2019 Shutze Awards
In March, the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art revealed its PHILIP T. SHUTZE AWARDS in the areas of architecture, artisanship, landscape architecture, restoration and interior design. AH&L presents the 2019 winners.
Architecture – Renovation under 5,000 sq. ft.
Spitzmiller & Norris, Inc.
For this circa-1927 abode, Spitzmiller & Norris—with Bonner Custom Homes, E. Graham Pittman and Suzanne Kasler—underwent a three-year project that would strip the main house down to the studs; increase the footprint with a three-car garage, breezeway, billiard room and loggia; and clear the sloping yard to add a pool, pool house, tennis court, bocce lawn, and more. The new plan enforces the idea that great houses are a series of spaces that work as a suite of rooms, said a judge.
Architecture – Institutional
McCrery Architects and BarberMcMurry Architects
For a Roman Catholic Diocese in Knoxville, Tennessee, a new cathedral was commissioned that would represent and teach the Catholic faith through the beauty and richness of the classical language of architecture and ornament. The resulting Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is a blend of local architectural traditions with distinctly classical Catholic symbolism and iconography.
Architecture – single family over 5,000 sq. ft.
D. Stanley Dixon, Architect
For a house in Highlands, North Carolina, this Atlanta-based architect imagined a mountainside retreat inspired by early American stone houses. Its stone construction is appropriate to the region, and both exterior detailing and interior finishes establish a hierarchy in the function and formality of the rooms. Public entertaining spaces feature intricate millwork alongside exposed, rough-hewn beam ceilings. This refined project exhibits “good scale, good proportions and good manners,” remarked a judge.
Artisanship/Craftsmanship
Jill Biskin Fine Arts
For a grand new hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, fine artist Jill Biskin was commissioned to create 11 murals. From coastal birds in flight and tranquil vistas of the past to botanical landscapes and cycloramic views of the harbor, Biskin’s meticulous process of painting on seamless portrait linen represents a “very high level of artistry,” remarked one judge; it’s an example of “beautiful execution of landscape and natural history murals.”
Interior Design – over 5,000 sq. ft.
Tammy Connor Interior Design
For a Kiawah Island project—set on six acres, nestled back from the dunes and featuring panoramic views of the Atlantic ocean—Tammy Connor Interior Design, along with D. Stanley Dixon, created a new, 7,500-square-foot house that balances tradition and formality with easy but active indoor-outdoor living. The collected, subtly layered interior evokes the breeziness of coast through traditional materials, classic proportion and soft, colorful patterns and finishes.
Interior Design – under 5,000 sq. ft.
Ashley Gilbreath Interior Design
For a Midland, Georgia, lake house located on nearly 40 acres, Montgomery, Alabama, designer Ashley Gilbreath—alongside Atlanta architect C. Brandon Ingram—balanced the verdant setting with timeless architectural and interior details. Employing a soft palette, Gilbreath fostered a series of relaxing, daylight-filled spaces with curated antiques, tailored upholstery and showstopping artwork. Remarked a judge: “It is refreshing to see classical interiors with a casual air and architectural details with enrichment.”
Residential Landscape – Estate
Howard Design Studio
For a 3.5-acre setting surrounding a newly built Norman D. Askins-designed residence in Atlanta, John Howard of Howard Design Studio provided master planning for the site, landscape architecture, lighting design and garden planting design. The stately, graceful and elegant estate was inspired by gardens the clients had admired in the Virginia countryside. A judge applauded this project for its “elegant treatment of landscape in keeping with the established character of the architecture.”
Residential Landscape – Garden
Howard Design Studio
Following a major addition to a circa-1921 residence originally designed by Hentz, Reid & Adler, this landscape architecture firm created a new formal garden through the use of retaining walls to level the property. A split-stair with koi pond was added to connect the house and formal garden, while a cascading stair with herb pockets connects to a lower garden room. The project is “a beautifully designed, detailed and manifested landscape with all the freshness of a classic,” remarked a judge.
Restoration
Jill Biskin Fine Arts
For an Atlanta parlor that is considered “the finest example of the Italian Baroque in the Western hemisphere” thanks in part to its 18th-century European hunt scenes that cover the walls, this Athens, Georgia, artist was commissioned to fill a void that was created when new homeowners removed a large cabinet that one of the original architects, Philip T. Shutze, had designed for the space. Matching the original palette and linen, Biskin’s meticulous composition makes it impossible to decipher between old and new.
Student/Emerging Professional
Reinaldo M. Hernandez
Upon observing that city of Coral Gables, which is approaching its 100-year anniversary, lacked a University Club, student/emerging professional Reinaldo M. Hernandez envisioned designing a building for the city that would encapsulate its trajectory as a regional center for art, architecture and educational excellence. Employing Spanish architecture with regional materials and craft in his renderings, Hernandez says it would inspire through “architecture, art and landscape.”