Fall 2011

Letter From the Vice President

History by Design

Aren’t we lucky to live in a city as special as Washington, D.C.? Our nation’s capital is chock-full of stories, fantastic buildings, architects, designers and history, not to mention politicians, whom we shall not discuss here.

Since we work with the built environment, especially the historic aspects, we have always been interested in learning the stories behind our buildings and sharing them with our clients and friends.

David McCullough, the noted historian and author, has just published his latest book, called The Greater Journey, about Americans in Paris from the 1830s to the 1900s. In researching the history of Mahan Hall on the U.S. Naval Academy campus, we discovered that the architect was Ernest Flagg. He traveled to Paris to study at École des Beaux-Arts from 1889–91, brought his ideas and inspirations back to New York City, started his practice and then designed Mahan Hall and the chapel at the Naval Academy and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, among others. Read more in our cover story about the Mahan project.

Coincidentally, the French architect of the Folger/Hibbs Building, Jules Gabriel Henri de Sibour, worked with Ernest Flagg in NYC before he returned to Paris to attend École des Beaux-Arts. He eventually moved to Washington and had his office in the Folger/Hibbs Building. As you know from our past newsletters, we did extensive work on this building, both inside and out. (See our Summer 2000 Newsletter on our website: “Polishing a Small Gem in D.C.’s Downtown.”

Another interesting architect that we came across is Albert Irwin Cassell, who designed portions of Howard University. He was born in Towson, Md., in 1895, the third child of Albert Truman Cassell, a coal truck driver, and Charlotte Cassell—also known as Lottie—a laundress. Three of his children followed in his footsteps and became architects.

And finally, we have a more modern example of an offspring who was drawn to architecture and inspired by her family’s work in the building profession. Our daughter Rachel (who also worked on the Folger/Hibbs Building, doing interior layouts) earned her Masters in Architecture from Catholic University in 2006. She will be completing her Architectural Registration Exams in the next few months, after which we can officially call her an architect.

It’s a good season to celebrate not only our daughter but architects all across this beautiful—and beautifully designed city. Enjoy your fall, and we look forward to working with you in the coming months.