Who better to talk about muses and inspiration with than a practitioner of classical architectural design who is passionate about history and decorative art? Georgia native Steven Spandle, founding principal of the New York-based firm, Steven W. Spandle, Architect, was simply a perfect candidate. This Georgia native is a graduate of the architecture program at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the recipient of a Masters of Classical Architecture from the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. He worked in Atlanta, Boston, and New York before opening his own practice. Steven is a former member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and an active member of the Institute for Classical Architecture & Art, the Connoisseur Society at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and the Collector’s Circle at the Winterthur Museum, Library, and Garden.
Peter Hurley
Steven W. Spandle Architect
Steven’s firm focuses on designs for the residential market with a select number of historic restoration projects throughout the U.S. He gained nationwide attention as the architect of the Tennis Pavilion, the first free standing addition to the White House grounds in decades, and was featured in the White House Historical Association’s podcast, “White House: Next-Gen Designers,” which highlighted the work of the professionals involved in that project. From 2017 to 2021 Steven was selected to work on a variety of restoration projects at the White House and at Camp David, the Presidential retreat in Maryland.
Steven was kind enough to let EIL quiz him about his muse and sources of inspiration. We were also thrilled to get a look at some of his recent work and hear about a current project on St. Simons Island.
EIL: What inspired you to pursue architecture and design?
SS: I was always interested in architecture for as long as I can remember. When I was in elementary school, I used to sit with my grandmother and talk about plans to remodel her house. I always wanted to visit construction sites and explore buildings, and I would spend my time sketching floor plans.
When I was young, my family went to Jekyll Island every December for a Farm Bureau convention. Each year my parents would take me to tour the “cottages” in the historic district. It was truly amazing to visit this place and see buildings designed by David Adler, John Russell Pope, Carrere and Hastings, and others. Visiting Jekyll, and frequent visits to the historic district in Savannah definitely had a major impact on my design aesthetic. I was very lucky to have obliging parents who would take me to visit these places.
Growing up on a farm in Claxton, we always did basic construction work ourselves (plumbing, electrical, framing). I loved learning how buildings come together and spent a lot of time rewiring light fixtures or fixing broken fans. It wouldn’t surprise you that This Old House was my favorite TV show as far back as I can remember. When I was 12, the show did a project in downtown Savannah. My mother and I skipped school one day and stood out on the sidewalk in front of the house. The team working inside quickly took notice and I was able to meet Norm Abram, Steve Thomas, and most of the team. They couldn’t believe there was a young fan waiting outside and they could not have been more welcoming.
EIL: Do you have a constant source of inspiration as your muse or is that something that varies from project to project?
SS: My muse is ever changing; each project has its own. It could be a detail from another building, a piece of furniture or sculpture, etc. For example, I am designing a space around an antique amethyst glass bell jar lantern. On other projects, I have designed spaces around a specific door hardware detail, or a small cast lead ornament that decorates a leaded glass fanlight. Inspiration can come from almost anywhere, and often I find it in the smallest of details.
EIL: Are there any mentors or other architects and creatives who you would credit with inspiring your work?
SS: Norman Askins was my first boss after I graduated from Georgia Tech. He made a huge impact on me in the short time I worked for him between my undergraduate and leaving for graduate school at Notre Dame. I already loved reference books, but Norman would recommend specific volumes that were particularly influential on him. I believe I spent most of my income seeking out and purchasing these (often out of print) books. This was the time when I became very serious about building my reference library, which is still expanding to this day.
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Pieter Estersohn
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I am also particularly inspired by the craftspeople we are blessed to work with. Giving a craftsperson the right project to showcase their skill set is incredibly inspirational and gratifying. We are lucky to work with amazing millworkers, carvers, sculptors, plaster vendors, textile experts and others. We love doing everything we can to keep historic crafts and techniques alive and thriving.
EIL: Why do you consider historic preservation important?
SS: We use traditional design details so frequently in our work, that we naturally become protectors and stewards of historic houses and decorative arts. They are constant resources for us, so it is a part of our job to simultaneously care for these buildings and objects. And, of course, in doing so, the next generation can use them and learn from them. I am a passionate collector of antiques, which is a constant source of inspiration for my architectural designs. There is so much we can learn from history, such as who the craftspeople responsible for the work might be, historic building techniques, and how people lived. These lessons often inform us of how we should build going forward. It is critical that we preserve our past.
Peter Estersohn
EIL: When a client tells you their inspiration or vision for a space, how does that guide you?
SS: I love when a client or interior designer suggests a design direction that I may not have considered. This may come in the form of a reference image, a piece of furniture or artwork. And that inspiration oftentimes becomes an opportunity to research a new topic. Collaboration with a design team (interior designer and landscape architect), along with a client is one of my favorite parts of the job, because it is an opportunity to create outcomes of the highest quality.
This bathroom, and the cerused oak millwork was inspired by the work of Frances Elkins and David Adler (a brother and sister interior design and architecture duo). They produced insanely beautiful designs often using materials that were unique for the time. The client fell in love with the calacatta turquoise marble used throughout their bathroom suite, and the cerused oak looks stunning with it. The polished nickel medicine cabinet, that doubles as a tripartite mirror, is based on a detail from Marjorie Merriweather Post’s bathroom at one of her homes (something I saw on one of my many visits to historic houses). This is just a taste of how various sources of inspiration come together in a design.
Peter Estersohn
EIL: What was your inspiration for the White House Tennis Pavilion?
SS: The Tennis Pavilion was inspired by the White House itself. For me, it was extremely important to design a structure that would fit seamlessly into the grounds and look as if it had always been there. That being said, I took inspiration specifically from the East and West wings, and there is a nod to Thomas Jefferson and his design for the Garden Pavilions at Monticello. Working at the White House and Camp David was one of the most incredible experiences I could imagine.
Bruce White
It was particularly special to follow in the footsteps of another Georgia native, architect Edward Vason Jones, who did amazing work on the White House and State Department starting in the 1960s. The Tennis Pavilion has a few references to my home state and to my alma mater: the granite base of the building was quarried in Georgia, along with the marble used for flooring throughout the interior. In a nod to Notre Dame, all of the exterior limestone trim is from Indiana.
EIL: Are there major differences in architecture styles here in the South compared to your work in New England and other regions?
SS: There are regional dialects in traditional Architecture, and we love to use them all. Our projects currently stretch up the east coast into New England, and out to the Midwest. We tailor our designs to work with the local climate, along with embracing the design inspiration whether it be a stucco Spanish colonial, or a shingled New England colonial revival. I am currently working on a gambrel roof coastal cottage here on St. Simons Island. It draws inspiration from the architectural heritage of the coastal southeast, while also mixing in inspiration from some of my favorite houses in coastal New England.
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Peter Estersohn
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EIL: Where do you go when seeking inspiration?
SS: We try to go on a few study trips every year. This past January we spent ten days touring in Egypt, last fall we were in Yorkshire in the UK, and before that was Madrid. I was lucky to spend a year abroad studying in Paris during my undergraduate at Georgia Tech, and a semester in Rome during my graduate studies at Notre Dame. Travel is always inspirational. Seeing design and construction techniques from different regions never fails to spark new ideas. In an average week, I visit house museums as often as possible and spend time poring over books in my research in my library.
Pieter Estersohn
EIL: What music inspires you?
SS: I have eclectic taste in music and listen to everything from a Saint-Saëns Prelude and Fugue to Salt-N-Pepa Push It. I do have a special affinity for pipe organ music, and the mechanics of the instruments themselves.
EIL: Do you have a favorite recent project or anything exciting in the works?
SS: We are just finishing a project with the interior designer Bunny Williams in Manhattan. The client loves traditional architecture and wanted to transform a contemporary apartment into a Georgian interior. It turned out spectacularly well, and I can’t wait to have it photographed!
I am also extremely excited about our St Simons project. It is something very special and I can’t wait to show you how it turns out once construction is complete!
EIL: We’ll be eagerly waiting. No doubt it will be both inspired and inspiring!
STEVEN W SPANDLE ARCHITECT
O 212.301.7787 / M 912.618.9420
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