Building in the Land of Sky
Early 20th Century Architects in Western North Carolina
By the end of the 19th century. Western North Carolina had witnessed major developments like the completion of the railroad, a rapidly expanding manufacturing industry, and a burgeoning tourist economy.
In 1889, when architecture and landscape visionaries–Richard Morris Hunt and Frederick Law Olmsted–came to Asheville, North Carolina to design Biltmore, they put the city on a path to become an architecturally significant setting and host to some of the most distinguished regional architects in the United States.
Five architects: Richard Sharp Smith, William H. Lord, Charles N. Parker, Douglas D. Ellington, and Ronald Greene changed the look and architectural status of Asheville during the first half of the 20th century.
This exhibition will consider these architects’ biographies and what brought them to the area, along with the buildings that they designed–most of which remain today and continue to tell an important story of Western North Carolina.
Curator’s Talk
Join the Asheville Museum of History (AMoH) on Sunday, August 2nd, at 3PM as we celebrate the opening of our new exhibition, Building in the Land of the Sky: Early 20th Century Architects in Western North Carolina. This special opening celebration includes a Curator’s Talk with Whitney Richardson at A-B Tech Conference Center, followed by an exhibit viewing and reception at Asheville Museum of History (AMoH) at the historic Smith-McDowell House. Light refreshments will be available at the viewing and reception.
purchase tickets here