Please join us for this rare opportunity to view Bryn Athyn Cathedral, one of the region’s most iconic buildings, through a photographer’s lens and a craftsman’s eyes. The class will include interior and exterior photography tutelage from Philadelphia’s leading architectural photographer, Tom Crane. Steve Hendricks will discuss the challenge of engineering interventions with timeless solutions, resulting in millwork that looks original to the space. Historic Doors, LLC was asked to provide architectural woodwork for the Bryn Athyn Cathedral over a period of four years, and one of the projects featured is a 2016 Palladio Award winner. The Bryn Athyn Cathedral Director will speak about the history of its design.
Dedicated for church use in 1919, Bryn Athyn Cathedral was constructed between 1913 and 1928 with interior work continuing into the 1940s. The symbolic plan of the Cathedral is based on the teachings of the New Church, and the main building is Gothic with northern and southern buildings in the early Romanesque style. Stone, wood, metal, and stained glass workshops were built on the grounds during construction, allowing designers and craftsmen to create everything on site and collaborate. In order to represent the unpredictable path of human growth, the Cathedral design includes intentional departures from vertical and horizontal lines.
There are 4 AIA LU credits available for this class.
Steve Hendricks is the founder and lead designer of Historic Doors, LLC a company that produces custom wood doors and traditional joinery for universities, churches and residences throughout the country. Hendricks has studied at both the Institute for Classical Architecture & Art in New York and the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in London. He is the author of Historic American Doors (1996), a compilation of drawings from the Historic American Buildings Survey. A lifelong learner, Hendricks enjoys expanding his knowledge of Classical architecture and perennial philosophy, and is currently President of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art.
Tom Crane’s love of architectural photography began when he was a Peace Corps volunteer fascinated by the designs embedded into mud buildings in northern Nigerian villages. Upon returning to the United States he apprenticed with Ezra Stoller, the “grandfather of architectural photography”. Crane has been based in Philadelphia since 1971, and his independent architectural and interior photography practice has documented several regional projects. His studio has been located in a restored barn in Bryn Mawr for the past 30 years. Crane is currently a board member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art.