News Release

Discoveries resulting from a year and a half of research into the construction of Homewood House will be presented during a symposium, "Building Homewood: Vision for a Villa," from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, at the mansion on Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus, 3400 N. Charles St. in Baltimore.

The symposium will include:

"Charles Carroll Jr.'s Vision for a Villa," a lecture presented by exhibition curator Judith Proffitt, who will examine the importance of Homewood to the Carroll family while providing an introduction to the builders of Homewood House.

"Homewood: An American Villa and its Sources," a lecture presented by Damie Stillman, who will share his findings on late 18th- and early 19th-century architectural designs available to Charles Carroll Jr. through English and American pattern books. Stillman, one of three lead investigators who studied Homewood's construction, is professor emeritus at the University of Delaware and author of English Neo-Classical Architecture and The Decorative Work of Robert Adam.

A walking tour across the Homewood campus led by M. Edward Shull during his presentation "Homewood: A New World Arcadia." Through old maps and clues provided by the existing landscape, Shull, another lead investigator, will retrace the visible remainders of Homewood's earlier landscape. Shull is a landscape architect and a founding member of the Southern Garden History Society.

"Peopling Homewood," a discussion led by Bernard Herman, who will present the hierarchy of rooms within Homewood House as indicated by their decorative elements and location. Also one of Homewood's lead investigators, Herman will describe the flow of residents and guests through the house. He is the director of the Center for American Material Culture Studies and professor of art history at the University of Delaware.

A demonstration of the tools and techniques used to created Homewood House's famous gouge-carved woodwork, presented by David Gibney, president of Historic Restoration Specialists Inc., a firm focusing on the design history and preservation of high-style early American homes. Gibney will also discuss the English architectural designs from which the woodwork is derived.

An examination of the ornamental plasterwork found throughout Homewood House presented by David Harrison, president of Hayles and Howe Inc., an international firm specializing in ornamental plasterwork restoration.

Symposium participants will have an opportunity to tour the 200th anniversary exhibit Building Homewood: Vision for a Villa during the midday break. Lunch is available at a nearby campus café. The price for the symposium is $35 for Homewood members and Johns Hopkins affiliates, $40 for non-members.

In addition to the walking tour on Nov. 8, two other walking tours are scheduled this fall. On Saturday, Oct. 26, Shull will lead "Over Hill and Dale," a tour of Homewood's landscape. On Sunday, Nov. 9, Homewood historic site coordinator Catherine Rogers Arthur will lead "From the Cellar to the Garrett," a tour of Homewood's architecture. Both walking tours will run from 9 a.m. to noon and will include a gallery talk with Proffitt. The cost of either event is $10 for Homewood members and $12 for non-members.

For reservations and information on any of these events, call 410-516-8639. Visit Homewood House Museum online at http://www.jhu.edu/historichouses/.