
Elevation and plan of the fence and gates for the Henry Clay
Frick Estate, Prides Crossing, Beverly, Massachusetts, 1905
(detail)

Proposal for Apartment Complex, Newtown, Connecticut,

c. 1960
Walter Crabtree, architect. Courtesy Historic New England.
Proposal for a apartment complex in Newtown, Connecticut,
c. 1960.
Black Residence, Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1968
Henry B. Hoover, architect. Courtesy Historic New England.
Elevation of a house for Mr. and Mrs. Everett A. Black, Lincoln,
Massachusetts, 1968.

NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM

401 F STREET NW

WASHINGTON, DC 20001 TEL. 202.272.2448 FAX 202.272.2564

EXHIBITION FACT SHEET

EXHIBITION

Drawing Toward Home: Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic

New England

WHEN

February 13 through August 15, 2010

WHERE

National Building Museum, second-floor galleries

OVERVIEW

Nearly 200 years of design inspiration for the homefrom the Federal to the
International Stylecan be gleaned from this engaging survey of domestic
architecture from the collections of Historic New England. Unattributed
works and those from the hand of lesser-known architects share the stage
with drawings created in the venerable offices of McKim, Mead & White;
Peabody & Stearns; and Little & Browne.
The exhibition features 100 drawings that range in date from the late
eighteenth through the twentieth centuries. A wide scope of architectural
drawing is included, from studies and preliminary sketches to highly
finished presentation drawings for clients, as well as detailed plans,
elevations, and sections. From Great Diamond Island, Maine, to Bostons
Beacon Street and from cottages on Cape Cod to mansions in Newport, the
houses featured in Drawing Toward Home remind us that the architecture of
New England is a touchstone of American architecture.

EXHIBITION LAYOUT

The exhibition is organized chronologically, into the following sections:

c. 1800 c. 1860 The Rise of the Architectural Profession
c. 1860 c. 1900 The Art of Architecture
c. 1900 c. 1940 The Period House
c. 1940 c. 1980 Tradition and Innovation

PUBLICATION

Drawing Toward Home: Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic

New England, edited by James F. OGorman with additional essays by
Lorna Condon, Christopher Monkhouse, Roger Reed, and Earle G.
Shettleworth, Jr.

CURATORS

Chrysanthe Broikos, Coordinating Curator for the National Building

Museum

SPONSORS

Drawing Toward Home: Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic

New England is organized by Historic New England in celebration of its
centennial.
-more-

GENERAL MUSEUM INFORMATION

LOCATION

The Museum is located at 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C., at the entrance to
the Judiciary Square Metro station on the Red Line.

HOURS

The Museum is open to the public Monday through Saturday, from 10 am to 5 pm,
and Sunday, from 11 am to 5 pm; Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New
Years Day.

ADMISSION

Admission to the Museum is free. A $5 donation is suggested.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Electronic images are available upon request by calling the National Building
Museums Marketing & Communications department at 202-272-2448 or emailing
jweber@nbm.org.

INFORMATION

Public information is available by calling 202-272-2448 or by visiting the

Museums web site at www.nbm.org.

###

Media Advisory FROM THE NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM

Drawing Toward Home:
Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic New England
Press Contact:

Johanna Weber, jweber@nbm.org, 202.272.2448, ext. 3458

WHAT

Drawing Toward Home: Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic New England
a traveling exhibition at the National Building Museum.
Open from February 13 through August 15, 2010, Drawing Toward Home features 100
architectural drawings from the vast collections of Historic New England, spanning nearly
200 years of design inspiration for the homefrom Federal to the International Style.
Unattributed works and those from the hands of lesser-known architects share the stage
with drawings created in the venerable offices of McKim, Mead & White; Peabody &
Stearns; and Little & Browne.
The drawings featured in the exhibition range in date from the late eighteenth through the
twentieth centuries. A wide scope of architectural drawing is included, from studies and
preliminary sketches to highly finished presentation drawings for clients, as well as
detailed plans, elevations, and sections. From Great Diamond Island, Maine, to Bostons
Beacon Street and from cottages on Cape Cod to mansions in Newport, the houses featured
in Drawing Toward Home remind us that the architecture of New England is a touchstone
of American architecture.
Drawing Toward Home: Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic New
England is organized by Historic New England in celebration of its centennial.

CURATOR

Chrysanthe Broikos, Coordinating Curator for the National Building Museum

WHEN

February 13 August 15, 2010

WHERE

National Building Museum

401 F Street NW (Judiciary Square Metro, Red Line)
Second Floor Galleries

BACKGROUND

The National Building Museum, created by an act of Congress in 1980, is a private, nonprofit
institution that examines and interprets achievements in building through exhibitions, education
programs, and publications. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org.

CONTACT

Johanna Weber, jweber@nbm.org, 202.272.2448, ext. 3458

NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM

401 F STREET NW

WASHINGTON, DC 20001

TEL. 202.272.2448

FAX 202.272.2564