Gilded Age Summer Cottages Sketching Series: Rough Point Estate

Photo credit: Newport Restoration Foundation

Sketching historic sites provides participants with practical knowledge of tradition as manifest in the architecture. In 1887, ambitious businessman Frederick W. Vanderbilt (1856-1938) and his wife, philanthropist Louise (1854-1926) purchased two parcels of land to build a Newport "summer cottage." While the house was still under construction in 1888, The Newport Mercury reported that it was the largest and most expensive residence in America. The Vanderbilts commissioned Boston firm Peabody & Stearns to design the house and landscape firm F.L. & J.C. Olmsted the grounds. Peabody & Stearns were among the most popular architects of the Gilded Age. In Newport they also designed Vinland, Rockhurst, and the original Breakers (which was destroyed by fire in 1892). Today, the Olmsted firm is best known for the landscape design of Central Park in New York City and the United States Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C.

In 1958, Doris Duke reopened Rough Point and established a seasonal residence in Newport. She relocated the art collection from her family's 5th Avenue mansion in New York to Rough Point and continued to fill the house with new pieces of art.

Participants follow in the great tradition of architects and artists who have learned from drawing in situ. One may take a thousand photos of a subject and may not know it. .. but if one spends some time drawing the same object ... you will have it in your mind forever. To draw is to see. The program focuses on the enduring vitality and continuity of the classical tradition through the means of observational and analytical drawing. The morning session will be spent drawing the interior of the house with special attention to the architectural details. The afternoon will be spent sketching the exterior as it relates to the landscape.

COURSE FORMAT: Course instruction combines brief lectures and interior and plein air drawing. The majority of class time will involve sketching the architecture and landscape of the Rough Point Estate. The class will begin with a brief introduction to the history of the site and will talk about various drawing techniques for in situ drawing. Guidance will be provided by the instructor.

COURSE PREREQUISITES: None required. Course content is suitable for those with limited exposure to drawing in situ or for the more seasoned artist.

Instructor: David Pearson
Mr. Pearson’s former work as Senior Designer at Fairfax and Sammons focused on the urban form at many scales and venues. This range included a large urban and architectural design in Charleston, South Carolina to a small infill project in Newport, Rhode Island. He is very committed to the importance of the particularity of place when designing. Validation of this commitment was recognized in his recent work on The Richard Driehaus Architectural Competition “Urban Rejuvenation of Olite Spain” which won an Honorable Mention.

Mr. Pearson has instructed numerous urban sketching tours for the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art and the American Society of Landscape Architects. His most recent tours were in The Berkshires and Newport, Rhode Island for the New England ICAA Chapter. As a former Associate with Robert A.M. Stern Architects he worked on the design of a broad range of projects for cultural, institutional, and residential clients. Mr. Pearson worked on the Commonwealth of Virginia General Assembly Building in Richmond and the Georgia Judicial Complex in Atlanta. He previously worked on the LEED Gold Immanuel Chapel for the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia; Audley Square House, a top-end residential building in the Mayfair district of London; a mixed-use development comprising a 32- story apartment tower, townhouses, and a meetinghouse for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; a mixed-use development in Charleston, South Carolina; and a supportive housing building for a non-profit organization in Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Pearson’s work in China for RAMSA included residential developments in Hong Kong, Tianjin, Beijing, Jinjiang, and Xiamen; the conversion of an existing building into a hotel in Hong Kong; and a private residence in Ningbo.

Prior to joining Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Mr. Pearson worked with Veranda Partners of Orlando, Florida, as Vice President of Architecture and Design focusing on mixed use developments.; and with Erickson Associates of Naples, Florida, as a principal. From 1991 to 2004 he was a principal at David Pearson Design of New York City and Orlando and Assistant Resident Designer at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Mr. Pearson also served as an instructor at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Architecture while earning his graduate degrees. Mr. Pearson’s work has been published in Florida Design Magazine, Food Arts Magazine, The Classicist, Bar Excellence: Designs for Pubs and Clubs (Glen Cove, New York: PBC International, 1999), and World Space Design 09 (Tokyo: NIC Ltd., 1992). Mr. Pearson is a graduate of Rollins College (B.A., Theatre Design and Studio Art), and the Georgia Institute of Technology (M.S.in Classical Design,2008, Architecture; M. Arch., 2011), where he was an Arthur Ross Scholar. He was selected as a Visiting Artist to the American Academy in Rome in 2008 and 2011. Mr. Pearson is a member of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art New England Chapter.