Academy of Classical Design · News

Remembering Henry Hope Reed by Steven W. Semes

Henry Hope Reed loved Rome. Years ago, I asked him where as a young architect I should go to study “the Classical,” as he always called the kind of architecture we both loved. “Rome,” he answered unhesitatingly. “Rome is the place.” It was good advice, though it took me a couple of decades before I was able to follow it…

The Beautiful Life of Henry Hope Reed by David Brussat

For half a century the leader of the classical revival in America, the historian, tour guide and founder of Classical America, Henry Hope Reed — the arch-antagonist of modern architecture — died May 1, in Manhattan, at age 97…

Remembrance from Requiem Eucharist at Saint Thomas Church by Catesby Leigh

Henry Hope Reed was a man with a deep appreciation for luxury, which might sound like a trait unbefitting a Christian gentleman. For Henry, the luxurious decoration of a public square, the luxurious ornamentation of a building, even the luxurious embellishment of one’s own person were essentially a matter of enriching our visual experience of the world…

Remembrance from Requiem Eucharist at Saint Thomas Church by Alvin Holm

“In spite of the triumphs of the American Renaissance (1890-1920) the daemonic forces of abstract nihilism have prevailed.”

I read these ringing words and yawned. They are the opening sentence of Chapter Four called “The Golden City” from the book of the same name published in 1959…

In Memoriam: Henry Hope Reed, Jr. by David Mayernik

Henry Hope Reed passed away on the first of May, and I wanted to add my voice to the list of those like my colleague Steve Semes, and David Brussat at the Providence Journal, in honoring Henry and what he stood for…