Lecture Series

The Center for Architecture hosts countless lectures throughout the year and produces several lecture series of our own. For more information on a lecture series, click on a title below. For a schedule of upcoming lectures, please visit our "events" page.

Louis I. Kahn Memorial Lecture
Building Philadelphia Lecture Series
Classical Architecture Lecture Series
Edmund N. Bacon Prize and Lecture

Louis I. Kahn Memorial Lecture

Since 1983, the annual Louis I. Kahn Memorial Lecture has been Philadelphia's signature event honoring an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of architecture. The event celebrates these achievements against the backdrop of the storied career of Philadelphia architect, Louis Kahn (1901-1974).

Past Recipients:

  • 2010 - Peter Bohlin, FAIA
  • 2009 - Thom Mayne, FAIA
  • 2008 - James Polshek, FAIA
  • 2007 - Billie Tsien, AIA & Tod Williams, FAIA
  • 2006 - David Chipperfield, RIBA
  • 2005 - Moshe Safdie, FAIA
  • 2004 - Daniel Libeskind, BDA
  • 2003 - Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, RIBA, Hon FAIA
  • 2002 - Robert A. M. Stern, FAIA
  • 2001 - Tadao Ando
  • 1999 - Peter Eisenman, FAIA
  • 1997 - Rafael Vinoly, FAIA
  • 1996 - Rafael Moneo, FAIA
  • 1995 - James Ingo Freed, FAIA
  • 1994 - Cesar Pelli, FAIA
  • 1993 - Joseph Esherick, FAIA
  • 1992 - Christopher Alexander
  • 1991 - Antoine Predock, FAIA
  • 1990 - Fumihiko Maki, Hon FAIA
  • 1989 - Frank O. Gehry, FAIA
  • 1988 - Charles W. Moore, FAIA
  • 1987 - Vincent J. Scully, Jr.
  • 1986 - Robert Venturi, FAIA
  • 1985 - Paul Goldberger
  • 1984 - Dr. Jonas Salk
  • 1983 - Romaldo Giurgola, FAIA

Building Philadelphia Lecture Series

Building Philadelphia is a 10-part lecture series covering a broad range of topics relating to Philadelphia's 300 years of architecture, urban planning, and political/social history. The series begins with William Penn's original vision for Philadelphia, while subsequent presentations cover three centuries of American architecture as represented in the city. Not only will movements and styles of architecture be discussed, but also important city plans and the influences of social and economic events relating to the architecture of Philadelphia. Lectures are given by a selection of architects, urban planners, art historians and social historians from local universities and architecture firms.

Classical Architecture Lecture Series

Discover the inspiration behind over 2,000 years of architectural development in the Western world with this 5-part lecture series. This series provides a fun and in-depth exploration of the history of our architectural heritage and building techniques. Lecture topics include Greek & Roman architecture, medieval architecture: Romanesque & Gothic, Renaissance & Baroque architecture, Palladian & English architecture, and building materials & technology. Lectures are presented by Paula Spilner, Ph.D.

Edmund N. Bacon Prize & Lecture

Produced in collaboration with the Ed Bacon Foundation, the annual Edmund N. Bacon Prize & Lecture honors one outstanding national figure who has advocated for excellence in urban development, planning, thought, and design. This lecture coincides with the awards ceremony for the annual Ed Bacon Student Design Competition which challenges university level students to design creative solutions for a site in Philadelphia that has historic significance and presents modern-day design challenges, the solutions to which are broadly applicable to cities across the country.

Past Recipients:

2009 - Maurice Cox, Director of Design, National Endowment for the Arts, Associate Professor of Architecture, University of Virginia, and Former Mayor of Charlottesville, VA

2008 - John O. Norquist, President & CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism and former Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconson

2007 - Paul Goldberger, Architecture Critic for The New Yorker magazine and Joseph Urban Chair in Design and Architecture at The New School

2006 - Robert A.M. Stern, Architect and Dean of the Yale School of Architecture