Institute Of Classical Architecture & Art
Florida Chapter
Palm Beach, Florida
The ICAA Florida Chapter was incorporated in 2006 in Tallahassee as a regional nonprofit partner committed to promoting and advancing the classical tradition in contemporary architecture, planning, and their allied arts and building crafts throughout the state of Florida. The Chapter is comprised of five districts in the Sunshine State. Each district is intended to grow as a grassroots foundation, bringing education, advocacy, and public events to each district and thus to the entire state. The Chapter is led by our 13 Member Board and serves our diverse membership of architects, interior designers, landscape architects, artisans, artists, craftsmen, contractors, vendors, students, and classical enthusiasts.
The Florida Chapter offers a wide array of programs and events that include continuing education courses, travel programs, lectures, and conferences. The Florida Chapter created the annual Addison Mizner Awards in 2012 to recognize new work in classical and traditional design, and celebrate the achievement of the finest practitioners in the fields of Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Urbanism, as well as in Craftsmanship and the allied Arts.
Additionally, the Florida Chapter seeks to benefit its constituents, whether professional or personal, by promoting like-minded projects and educational initiatives statewide and by directing the talent and resources represented by the dynamic membership roster. The Florida Chapter seeks to offer its educational programs as a partner with accredited schools such as the University of Miami School of Architecture, and seeks alliances with many allied professional organizations as well as partnerships with American Society of Interior Designers, American Society of Landscape Architects, American Society of Landscape Designers and non-architect home builders and designers such as The American Institute of Building Design. The Florida Chapter has also played host to events with The American Institute of Architects’ various regional Florida Chapters. These alliances help support the goal of making a positive impact on the built environment through the principals of the classical tradition in architecture and art.
New York City, NY
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA) is a nonprofit membership organization committed to promoting and preserving the practice, understanding, and appreciation of classical design. To do so, the ICAA offers a broad range of educational programs. These include intensives for architecture and design students, introductory programs for middle school students, lectures and walking tours for the public, continuing education courses for professionals and enthusiasts, travel programs to visit classical masterpieces, the publishing of original and reprinted books, and an annual journal entitled the Classicist. Through the annual Arthur Ross Awards, as well as other national and regional award programs, the ICAA also honors contemporary leaders of classical design and the related fields.
The ICAA is a national organization, with 15 chapters across the country and headquartered in New York City. Each chapter organizes its own local programming to reflect the unique members and architectural traditions in its region. The ICAA’s membership represents the diverse and dynamic cross-section of all those involved with the building arts, from architects and designers, to patrons and artisans. These members benefit from the robust network of local and national programs and networking opportunities. Likewise, the organization is continually enriched and inspired by responding to the needs, interests, and passions of its growing membership base.
The History Of The ICAA
The ICAA was officially founded in 2002, with the merging of two separate organizations – Classical America and the Institute of Classical Architecture. As modernism became the dominating philosophical and aesthetic movement in architecture and design in the 20th Century, Classical America (founded in 1968 by Henry Hope Reed) and the Institute of Classical Architecture (founded in 1992) each worked to preserve a plurality among architectural education and practice. Through publishing, awards, and educational courses, these two organizations carried the mantel of classicism, preserving the time-honored principles of classical architecture, such as geometry, proportion, and observational drawing. These principals and ideas, developed over thousands of years, were at risk of disappearing from the field’s collective memory. By merging into the ICAA, these two likeminded groups amplified their impact, eventually growing into a national membership organization, with chapters across the country.
The ICAA has helped both to initiate and to harness the enthusiasm of today’s revival of classical and traditional architecture and art. By nature, classical architecture and art encompass an array of skills, traditions, and professions. This broad range of knowledge and expertise is demonstrated by the ICAA’s diverse membership base, which includes architects, city planners, landscape architects, interior designers, carpenters, ironmongers, masons, muralists, sculptors, students, educators, engineers, builders, historians, enthusiasts, and many more. These members represent the countless facets of the thriving field of classical design. Their support fuels the ICAA’s programs, which educate, celebrate, and inspire. The ICAA is proud of the incredible growth of its community over the past 50 years. From a small group of determined activists in New York to a thriving network of thousands of professionals, firms, students, and enthusiasts across the country, the ICAA and its members work tirelessly to create a more beautiful and livable built environment.