Kostis Kourelis on the Forgotten Architects of the Corinth Excavations
Director Jim Wright, guest lecturer Kostis Kourelis, and archivist Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan under “Santorini” by Georg von Peschke, one of Corinth’s architects
On March 11th, Professor Kostis Kourelis of Franklin and Marshall College delivered a fascinating lecture about architects who worked for the Corinth excavations from 1903 to 1933. Coming to the American School of Classical Studies as Fellows in Architecture for one or two years, these young professionals mapped out ancient Corinth at a time when the School did not have the means or a long-term plan to hire a full-time architect. A few of them changed direction and dedicated themselves to the study of ancient architecture (men such as Gorham P. Stevens, William Bell Dinsmoor, and Richard Stillwell). Most of them, however, returned to America, joined architectural firms, and had successful careers (men such as Julian Whittlesey and Leicester Holland), occasionally featuring elements from Corinth's monuments in their modern building plans. Although many of them do not even appear in Louis Lord's History of the American School (and are truly forgotten!), their contribution was substantial and facilitated the work of archaeologists who worked at Corinth and their understanding of the site. Thanks to Kostis Kourelis, the School was able to remember its forgotten architects this past Tuesday evening, and we look forward to reading the printed version of his lecture soon.