On Friday, November 4, 2016, the Society of Architectural Historians will host a study day in San Diego and La Jolla, California, exploring the work of Louis I. Kahn. The day will begin at The San Diego Museum of Art with a special, in-depth preview of the exhibition Louis Kahn: The Power of Architecture led by Jochen Eisenbrand, chief curator of the Vitra Design Museum and William Whitaker, curator of the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design. Taking advantage of a period when the gallery is closed to the public will allow close viewing and lively discussion of some of the more than 400 objects on view, works that range from Kahn’s early planning concepts and house designs to monumental works such as the Roosevelt Memorial in New York, posthumously completed in 2012.

After lunch, the group will reconvene at the architect’s pioneering Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Starting at the majestic court overlooking the Pacific, participants will be led on a comprehensive tour, including spaces rarely open to the public, by Tim Ball, senior director of facilities. Architectural conservators Sara Lardinois from the Getty Conservation Institute together with Kyle Normandin and Ann Harrer of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates will be on hand to discuss Kahn’s designs for the teak window walls, which are currently undergoing conservation. We will end the afternoon with light refreshments and a terrific view of Kahn’s “blue mosaics.”

Participants are invited to return for an evening at The San Diego Museum of Art for their “Friends Lecture” and opening reception. Sue Ann Kahn, Alexandra Tyng, and Nathaniel Kahn will regale the audience with colorful stories about their father and his art.