Frank Harmon, FAIA, principal of the award-winning firm Frank Harmon Architect PA in Raleigh, was a member of a panel of six Fellows of the American Institute of Architects who gathered in Columbus, Indiana, recently to discuss the early works of the late Chicago architect Harry Weese (1915-1998).

Examples of Harmon’s work were included in an exhibit featuring Weese’s historic works and contemporary projects by all the panelists.

“Harry Weese was a mid-century Modernist architect who said that the great Modern buildings of Chicago had their roots in the vernacular of Illinois farmers’ houses,” said Harmon, whose own work has been highly influenced by lessons he has learned from studying old farmhouses and barns.

The panel discussion was part of a two-day workshop held at the Indiana University Center for Art and Design to explore Weese’s Modernist work in the sixties and seventies. At that time, Weese was arguably Chicago’s preeminent architect and a visionary who helped revive that city’s downtown district and whose projects won worldwide acclaim. Weese also designed the 100-mile Metro system in Washington, D.C.

Organizers held the event in Columbus because that small Midwestern town contains a high concentration of Weese’s early works in close proximity to buildings by his teacher and mentor, Eliel Saarinen, and his son, Eero. Participants visited Weese’s buildings on the first day.

“To be in the presence of his regionally inspired, Modern houses, schools, and churches was a personal inspiration,” Harmon said.

The panel discussion took place on the second day, moderated by Kelly Wilson, director of the Indiana University Center for Art and Design. Ben and Cynthia Weese, Marlon Blackwell, Julie Snow, and Maryann Thompson joined Harmon on the panel.

Frank Harmon is a nationally recognized leader in Modern, sustainable, and regionally appropriate architecture. For more information, visit www.frankharmon.com.

For more information on the Weese workshop, go to www.iu.edu/~weese.