100 Years of New York School of Interior Design: 1916–2016

1916 2016

Table of Contents 01

Letter from the President

02

Founding of the School

THE HOME-STUDY COURSE

SPOTLIGHT ON: SHERRILL WHITON

08 An Emerging Field, a Growing School 12

Women and Interior Design

16 Curriculum Growth SPOTLIGHT ON: INEZ CROOM

22

Building a Design Community

26

The Democratization and Expansion of Interior Design

30

From Decorating to Design

SPOTLIGHT ON: SHEILA CHAPLINE

36

A New Leadership, a Continued Legacy

40 A Constructive Period DESIGNING A DESIGN SCHOOL NYSID’S LOCATIONS THROUGH THE YEARS

50 The College and the Design Industry Today 54 Notable Faculty from NYSID’s Past 58 NYSID’s Trustees and Honorees 60

With Gratitude cover top: NYSID students in the studio, ca. 1930 cover bottom: NYSID students in the Mario Buatta Materials Atelier, 2015

One hundred years is not really a long time in the scope of history.

But incredible strides have been made over the last century in the profession of interior design and the education offered at the New York School of Interior Design. When our founder Sherrill Whiton started offering classes on interiors out of his architecture firm’s offices, he was filling a void—the need for expertly trained designers of interior environments. I think he would be amazed and pleased at what the school and the profession have become.

Although our beginning was rather humble, our great institution has blossomed into an admired nonprofit, accredited college offering certificate, undergraduate, and graduate programs that cover the full breadth of the field—from residential design to healthcare interiors to sustainability. We are extremely proud of our rich history and the role we have played, and continue to play, in advancing the discipline of interior design.

Although much has changed over the past century, NYSID continues to be guided by a practical, interdisciplinary, humanist ethos and is dedicated to educating students at all stages of their careers. I hope you enjoy this celebration of our first 100 years.

Our history keeps us firmly rooted, even as we move vigorously forward into the next century.

David Sprouls PRESIDENT

2

The Founding of the School

In 1916, architect Sherrill Whiton developed a correspondence course to train students in the emerging field of interior design.

An instructor of design at Columbia University’s School of Architecture, his alma mater, Whiton had recently launched his own Manhattan practice specializing in residential and decorative work. At the time, only a handful of art schools taught interior decoration, and there was no institution devoted solely to the field. So Whiton teamed with John J. Klaber, a graduate of Cornell University’s architecture school, and Louis Bouché to launch a program teaching aspiring designers the basics of color harmony, furniture arrangement, and period styles.

The program, which cost $45 and encompassed 11 instructional booklets, was marketed as a Home Study Course in the Decorative Arts.

Although students were required to finish the course in four years (most completed it much sooner), they worked on their own time, mailing their assignments to Whiton’s office for critique and correction. In an appropriate nod to the cyclical aspect of history, this program has its modern-day corollary in NYSID’s popular Online Learning curriculum.

A strong interest in and demand for on-site lectures and studio classes to supplement the booklets inspired Whiton to begin teaching in his office—at 101 Park Avenue, then known as the Architects’ Building. The New York School of Interior Decoration, as it was called (the name was trademarked in 1917), was thus established as one of the country’s first interior design schools.

The school briefly closed its doors during World War I, but by 1924 Whiton had relocated to larger premises at 441 Madison Avenue.

He expanded the course of study to include lectures in the afternoon and evening; tuition ranged from $35 to $80 per course. The program appealed to aspiring designers from across the country; a ledger from this era lists home-study students in California, Maryland, Rhode Island, Texas, Wisconsin, and elsewhere.

From its inception, NYSID has been distinguished by a highly professional and interdisciplinary approach, a philosophy reflected in the faculty roster. Practicing designers, artists, historians, journalists, and other industry members comprised the inaugural lineup of instructors, as they do today. All teachers were experts in their respective specialties, among them decorator and writer Agnes Foster Wright, author of Interior Decoration for Modern Needs, and sculptor Paul W. Bartlett, who created the pediment on the House wing of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and other public monuments.

A major selling point of NYSID’s promotional efforts was its Practical Training Course, which provided hands-on immersion in the discipline, and giving students access to such leading authorities as Paul T. Frankl, Nancy McClelland, Verna Cook Salomonsky, and Samuel Yellin.

right: Sherrill Whiton, founder and director of the school from 1916–1961. left: Cover page of the first Course Catalog for 1916–1917.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | THE FOUNDING OF THE SCHOOL

THE HOME-STUDY COURSE The original booklets that were the school’s home-study curriculum included topical essays, illustrations, textile samples, and assignments. These materials marked the first such effort to codify the nascent profession’s core knowledge and set professional standards. There were also elements of it used as the basis for Whiton’s seminal textbook, Interior Design and Decoration, first published in 1937. Their subjects reflect what was considered vital to creating a complete cohesive interior— whether for one’s own home or for a client. n

Theory of Decoration Color Harmony n Decorative Textiles n Tapestries, Rugs, and Carpets n Floor & Wall Treatments, Woodwork, Paints, Etc. n Furniture Arrangement n Period Styles—Pre-Renaissance & Oriental n Period Styles—French & Italian n Period Styles—English & American n Lighting Fixtures, Curtains & Hangings n Mantels & Pictures n

“ An institution heralded by men of such high character and attainment, with so practical and valuable a course of instruction, offers the individual a real opportunity and attributes to the cultural development of the nation.”

— HARTLEY DAVIS WRITING ABOUT NYSID IN ARTS AND DECORATION IN THE EARLY 1920s

Whiton’s approach in the early 20th century was prescient, as these subjects are still taught today, albeit in an updated form relevant to the 21st century and alongside such topics as sustainability, environmental and behavioral research, construction documents, and building codes.

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left: Sherrill Whiton pictured with journalist Heywood Broun, ca. 1930. right: Sherrill Whiton’s student work from the École des Beaux-Arts, 1909. opposite: Cover of the 1st edition of Elements of Interior Decoration, written by Sherrill Whiton.

“ Sherrill Whiton was more than a teacher; he was a deep thinker, a true philosopher, a humanitarian. He inspired his students to find ways to communicate with clients, teaching us the importance of truly understanding their style and preferences—instead of pushing our own taste.”

— JEANNIE BEAL MARINI A 1957 GRADUATE WHOSE FATHER ATTENDED NYSID IN THE 1920s

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | THE FOUNDING OF THE SCHOOL

SPOTLIGHT ON

Sherrill Whiton School founder Augustus Sherrill Whiton led NYSID from its 1916 inception until his death from lymphoma in 1961 at age 74. His 45-year tenure was marked by steady growth of both the school and the field itself. He was by all accounts a dynamic, hands-on director, involved in all aspects of the enterprise: advertising, finances, corresponding with students, and writing the homestudy booklets. The courses he taught in historical styles were adored by students and colleagues.

After returning to the U.S. permanently in 1914, he received a number of commissions for residential work and decorating projects. His talent was well regarded; he served as the New York liaison for the Paris firm Carlhian and Co., assisting with the design of the Boucher and Fragonard rooms at the Frick mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York.

Whiton was born in New York City in 1887 to Louis Claude Whiton, a lawyer, and Harriet Bell. He had an illustrious pedigree: he was a 10thgeneration descendant of Thomas Whiton, who arrived in America in 1635. Sherrill studied architecture at Columbia University and won a prestigious scholarship to continue his studies at the École des BeauxArts in Paris. Although his education was halted by the advent of World War I, he spent time traveling around Europe—a formative experience that further broadened his knowledge of art and architectural history.

The Bouché family was a creative influence in Whiton’s life. Claire, a musician and tastemaker, was the daughter of Henri Louis Bouché, a jewelry designer who also executed interiors for noted architect Stanford White. Also instrumental in the school’s early years was Whiton’s brother-in-law, Louis Bouché, a renowned painter and muralist (four of his canvases are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art), whose work often extended to décor.

When the school was founded, Whiton assigned Bouché the role of associate director—a position he held until 1961. His reputation drew many students to the school, where he lectured on modern art, among other topics.

It was while living in Paris that he met his future wife, Claire Henriette Bouché; they married in New York in 1910. For one of their cross-Atlantic sailings the Whitons had booked passage on the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic in 1912. In a stroke of luck, they canceled their reservation when Claire became ill with the flu.

Paul Whiton, one of Sherrill’s grandchildren, describes a family steeped in the arts. “Growing up as we did, it was hard to think there was anything in life more important than art, or than to have something to say artistically.” But, he adds, “Gus was also known for being a very shrewd businessman.”

In its first few decades, the school’s identity was linked with the largerthan-life persona of its founder. He championed the emerging discipline of interior design and the importance of an academic grounding to a broad audience, lecturing extensively to adult education classes, women’s clubs, industrial and manufacturing organizations, and department stores, even participating in radio talks and penning magazine articles on the subject.

An authority on period styles, he wrote two design textbooks, evidence of his strong interest in education: The American Renaissance: A Manual for Teachers (1925), coauthored with painter Theodore Milton Dillaway, and Elements of Interior Decoration (1937), long considered the authoritative guide to the subject and the foundational reference for interior design programs across the U.S. Whiton believed that handrendering skills and a knowledge of art and design history provided an important foundation to becoming a practitioner, a philosophy that guides the school to this day.

The class of 1923. Sherrill Whiton pictured in back row, far right.

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An Emerging Field, A Growing School

The perception of interior design had begun to shift at the beginning of the 20th century. Once considered a leisure activity, it was increasingly viewed as a legitimate occupation and subject of study. In 1904, Elsie de Wolfe, generally considered the first professional interior designer in America, founded her New York firm and quickly rose to prominence thanks to her design of the exclusive Colony Club in Manhattan. In myriad high-profile decorating projects, she broke with the prevailing Victorian style of the time, ushering in a new approach

left: The dining room in Elsie de Wolfe’s residence on East 17th St. before it was remodeled, 1896.

Photo: Byron Company (New York, N.Y.)/Museum of the City of New York.

93.1.1.18272 right: The dining room in Elsie de Wolfe’s residence after it was remodeled, 1898.

Photo: Byron Company (New York, N.Y.)/Museum of the City of New York.93.1.1.18273 BEFORE

to décor that was less stuffy, more eclectic, and more personal.

Interior design was also beginning to be recognized as a practice connected to yet distinct from architecture—and one that required education and formal training, not simply an innate sense of taste.

By identifying and codifying this body of knowledge, Whiton and his institution capitalized on the industry’s newfound autonomy while simultaneously building the school’s reputation. He was one of the seminal design practitioners of

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | AN EMERGING FIELD, A GROWING SCHOOL

the early 1900s and helped elevate the discipline’s occupational status, advocating for professional standards.

Publications of the time reflected a nuanced understanding of the field.

Magazines devoted to home décor and the domestic arts had started to appear as early as the 1890s, documenting stately residences and proffering design advice for homemakers; architectural journals also expanded their coverage to include interiors. In its early years, NYSID was closely linked to many such publications. Inaugural faculty

member Richardson Wright was the editor in chief of House & Garden, and Verna Cook Salomonsky, Lucy D. Taylor, and Agnes Foster Wright were contributors to The House Beautiful magazine. Whiton himself wrote many magazine and newspaper articles, on topics such as “Colorway Is Termed Key for Decorations” (The New York Tribune, May 15, 1930).

Elsie de Wolfe

AFTER

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | AN EMERGING FIELD, A GROWING SCHOOL

NYSID class photo ca. 1920s.

Sherrill Whiton and Louis Bouché pictured in the back row (third and fourth from right).

NYSID was one of the first schools of interior design to advertise in House Beautiful (in 1921), and it has had the longest-running presence, via advertisements, in the magazine.

In so doing, the school tapped into a dedicated readership interested in self-education. Manufacturers, independent authors, and schools were all in the business of selling home improvement and home decoration expertise, and many readers turned to advertisements for advice, as well as information about potential careers to pursue.

NYSID ads from the 1920s and ’30s reveal how the discipline was marketed and how the school positioned itself. Placed in both design magazines and generalinterest publications like Time and The Evening Post, they touted the benefits of “making your home beautiful or preparing for an agreeable and lucrative profession,” noting that this kind of knowledge is helpful “for either professional or cultural use.”

A page from Masterpiece of American Furniture

by Verna Cook Salomonsky.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | WOMEN AND INTERIOR DESIGN

Women and Interior Design

The wording and emphasis of advertisements evolved over the early decades of the 20th century, increasingly framing interior design as a fruitful career and a service industry, versus something to learn simply for the benefit of improving one’s own living environment. In the 1930s and ’40s, as World War II loomed, the tone shifted again, putting an emphasis on budgeting and economics.

Interior design was also promoted as an especially desirable career path for women, to whom few fields had been welcoming in the early 1900s. Home design was considered a vocation that aligned with traditional gender roles. Moreover, as the century progressed, women— considered to be the primary decision-makers about home-related matters—gained an increasing degree of agency and ownership in the domestic sphere. Acknowledging this, the school offered discounted classes in conjunction with such organizations as the National Executive Housekeepers Association.

Women were well represented on the school’s faculty, including some who were prominent in the cause of advancing professional standards.

Nancy McClelland, the first female president of the American Institute of Decorators (AID), the precursor to the American Society of Interior Lucy D. Taylor

Designers, was associated with the school for almost three decades, from 1927 to 1955. In 1912 she founded the nation’s first in-house decorating service, Au Quartième, at the John Wanamaker department store and her own firm nine years later. An authority on historic wallpapers, she wrote a number of books on the subject. In addition to these accomplishments, McClelland used her platform to urge designers to pursue a formal education, about which she wrote fervently in contributions she made to An Outline of Careers for Women: A Practical Guide.

Also teaching at NYSID was Verna Cook Salomonsky, perhaps the most prominent and prolific American female architect in the 1920s and ’30s; her portfolio encompassed hundreds of suburban homes as well as the design of accessories. She authored and illustrated reference books on period furniture design, many of which are still in print today, and contributed drawings for books by another faculty member, Lucy Taylor—herself an industry notable. A contributing editor to House Beautiful, House & Garden, and Art & Decoration and a former pupil of famed color theorist Albert Munsell, Taylor lectured on topics such as room composition and color.

Verna Cook Salomonsky

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“ Decoration as a fine art is rapidly taking its place among us, and it is just such rooms as these that give us happy conviction of its present place as well as of its future.”

— LUCY D. TAYLOR NYSID INSTRUCTOR, IN HOUSE BEAUTIFUL (“A CITY APARTMENT: THAT SKILL AND IMAGINATION HAVE MADE BEAUTIFUL”)

top: Dining room designed by Nancy McClelland in the house of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Johnson, Worton, Maryland, ca. 1940s. bottom: Cover of House Beautiful magazine, May 1923. opposite: NYSID students analyzing a window treatment, ca. 1944.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | WOMEN AND INTERIOR DESIGN

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Curriculum Growth

The 1920s was a time of continued growth for the school, particularly in the area of its curriculum. The school catalog listed two modes of study: a four-month Practical Training program, for which students received a certificate, and a two-year Design program, which culminated in a Design Diploma. In 1924, NYSID was incorporated as a nonprofit organization and became one of the first interior design schools to receive a provisional charter from the New York State Board of Regents. This endorsement of academic credibility came at a pivotal time, coinciding with a national higher-education push and the design profession’s own calls for more rigorous academic standards.

The school’s move to a larger facility at 441 Madison Avenue that same year enabled the addition of lecture series on topics such as Fabrics: Their Proper Selection and Use in the Home, Their Qualities, Durability, Etc.

top: The original 1924 charter from the University of the State of New York Board of Regents.

BOTTOM: Summer travel abroad students in Paris, ca. 1930.

From its early days, the school held the view that studying only begins in the classroom and should extend to observations of the world at large. Students frequently attended field trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other destinations. Travel and exposure to the built environment of other cultures was (and still is) considered a key component of a designer’s development and fundamental to a NYSID education.

The school hosted many trips overseas—including a European excursion chaperoned by Whiton himself in 1924. This tradition continues in NYSID’s extensive Study Abroad program, offering students firsthand exposure to everything from Viennese Secessionist design to modernist homes in Palm Springs, California, to Renaissance life in Florence.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | CURRICULUM GROWTH

Voluptaque nihitem faciam quam, et, con consequodis et quo exces magnati nvendiorum necepudi sunduciis eicienet.

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SPOTLIGHT ON

Inez Croom

A prominent mid-century designer, Inez Croom served on the NYSID faculty for almost five decades— from 1934 to 1979—lecturing on wallpaper, room composition, sources of supply, and decorating procedures. She was also a member of the school’s Advisory Committee. After graduating from NYSID in 1924, the Virginia native worked in the studios of Rose Cumming and Nancy McClelland, later founding her own design firm. Active in the profession, she was a member of the American Institute of Interior Design and The Decorators Club.

In 1941, Croom purchased a small wallpaper-production business and rebranded it under her own name. Most of the hand-screened papers the firm produced were of her own conception, although she also bought patterns by other designers. She had a broadreaching graphic sensibility, often modernizing classic motifs, including botanicals, trellis prints, and architectural iconography; a 1948 article in The New York Times notes that her 30-inch-wide wallpapers sold for $2 a yard.

Her designs are still produced today, carried at showrooms

including those of Nancy Corzine and Jasper. In 2016, in celebration of its centennial, NYSID worked with Waterhouse Wallhangings to reissue six of Croom’s iconic patterns, which were recolored by a team of NYSID students under the direction of textiles instructor Adrienne Concra.

After Croom’s death in 1980 at the age of 87, the school established a memorial scholarship in her name, awarded annually to an outstanding student pursuing the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | CURRICULUM GROWTH

In 1937, the school moved once again, to larger headquarters on 53rd Street and Madison Avenue.

That same year, a markedly thicker Home Study course catalog revealed a curriculum broadened beyond the decorative arts to encompass professional methodology—offering such courses as Color Theory, Advanced Interior Architecture and Industrial Design, Economics of Decorating, and Furniture Construction and Finishes. A press release declared that instructors were “recruited from [all] branches of the trade.”

Noted industrial designer Donald Deskey, wallpaper manufacturer Inez Croom, and Art Deco furniture designer Paul Frankl were among the lecturers. The school even began offering music appreciation as well as training in the “new vocation” of package design—early evidence of NYSID’s multidisciplinary approach.

These developments reflect the broadening cultural interest in the growing field of interior design and the increasing career opportunities it offered. NYSID administration and faculty proved to be a resource not only for students but also for the design community at large; industry members often approached the school in search of employees, professional advice, and other needs.

opposite: NYSID students recoloring Inez Croom wallpapers, 2016.

Photograph courtesy Courtney Armele. top: Cover of the 1937 Course Catalog.

The class of 1938. NYSID founder Sherrill Whiton pictured far left and Louis BouchĂŠ, associate director and faculty member from 1916-1961, pictured far right.

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Building A Design Community

As the design field grew it started coalescing into a professional community; a number of important organizations took root in the first half of the century. The Decorators Club, an association of women interior designers and related practitioners, was founded in 1914 to encourage education standards and foster ethical conduct, professional practice, and a spirit of friendship and support among colleagues and competitors. The club was the first such entity to hold public decorating clinics, display model rooms, and develop standardized business contracts.

Throughout the years, many NYSID faculty members have served as the club’s president, including interior designers Eleanor Pepper (1976–1977) and Martha Ludlum (1985–1987).

The first national professional association with individual city chapters was established in 1931: the American Institute of Decorators (renamed the American Institute of Interior Designers in 1936). Among its charter members was NYSID instructor Inez Croom. The National Society of Interior Designers was launched in 1957 as a spin-off of AID’s New York chapter; longtime NYSID faculty member Michael Greer was a founding member, and served as president in 1958 and 1959. In 1975, the memberships of AID and NSID were merged into a single entity, the American Society of Interior Designers.

Early on, the school embarked on its own efforts to foster a more tightly knit community and a more connected student body. One such initiative was the annual student exhibition, inaugurated in 1938 by longtime dean Gilbert Werlé.

The show helped nurture a culture of collegiality and critique that the school continues to pride itself on. Today, student exhibitions are mounted in the NYSID Gallery on 69th Street and at the Graduate Center.

Werlé, a 1920s graduate of NYSID’s Diploma program, made another important contribution to the school: a skilled illustrator, he executed all the line drawings for Sherrill Whiton’s textbook Elements of Interior Decoration. First published

by Lippincott in 1937, the book codified the discipline’s body of knowledge and made it accessible to a broad audience. Now in its sixth edition, it is published under the title Interior Design & Decoration and edited by architect and author Stanley Abercrombie. opposite: Students from the class of 1949.

Gilbert Werlé, assistant to Sherrill Whiton and dean (1931–1972) and co-director (1972–1973), pictured front row, center.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | BUILDING A DESIGN COMMUNITY

background: Gilbert Werlé’s line drawings, which illustrated the first several editions of Whiton’s Elements of Interior Decoration.

“ Art has become an unavoidable and essential ingredient in the life of every person. In planning the smallest to largest objects made for human use, design and beauty are playing a more important part than they have for more than a century.”

— NYSID FOUNDER SHERRILL WHITON ELEMENTS OF INTERIOR DECORATION, 1937

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The Democratization and Expansion of Interior Design

Fairmont Hotel lobby designed by Dorothy Draper. Image courtesy of Dorothy Draper & Company Inc. All rights reserved. opposite: A selection of flyers advertising special courses that were offered at various department stores.

As the field of interior design became more established, it became more multifaceted. Although in its earliest days the discipline was closely linked with home décor, its origins— and NYSID’s—are rooted in both residential and commercial design.

Women figure prominently in the history of commercial design.

Elsie de Wolfe was the first decorator to be retained for a commercial commission—the Colony Club—in 1905. The first documented commercial interior decorator was Dorothy Draper, who established her New York firm in 1923.

Whiton’s own professional background straddled the divide between residential and commercial design. While he specialized in country houses, his diverse portfolio included film sets, the public spaces of an ocean liner, and dwellings for munitions plant workers during wartime.

As the century progressed, interior design was increasingly understood to be an area of expertise that could have a strong and positive impact on human welfare. This led to the eventual incorporation of scientific research related to wellness and sustainability matters and environment-behavior studies.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | THE DEMOCRATIZATION AND EXPANSION OF INTERIOR DESIGN

It was in the post-World War II era that commercial design as we think of it today really took root.

Industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss’s research for and design of the first commercial airplane interior in the 1950s led to the standardization of furniture dimensions for all interiors. The design and layout of the contemporary workplace began reflecting the thinking of efficiency experts.

Design was also becoming increasingly democratic, catering to an ever-broader audience.

Public lectures at department and furniture stores were a popular— and populist—education outlet. In the 1930s, the school collaborated with department stores Abraham & Straus and Jordan Marsh as well as

Kresge’s furniture showroom on a series of design talks spearheaded

by NYSID alumna Florence Terhune.

Another popular avenue for the public to gain access to interiors experts was through the in-house decorating departments of stores like upscale retailer Lord & Taylor.

There, patrons could purchase household items and get advice about furniture arrangements, color schemes, and how to mix period styles. NYSID had a symbiotic relationship with retailers W.&J. Sloane, McCreary, and B. Altman & Co—stores where NYSID graduates often found work. At the same time, the stores encouraged talented employees to enroll at NYSID to deepen their design knowledge and improve their merchandising

skills. When Sachs opened a new Manhattan furniture store in 1931, it enlisted NYSID students to design its model rooms.

NYSID alumna Susanne Earls Carr, an interior designer who worked in the offices of Dorothy Draper and Parish-Hadley, began her career in the decorating department of B. Altman & Co. At the time the department was run by Charles Haight, president of the American Institute of Decorators. Carr notes that the projects she worked on were quite broad and of a high caliber: “We designed residences and clubs, including a number of high-profile commissions—the Eisenhower White House among them,” she says.

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top & bottom: Student work, ca. 1950s. opposite: Susanne Earls Carr student work, 1950.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | THE DEMOCRATIZATION AND EXPANSION OF INTERIOR DESIGN

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Students at work ca. 1940s.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | FROM DECORATING TO DESIGN

From Decorating to Design

In the 1940s and ’50s the field of design was distinguished by major shifts in mind-set and professional methodology brought on by wartime. Belt-tightening, budgetconsciousness, and rationing led to an interest—from homemakers, clients, and practitioners alike—in spatial efficiency, material economy, and decorative restraint. Those terms became the guiding force for designers in these decades.

To support the war effort, NYSID added a few topical courses to its curriculum. Catalogs from the 1940s list Mechanical Drafting for War Industries, a course conceived “to train students for drafting and design work in the machine, arms, and other essential war production organizations.” The school also offered the Bell Technical Training Course, which taught mechanical and technical drafting skills both to defense industry aspirants and those looking ahead to the postwar economy.

Practicality and space-consciousness were subjects of instruction and a commendable feature of interiors during this time. A 1948 clipping from The New York Sun commended NYSID students’ use of open floor plans and dollar-stretching. Although a grounding in period style and decorative arts history remained integral to the school’s curriculum, student work reflected a fervent embrace of modernism.

Projects of the mid-century years reveal a stripped-down sensibility and adoption of the postwar ethos of future-thinking, material innovation, and new manufacturing methods.

Interiors of the time were also becoming much less formal.

Speaking to The Kane Republican in 1952, faculty member Inez Croom discussed the vogue for casual living and the rise of the empowered consumer.

In 1951, NYSID was officially renamed the New York School of Interior Design. This change reflected the ongoing evolution of the curriculum and the everbroadening definition of the discipline. Many other organizations and publications also shed the “decorating” label during this decade: Interior Decorator Magazine was reborn as Interiors in 1940, and Interior Design and Decoration was truncated to Interior Design in 1950.

The broad adoption of “interior designer” was to some extent a way for trained, educated professionals to separate themselves from those lacking a formal preparation or background.

A decade later, one prominent figure did much to change how the role of interior designers was perceived.

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, moving into the White House in 1961, spearheaded an ambitious, multipronged initiative to redesign, revivify, and restore the interior of the mansion, establishing the White House Historical Association in the process. She retained interior decorator and socialite Sister Parish and the French firm Jansen to support her efforts to celebrate American design heritage and craftsmanship. Kennedy’s muchlauded redesign, intermingling period antiques with fine art in a spare and unstuffy manner, did much to put interior design into the national consciousness.

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SPOTLIGHT ON

Sheila Chapline After attaining a certificate from the New York School of Interior Design in 1940, Sheila Burrows Chapline went on to become a devoted administrator and longtime member of the NYSID faculty. She served the school under five presidents and for more than 45 years, most notably in the capacity of registrar. Those who worked with Chapline describe her as a sort of connective tissue—a figure whose contributions and reach far surpassed the parameters of her job description.

Chapline taught several courses (including Room Composition, Color, and Business Practice and Procedure) and cowrote the color theory chapter for the fourth edition of Sherrill Whitton’s textbook, Interior Design and Decoration. She was also a career counselor, events planner, and NYSID’s de facto historian/archivist, chronicling a history of the school for its 90th anniversary.

After she retired in 1992, NYSID initiated a scholarship fund in her name. She passed away in 2014, at age 95.

top: NYSID faculty and administration ca. 1955.

Pictured left to right: Alexander Breckenridge (far left), Sheila Chapline, and Gilbert Werlé (far right). opposite top: Alumni sign-in sheet for Inside newsletter’s alumni news page, ca. 1955. opposite bottom left: Life drawing class, ca. 1940s. opposite bottom right: A flyer for the “Bell Technical Training Course,” a special course developed during WWII that taught mechanical and technical drafting for the war industries.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | FROM DECORATING TO DESIGN

155 East 55th street, ca. 1962. NYSID’s campus from 1962-1994. The space was designed by William Breger, architect, designer, and longtime NYSID faculty member.

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A New Leadership, A Continued Legacy

The school’s first four decades had been marked by a continuity of leadership and purpose, with one president, Sherrill Whiton, at its helm. Even when he died, in 1961, his legacy was carried on by his son, Sherrill Whiton, Jr. Known to all as Pete, Whiton, Jr. had lectured on the history of decorative arts at NYSID since the 1950s, and was also an accomplished musician and composer, playing the piano and writing operas. Perhaps as a result of his nontraditional background, he viewed and promoted interior design as a holistic extension of other art forms. “He was interested in décor, but always saw design in a context, as a humanist activity—an intertwining of the practical and the philosophical,” says longtime NYSID faculty member Robert Harding.

As director, Whiton, Jr. also continued the family tradition of collegiality, professionalism, and high standards. In 1962, he moved the school to 155 East 56th Street, its base for the next three decades.

Architect and faculty member William Breger designed the facilities in a style that exemplified the school’s ethos. As described in a 1962 Interiors magazine article: “Its compact plan and incisive, cliché-free good looks, achieved within strict budget and durability requirements, make it a model case in point of what the [NYSID] course of study is all about.”

Whiton, Jr. bolstered the curriculum, expanding the Diploma program from two years to three in 1966. He also began revisions to the fourth edition of Interior Design and Decoration.

The Alumni Association and Inside newsletter were also established during his presidency, during which Sherrill Whiton, Jr. (“Pete”)

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | A NEW LEADERSHIP, A CONTINUED LEGACY

Students in the studio, ca. 1965.

Arthur King Satz

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time NYSID celebrated its 50th anniversary. (Among the birthday festivities: an alumni exhibition featuring works by the likes of Inez Croom and interior designer Michael Greer, who had contributed to the White House Diplomatic Reception Room during the Eisenhower administration.)

Whiton, Jr. died suddenly in 1972.

Arthur King Satz, who had served the school in administrative, lecturing, and trustee capacities, was appointed Whiton, Jr.’s successor. Satz held the position for almost two decades. It marked the first time the school had been led by someone other than a member of the Whiton family.

top: First issue of Inside, NYSID’s newsletter, published in fall 1962. opposite top: Giuseppe Zambonini, dean (1973-1977), with student, ca. 1975. opposite bottom left: Longtime instructor Robert Harding with student, 1979. opposite bottom right: Graduation 1980. From left to right, Kerwin Kettler, dean; Rita St. Clair, commencement speaker, and Arthur Satz, president.

Satz’s tenure was distinguished by a greatly expanded curriculum, many additions to the faculty and administrative staff, a doubling of the institution’s physical space, and great changes in how NYSID administered its programs. NYSID was approved to offer the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1976 and, two years later, the Associate in Applied Science degree, thus transforming the school from a certificate- and diploma-granting institution to a full-fledged college. Both degrees were approved by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (today’s Council for Interior Design Education, or CIDA), the national accrediting agency for interior design programs, which itself had not long before (in 1970) been established to promote excellence and credibility in the profession.

Another seminal appointment in the early 1970s was Giuseppe Zambonini as dean. Although his time at NYSID was short-lived—he resigned after a few years to open up his own atelier—he left a deep impression and buttressed the school’s commitment to the fine arts. An architect and interior designer who had studied in Italy under architect Carlo Scarpa, Zambonini was active in stage design and sympathetic to original thinkers with nontraditional backgrounds, recruiting many such visionaries as instructors. “Giuseppe had an expansive idea of what an environment was—residential spaces, parks, schools, playgrounds, hospitals,” says longtime instructor Robert Harding. “He wanted students to get a solid foundation and the relevant tools, but he also encouraged them to think bigger.”

A strong push for professional licensing also gained momentum during the 1970s, an effort that continues to this day. (Alabama was the first state to pass licensing legislation, in 1982.) A key member of the negotiating team in passing the New York State Interior Design Certification law, and in pushing for more widespread state adoption of licensing, was Kerwin Kettler, who served as dean from 1978 through 1990. Kettler was also chairman of the ASID’s then-newly founded Policy Positions Committee, which issued a directive to take a broader view of the profession.

“The activity we call interior design has reached a crossroads, and it is our challenge to grasp its full meaning, its implications, and future direction,” Kettler wrote in the organization’s newsletter.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | A NEW LEADERSHIP, A CONTINUED LEGACY

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A Constructive Period

The 1990s marked a period of tremendous growth for NYSID and greater recognition of the College’s academic standing and international outreach. In the late ’80s, after leasing more square footage at the East 56th Street office building— where it had been located for decades—the school embarked on a hunt for a new location.

In 1990, under the aegis of president Paul Heyer, NYSID purchased the carriage house at 170 East 70th Street—the place it still calls home.

Two years later, College leadership seized the opportunity to buy a contiguous building facing 69th Street, with the intent to connect the two structures internally and have street-front presence on two blocks.

Heyer oversaw a partial renovation of the 70th Street building, which was operational for the fall 1994 semester.

Paul Heyer

Inge Heckel

Scott M. Ageloff

Heyer was the author of several books and maintained his own architecture and design office throughout his academic career.

Under his leadership, the school expanded liberal arts course offerings and refined general professional courses, and introduced a state-of-the-art computer lab where students had access to AutoCAD and other technology.

Inge Heckel, who had served on the Board of Trustees since 1991, was appointed president in 1996.

Prior to her time at NYSID, she was president of Bradford College and held senior administrative posts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Channel 13/WNET, and the Museum of Modern Art. She continued the momentum of expansion, retaining Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates to combine and renovate the 70th and 69th Street structures.

The new “campus” accommodated many more students and gave the College a more prominent public presence. Weekend classes and programming could now be offered, making its academic programs accessible to a whole new audience of professionals who could not attend during the workweek. It also had a positive impact on fundraising, donor support, and alumni involvement and outreach efforts.

Two annual giving programs were introduced in the 1990s: the Alumni Scholars Fund and the Design Industry Guild Scholarship Fund.

To further engage with mid-career practitioners, the school launched the Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design program in 1997. A 60-credit, full-time post-professional program focusing on advanced studio and research, it was conceived to meet the increasing demand for practitioners capable of grappling with the complex and growing interdependence among design disciplines. The College also received accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), a boost to its institutional prestige.

That same year, Scott M. Ageloff was appointed dean and, in 2007, senior vice president for academic affairs— positions he held until 2011. Before joining NYSID, Ageloff was chair of the arts division at Marymount College, and established his own firm in 1987, which he still maintains today. “He was instrumental in broadening the BFA and Associate’s degrees to better reflect the wider range of contemporary practice and to emphasize interior design as a profession,” says his successor, Dr. Ellen Fisher.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | A CONSTRUCTIVE PERIOD

NYSID’s location at 170 East 70th Street, 2007.

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DESIGNING A

Design School

Over the past century, NYSID has resided in a number of “homes.” Relocations created more classroom and studio space and enabled the school to add new types of facilities—exhibition areas, materials libraries, lighting labs—and accommodate changing technologies. Since 1994, NYSID has been headquartered on 70th Street, within the heart of the Upper East Side Historic District.

THE CURRENT BUILDING: 170 EAST 70TH STREET The four-story Beaux-Arts carriage house that forms the centerpiece of the school’s uptown Manhattan home was built in 1902 by architect C.P.H. Gilbert—one of three structures he contributed to the block. Built for tinplate magnate Daniel G. Reid, the structure was designed to accommodate 14 carriages and, on the second floor, where the library is now located, stables for 16 horses, accessed via a ramp; the main elevator is located in the former manure shaft. The third floor housed apartments for stable workers. (A fourth story was added later.)

In 1925, the property was converted into a private K-12 school, a function it served until NYSID purchased it in 1990. Two years later, the school acquired a contiguous building at 161 East 69th Street. Designed

by Frederick R. Loney in 1915 as a private garage, the four-story building had recently been reborn as offices and required a complete gut-renovation to suit the school’s purposes.

The school hired Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates to create a master plan and join the buildings.

The redesign dedicated the 70th Street building to academic purposes—studios, seminar rooms, a centralized CAD facility—while the 69th building held administrative offices and a ground-floor gallery.

The comprehensive renovation, which included the serendipitous discovery and restoration of the carriage house’s original quartersawn oak pocket doors, was completed in the fall of 1998.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | A CONSTRUCTIVE PERIOD

“ This Polaroid was shot when our builders, Yorke Construction, broke through the wall separating the two buildings. Everyone is smiling because it actually worked!”

— INGE HECKEL

opposite: The Mario Buatta Materials Atelier, 170 East 70th Street. top: Entrance to NYSID at 170 East 70th Street.

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1940 1937 1928 1925 1916

NYSID’s Locations Through the Years The school is founded. Sherrill Whiton’s architecture office, at 101 Park Avenue (at 41st Street), was a venue for limited classes. Photo: Wurts Bros. (New York, N.Y.)/ Museum of the City of New York. X2010.7.1.2357

Demand for a larger location to accommodate studio classes prompts the move to 441 Madison Avenue (at 50th Street).

The school moves six blocks north to 578 Madison Avenue (at 56th Street).

Yet another move on Madison Avenue to 515 Madison Avenue (at 53rd Street), securing enough space to house a large lecture hall and three studios.

Photo: Courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives

Rapid growth inspires the school to purchase an additional location, a townhouse at 119 East 54th Street.

Photo: Courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives

100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | A CONSTRUCTIVE PERIOD

NYSID leases a new space further uptown, taking over the second floor of 29 East 72nd Street.

The school settles at 155 East 56th Street, where it stayed for three decades. Architect and faculty member William Breger designs the space.

The school leases additional square footage at 155 East 56th Street, on the third floor. The expansion accommodates administrative offices and the newly established NYSID Gallery.

Students and faculty enjoy their first semester in the school’s current location at 170 East 70th Street, a turn-of-the-century former carriage house (purchased in 1990), with auditorium by interior designer and NYSID trustee Sarah Tomerlin Lee. NYSID completes annexing and renovation of 161 East 69th Street, purchased in 1992.

The College expands downtown with the opening of its Gensler-designed LEED-certified Graduate Center at 401 Park Avenue South (at 28th Street).

2010 1998 1994 1987 1962 1953

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THE NYSID GALLERY The gallery opened in 1987 as a forum for special exhibitions and lectures as well as a venue for the display of student work. Under the curatorship of David Garrard Lowe, early shows included “Stanford White’s New York” and “The Painted Surface,” an exhibition that focused on such painting techniques as trompe l’oeil, faux marble, faux bois, and stenciling.

The gallery’s physical plant changed over the years, from its small 56th Street quarters to its current 1,000-square-foot street-front location. In addition to biannual

exhibitions of student thesis projects, recent exhibitions have included renderings and paintings by illustrator Jeremiah Goodman; retrospectives on interior designer Angelo Donghia, textile designer Jack Lenor Larsen, and the design firm McMillen Inc.; and a survey of New York City’s landmarked interiors.

More recently, NYSID mounted an exhibition of alumni work to coincide with its centennial: residential and commercial interiors by some 30 practitioners, including Mariette Himes Gomez and David Scott.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | A CONSTRUCTIVE PERIOD

opposite: “Maggie’s Centres: A Blueprint for Cancer Care” exhibition, 2014. top: BFA Thesis Exhibit opening in the NYSID Gallery, 2016. bottom: Opening reception for “Rescued, Restored, Reimagined: New York’s Landmark Interiors” exhibit in NYSID Gallery, 2015.

Design history lecture in the Arthur King Satz Auditorium, 170 East 70 Street building.

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The College and the Design Industry Today

Moving into a new century, NYSID has been consistently ranked as one of the top five interior design schools in the U.S. and has continued to expand its curriculum and facilities. The College operates at a scale that its founders could hardly have imagined, providing both full- and part-time study, undergraduate and graduate programs, and professional-level and post-professional degrees.

The College is committed to providing students with the most robust education possible, covering the gamut from the study of residential interiors and healthcare design to decorative arts history and sustainable environments.

While maintaining its core focus on interior design education, NYSID has broadened its outreach to liberal arts students at both the graduate and undergraduate level. The threeyear Professional-Level Master of Fine Arts program was inaugurated in 2009, providing students who have an undergraduate degree in an unrelated field with the opportunity to attain the education necessary to become a licensed interior design practitioner. The following year, the College launched a Bachelor of Arts in the History of the Interior and the Decorative Arts—its first undergraduate liberal-arts degree dedicated to the study of the interior environment and the objects it contains.

opposite top: NYSID instructor Michael Buchanan with his class in the studio at the Graduate Center. opposite bottom: The lobby of NYSID’s Graduate Center.

In 2009, under the aegis of president Christopher J. Cyphers, the school embarked on another major expansion of its physical plant: the opening of the Graduate Center at 401 Park Avenue South. Designed by Gensler, the center’s interior received a LEED-CI Platinum designation; environmentally conscious details include a computerized lightharvesting system, LED track lighting and ceiling panels, sustainable rubber flooring, and low-VOC paint and adhesive. It has dedicated studio space, a model shop, seminar rooms, a lounge, a resource library, and computer labs.

This 40,000-square-foot center was conceived in response to the growth of the graduate programs and the corresponding increase in the student body. It was also in 2009 that the College launched the Institute for Continuing & Professional Studies (ICPS), offering dozens of courses, primarily geared to design professionals. Over the succeeding few years, NYSID unveiled three new graduatelevel post-professional Master of Professional Studies programs: Sustainable Interior Environments (2010), Interior Lighting Design (2011), and Healthcare Interior Design (2012). These programs reflect the state of the industry today: increasingly global and interdisciplinary in nature, with an emphasis on the health and wellbeing of people and the planet and a symbiotic relationship between residential and commercial design.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | THE COLLEGE AND THE DESIGN INDUSTRY TODAY

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | THE COLLEGE AND THE DESIGN INDUSTRY TODAY

CURRENT LEADERSHIP Today NYSID is spearheaded by an active and deeply experienced 19-person Board of Trustees—a group that includes interior designers, gallery owners, financial officers, furniture and antique dealers, and entrepreneurs—that has ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the College and provides for its overall leadership.

It is led by Dr. Patricia M. Sovern, who spent many years in higher education and publishing before being appointed chairman of the board in 2010. The College is also guided by a 35-personstrong Advisory Board made up of prominent designers, architects, and executives from related industries who offer invaluable counsel regarding design-field developments.

The boards work collaboratively with the president and senior administration. Current president David Sprouls was appointed to the post in 2012, after serving the College for many years in the capacities of vice president of enrollment management and director of admissions. Under his leadership, NYSID has introduced a number of initiatives—including an online learning division; increased outreach to alumni and fundraising efforts, with annual benefit dinners and well-attended industry events— and achieved new recognition for its academic strength.

In the summer of 2016, the College was awarded accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), a non-profit organization that evaluates and accredits colleges and universities within the Mid-Atlantic region, including New York. “This is an incredible milestone for NYSID and affirms what we have known

all along—that the institution offers a design education of the highest caliber,” says President Sprouls.

The College is also an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the BFA and MFA-1 programs are accredited by the Council for Interior Design Education (CIDA).

Instrumental in the MSCHE accreditation processes was Dr. Ellen Fisher, vice president for academic affairs and dean. She, too, has a long history with the College, joining the faculty in 1999 and, prior to her 2012 appointment, serving the school as Lower Division area coordinator, academic advisor, and associate vice president for academic affairs. Dr. Fisher, who holds a PhD in Architectural Studies/Human Environmental Sciences, was also a guiding force in the establishment of the Master of Professional Studies in Healthcare Interior Design.

One of the most important initiatives in recent years was the establishment of the Online Learning program. In 2013, the College began offering select online classes, and a year later a Basic Interior Design (BID Online) Certificate was launched. This oneyear, 10-course program provides the same rigorous education as its onsite equivalent BID, but with greater flexibility. In 2016, graduate-level healthcare and sustainability MPS programs were also offered online, allowing design professionals from around the world to take advantage of these specialized degree offerings.

NYSID plans to continue to grow the online classes and programs.

above: NYSID’s chairman of the board, Patricia Sovern, with trustees Alexa Hampton and Newell Turner. opposite top: 2012 Commencement at Jazz at Lincoln Center. opposite bottom left: Ellen Fisher, vice president for academic affairs and dean, and chairman of the board Patricia Sovern at Commencement, 2012. opposite bottom right: President David Sprouls with students at opening reception for BFA Thesis exhibition.

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Notable Faculty from NYSID’s Past

PAUL BARTLETT | at NYSID, 1916–1925

Bartlett was a sculptor who produced a number of public monuments, sculptures, and historical portraits, including the pediment on the House wing of the U.S. Capitol. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Emmanuel Frémiet and Auguste Rodin.

LOUIS BOUCHÉ | 1916–1961

A renowned painter and muralist, Bouché was Sherrill Whiton’s brother-in-law; he served as associate director of the school for many years and taught classes on modern painting. Among his best-known work is a series of murals executed for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.; four of Bouché’s paintings are in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. PAUL T. FRANKL | 1923–1937

Born and educated in Vienna, Frankl was a celebrated architect and Art Deco furniture designer who helped advance the cause of modernism. Courses he taught included Color Harmony, Modern Decoration, and Taste Analysis.

Barbara Bernie Alexander Breckenridge Michael Greer Audre Fiber Ruben De Saavedra Maggie Cohen

HAROLD SLEEPER | 1938–1961

Sleeper taught various classes on architectural materials—Decorative Materials and New Decorative Materials.

He wrote the seminal text Architectural Graphic Standards along with Charles George Ramsey, which was first published in 1932 and is now in its 11th edition.

BARBARA BERNIE | 1940–1949

After studying at NYSID, Bernie joined the faculty and worked with Sherrill Whiton to develop and teach the school’s color courses. She also served as registrar for several years. In 1949, she opened her own design firm, continuing on at NYSID as a guest lecturer.

WILLIAM BREGER | 1945–1999

The architect—and vision behind the original building of New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Radio City Music Hall and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.— Stone taught Advanced Decorative Design and Interior Architecture alongside Sherrill Whiton and Louis Bouché.

An architect, designer, and educator, Breger joined the faculty in the 1940s; his affiliation with NYSID lasted for six decades, during which time he also served on the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Committee. Highlights of his portfolio include the award-winning Civic Center Synagogue in Lower Manhattan and NYSID’s headquarters on 56th Street.

The College established the William Breger Distinguished Faculty Award in 1996 to recognize outstanding achievement.

CURT HASENCLEVER | 1936–1977

ALEXANDER BRECKENRIDGE | 1947–1988

Hasenclever taught the Textiles course at NYSID for more than 40 years. He was the director of fabric research and development at F. Schumacher & Co. and made frequent trips to Washington, D.C., to assist in the selection of textiles for the White House and various government offices.

Breckenridge was a devoted faculty member and NYSID fixture for 40 years. A graduate of the Yale School of Architecture, he answered an ad Sherrill Whiton had placed in The New York Times searching for a design instructor.

Breckenridge taught several courses, including Architectural Drafting and Graphic Representation, and was a leading authority on the history, architecture, and decorative arts of Europe.

EDWARD DURRELL STONE | 1933–1934

left to right Paul Bartlett

Salesmanship and Ordering, Buying, and Drapery Making and Upholstery Work, and also conducted her own Home Furnishings Training Course at Lord & Taylor, teaching salespeople the fundamentals of interior design.

MARY L. BRANDT | 1938–1962

Brandt was an influential designer and author known for her expertise in retail merchandising and display. She taught

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | NOTABLE FACULTY FROM NYSID’S PAST

JENS RISOM | 1951–1957

MICHAEL GREER | 1955–1976

NANCY JO FOX | 1976–1991

Risom, a Danish-born furniture designer, is widely credited with introducing Scandinavian furniture to American audiences. He designed for Knoll in the 1940s, working on both furniture and interiors. At NYSID he lectured on Modern Interior Design, Contemporary Trends in Decoration, and Planning the Contemporary Interior.

Greer, a NYSID graduate and interior designer, was a lecturer and a member of the school’s Advisory Committee. He was a key figure in the redecoration of the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House during the Eisenhower administration, and was a founding member of the National Society of Interior Designers (NSID), serving as president from 1958 to 1959.

A specialist in folk art, Fox lectured on color and materials for 25 years. While teaching at NYSID, she also obtained a master’s degree from the American Folk Art Museum and curated the museum’s 1986 exhibition “Liberties with Liberty,” which explored depictions of women in American folk art.

VIRGINIA HAMILL | 1927–1940

A decorative arts consultant, Hamill was one of the first female industrial designers. Her work spanned many genres, including product, interiors, exhibition design, and retail merchandising. At NYSID, she taught Period and Modern Styles.

ROBERT MURRAY | 1954–1982

After receiving a design diploma from NYSID in 1952, Murray went on to design traditional interiors for the prestigious firm Thedlow Inc. At NYSID, he taught Color Schemes and Color Harmony, Design Elements, and Presentation Techniques.

JOHN H. LAMARRE | 1954–1991

An art historian and fine art and antiques appraiser by training, LaMarre taught many courses in his area of expertise— among them Accessories and Buying Antiques—for almost four decades.

BETTY PEPIS | 1955–1968

Pepis was a widely syndicated home furnishings columnist who authored several books: Be Your Own Decorator, The Personal Touch in Interior Decorating, and Interior Decoration A to Z. She was the home editor of The New York Times from 1950 to 1956 and, in the early 1960s, a features editor at House & Garden. Her NYSID courses included Contemporary Styles and Contemporary Trends in Decoration.

RUBEN DE SAAVEDRA | 1978–1990

Pepper, a graduate of Barnard, MIT, and the Sorbonne, had a prolific career as a design consultant, including work on an early version of the United Nations Security Council meeting room. Pepper served as president of The Decorators Club from 1976 to 1977 and was vice president of the Fine Arts Federation of New York.

De Saavedra received a Design Diploma from NYSID in 1955 and owned a residential interior design firm that was known for lavish yet unstuffy spaces, many of which were seen in the pages of Architectural Digest and Vogue Decoration. He was one of the first chairmen of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club Designers’ Committee. He taught classes on client relations, among other topics.

AUDRE FIBER | 1961–1971

JOHN PILE | 1978–1997

An interior designer and entrepreneur, Fiber ran her own firm. In addition to designing residential interiors, she also conceived window displays for Saks Fifth Avenue. As an instructor, she lectured on Wall Treatments and Backgrounds, Character Expression, and Personality in Design.

A respected design historian and author, Pile taught various courses on the subject of 20th-century design. He was the author of Interior Design, now in its 4th edition, A History of Interior Design, and many other books, some cowritten with Norman Diekman.

ELEANOR PEPPER | 1960–1989

MAGGIE COHEN | 1981–1999 MARTHA LUDLAM | 1962–1993

Ludlam received her Design Diploma in 1954 and joined the NYSID faculty eight years later. She taught Color and helped develop classes on professional procedures, estimating, room character, and sources of supply. In addition to serving as president of The Decorators Club in the mid-1980s, she held executive positions within ASID. Ludlam also had her own practice in Manhattan.

After receiving her Design Diploma from NYSID in 1976, Cohen taught Residential Design courses for two decades. She was president of the ASID NY Metro Chapter and is owner and principal of Room Service Design Inc. DAVID GARRARD LOWE | 1982–1996

An architectural historian and author of numerous books, including Stanford White’s New York and Beaux Arts New York, Lowe taught a variety of history courses at NYSID, including Art Décor, The Beaux-Arts Tradition, and The Great Designers.

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William Breger Faculty Achievement Award Winners

Standout faculty, coupled with small class size, is a NYSID hallmark.

This annual award, established in recognition of teaching excellence and dedicated service, was named for a beloved longtime faculty member who embodied the College’s personal and highly engaged instructional style. Each year, past award recipients elect a member of the NYSID faculty to join their ranks, with candidates nominated on the basis of dedication to the College and outstanding teaching.

WILLIAM ENGEL | 1996

ROCCO LEONARDIS | 1999

A designer and painter who specializes in commissioned works for corporate and residential interiors, he has collaborated with many interior designers, including Lilian Bakhash, Celia Berliner, Richard Keith Langham, Charles Pavarini III, David Scott, and Sue Ventura. A NYSID alumnus (BFA) and faculty member since 1980, Engel teaches Mixed Media Rendering, Elements of Rendering, Color for Interiors, and Portfolio Development Workshop.

Leonardis has been a faculty member since 1988, teaching Perspective Drawing and Materials and Methods. An architect, historian, and published design writer, he has authored two books: Systematic Guide to Perspective: A Step-By-Step Handbook for the Classroom and the Professional, and Foundation Drafting and Perspective Drawing.

ETHEL ROMPILLA | 1997

A NYSID graduate who received her BFA in 1983, Rompilla joined the faculty as a lecturer in 1988, and then served as an academic advisor before she was appointed associate dean in 1997.

For many years she taught the popular course Color for Interiors and is the author of Color for Interior Design, an authoritative textbook based on her teachings.

PETER B. BRANDT | 1998

William Breger presents Christopher Welsh with the William Breger Faculty Achievement Award in 2013.

Brandt joined the faculty in 1987, after 25 years as an interior design practitioner at Gensler, where he was vice president and managing principal of the New York office.

He has taught Contract Design, Advanced Projects, Thesis, and Architectural Woodwork Detailing and served as the Upper Division area coordinator from 2008 to 2011 and the director of undergraduate programs from 2012 to 2013.

INGRID E. SCHNEIDER | 2000

A NYSID graduate who received her BFA in 1989, Schneider taught Basic Drafting, Residential Design I and II and is currently teaching Residential Design I online. She also served as the Lower Division area coordinator from 1998 to 2001.

BARRY LEWIS | 2001

An architectural historian and public speaker who lectures widely at academic and cultural institutions and design firms, Lewis is renowned for his WNET Channel 13 video walks (with cohost David Hartman) tracing the history and vibrancy of various New York City neighborhoods.

His NYSID courses, Modern Architecture and Design I and II—which he taught for 25 years—addressed architecture and interior design of Europe and America since the 18th century.

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | NOTABLE FACULTY FROM NYSID’S PAST

ROBERT A. KING | 2002

The principal/owner of Robert Arthur King Architects, King is a certified interior designer and licensed architect who specializes in restoring historic buildings.

He has taught a broad range of courses during his 20-plus years at NYSID, including Basic Drafting, Construction Documents and Historic Preservation, and, most recently, Codes and Building Systems classes (he considers the latter topic to be “the heart of the building”). King was elected to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows in 2014.

BARBARA LOWENTHAL | 2003

As associate dean at NYSID, Lowenthal oversees the College’s graduate programs.

She teaches classes across the BFA, MFA-1, and MFA-2 programs, among them Design Studios, Thesis Preparation, and Thesis.

ANNE KORMAN | 2004

Following an early career as a modern dancer, Korman graduated from NYSID with a Design Diploma. She became a faculty member in 1976, teaching Residential Design in the undergraduate program and continues to teach at the College, specializing in design presentation skills and the creation of color and materials schemes. Korman has served on the Board of Trustees for many years.

ROBERT J. HARDING | 2005

One of the longest-serving faculty members, Harding is also a practicing artist and has exhibited in galleries in New York and Europe. His very first class was a weeklong seminar on the subway—“a perfect place to look at environmental design and to deal with the impact of environment on people,” he says. He has taught a variety courses, but is perhaps best known for the popular Visual Concepts, which he has taught continually since 1977.

RICHARD TODD CLASS | 2006

Class received an architectural degree from the New York Institute of Technology. He has worked at architecture firms and then started his own IT firm specializing in supporting the architecture, engineering, and construction industries. He has taught at NYSID since the late 1990s, teaching

Contract Design and Interior Design Studio. Class is also NYSID’s assistant dean for academic technologies, a role he has had since 2013.

RENÉ B. ESTACIO | 2007

An interior designer, architect, and graduate of NYSID, Estacio has taught at the College since 1998. He teaches the popular Furniture Design courses as well as undergraduate Residential Design I, II, and III and graduate design studios. He has worked as a designer at John Saladino, Inc. and Thierry Despont, Ltd, and was director of design at Baker Furniture and the McGuire Furniture Company. He currently serves as the faculty representative on NYSID’s Board of Trustees.

and an MA recipient in the history of decorative arts and design from Cooper Hewitt—Whitlock taught Basic Drafting, Residential Design I and II for 15 years.

She also served as associate dean from 2011 to 2014. A solo practitioner based in Connecticut, she works on projects across the United States.

TERRY E. KLEINBERG | 2012

Kleinberg, head of her own architecture firm, designs commercial and residential interiors. She has taught design studio classes at NYSID for more than 20 years, most recently Thesis Preparation and Thesis in the MFA-1 program. She was also the faculty representative to NYSID’s Board of Trustees for six years.

CHRISTOPHER WELSH | 2013

LARRY MERSEL | 2008

Architect Larry Mersel has taught at NYSID since 1995. He runs an architecture firm in New Jersey and prior to that he was a project designer at Haines Lundberg Waehler. In addition to teaching Perspective and Architectural Woodwork Detailing at NYSID, he is an accomplished pen-and-ink and watercolor artist.

Welsh has been on the faculty since 1990, and served as director of academic affairs from 1991 to 1994. Courses he has taught include Perspective Drawing and Construction Detailing. Welsh received his BArch from Pratt Institute in 1979 and worked at William Breger & Associates and Breger Terjesen Associates.

VALERIE E. MEAD | 2014

VICTOR DADRAS | 2009

A longtime NYSID faculty member, Dadras is a partner at Dadras Architects, a firm that works on commercial, residential, and healthcare facilities. He has taught Contract Design III, Survey of Healthcare Environments, and Healthcare Studio I courses and served as the program director of the MPS Healthcare Interior Design program from 2012 to 2015.

JUDITH B. GURA | 2010

Gura teaches design history and theory at NYSID. Backed by an encyclopedic knowledge of design history—from the ancient world through the 20th century—she teaches Historical Styles I and II, Design Theory, and Design History Seminar. Gura is also a prolific author whose writings include New York Interior Design, 1935–1985; Sourcebook of Scandinavian Furniture: Designs for the 21st Century; and Design After Modernism: Furniture and Interiors, 1970–2010.

VERONICA P. WHITLOCK | 2011

An alumna of NYSID—as well as a cum laude graduate of Duke University

After receiving her BFA from NYSID in 1999, Mead joined the faculty in 2002 and served as president of the NYSID Alumni Council from 2008 to 2012. After working at Gensler, she opened her own residential design firm. She is also an award-winning floral designer and a member of the Garden Club of America.

ROBERT DADRAS | 2015

Dadras is a partner at Dadras Architects with his brother Victor Dadras. He has served on the NYSID faculty for 20 years as a design studio instructor in the BFA program, teaching Contract Design III. His service to the profession includes leading student participation in the annual NY11+ Albany and Manhattan events.

DONNA J. GOODMAN | 2016

An interior designer and architect, scholar, writer, filmmaker, and educator, Goodman has taught at NYSID since 1995 in the BFA, MFA-1, and MFA-2 programs teaching Design Process, Design Studio I, and Design and Drawing I & II.

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NYSID’s Board of Trustees

1920s

2016 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Patricia M. Sovern chairman

David Sprouls nysid president

Louis G. Bouché Jessica M. Hutton John J. Klaber Watterson Lowe Sherrill Whiton (No record of Board of Trustees 1916–1922) 1930s

Amory Armstrong Libby Cameron Jill H. Dienst James P. Druckman Elliot Greene Alexa Hampton Jodie W. King Anne Korman Ellen Kravet Dennis Miller Susan B. Nagle Betsey Ruprecht David Scott Maria Spears Newell Turner

Louis G. Bouché Sherrill Whiton (No record of Board of Trustees 1936–1939) 1940s Louis G. Bouché Mrs. James Lynn Mitchell E. Kennedy Torrington Armitage Watkins Sherrill Whiton Sherrill Whiton, Jr. Claire B. Whiton 1950s Louis G. Bouché Mrs. James Lynn Mitchell E. Kennedy Torrington Armitage Watkins Sherrill Whiton Sherrill Whiton, Jr. Claire B. Whiton (No record of Board of Trustees 1951–1959) 1960s

Rene B. Estacio faculty trustee

Joanna L. Silver, Esq. general counsel

Elaine Wingate Conway trustee emerita

Alexander C. Cortesi trustee emeritus

Inge Heckel trustee emerita

Arthur King Satz president emeritus

Louis G. Bouché William Breger Roger Burlingame Arthur S. Cherouny Louis O. Coxe Marjorie B. Helsel E. Powis Jones Donald M. Liddell, Jr. Janet L. Mitchell Mrs. James Lynn Mitchell Arthur King Satz John N. Steele Armitage Watkins Gilbert Werle Sherrill Whiton Sherrill Whiton, Jr. Claire B. Whiton Freda J. Winton

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100 YEARS OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN: 1916–2016 | NYSID’S TRUSTEES AND HONOREES

1970s

2000s

William Breger Arthur S. Cherouny Louis O. Coxe Marjorie B. Helsel Leonard Kaiser Donald M. Liddell, Jr. Janet L. Mitchell Arthur King Satz Harold C. Strong, Jr. Armitage Watkins Gilbert Werlé Claire B. Whiton Sherrill Whiton, Jr. Jean Whiton Freda J. Winton

Thomas N. Armstrong III Peter B. Brandt Lawrence I. Cohen Elaine Wingate Conway Alexander C. Cortesi John T. Curran Ross J. Francis Inge Heckel Kira Wilson Gould Louis Oliver Gropp Emiko Kanki Jodie W. King Terry Kleinberg Anne Korman Sarah Tomerlin Lee Ann R. Leven Elizabeth J. McCormack Susan B. Nagle Arthur Satz Carl A. Schwarz, Jr. David Scott Patricia M. Sovern Eleanor Moore Sterne Jean Whiton

1980s William Breger Katherine F. Brush Arthur S. Cherouny Louis O. Coxe Marjorie B. Helsel Leonard Kaiser Donald M. Liddell, Jr. Arthur Satz Harold C. Strong, Jr. Armitage Watkins William C. Watterson Jean Whiton Freda J. Winton 1990s William Breger Peter B. Brandt Katherine F. Brush Shashi B. Caan Alexander C. Cortesi John T. Curran Inge Heckel Paul Heyer Leonard J. Kaiser Emiko Kanki Anne Korman Ann R. Leven Sarah Tomerlin Lee D. Roger B. Liddell Donald M. Liddell, Jr. Elizabeth J. McCormack John Pile Arthur Satz Carl A. Schwarz, Jr. Harold C. Strong, Jr. William C. Watterson Jean Whiton Freda J. Winton

Honorary Doctorate Recipients

Each year, the New York School of Interior Design honors exemplary professionals working within interior design and related fields.

The following individuals received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree at our annual Commencement exercises.

David Anthony Easton, 1998 Sarah Tomerlin Lee, 1998 Stanley Abercrombie, 1999 Ruth Lynford, 1999 Paul Goldberger, 2000 Albert Hadley, 2000 Hugh Hardy, 2000 Jack Lenor Larsen, 2001 Margo Grant Walsh, 2002 Adam Tihany, 2003 Peter Brandt, 2003 Clodagh, 2004 Bunny Williams, 2005

2010s

James P. Druckman, 2006

Thomas N. Armstrong III Amory Armstrong Libby Cameron Lawrence I. Cohen Elaine Wingate Conway Alexander C. Cortesi Christopher J. Cyphers Matthew DeMarco, Esq. Jill H. Dienst James P. Druckman René B. Estacio Ross J. Francis Elliot Greene Alexa Hampton Jodie W. King Terry Kleinberg Anne Korman Ellen Kravet Dennis Miller Susan Nagle Betsey Ruprecht Arthur King Satz David L. Scott Joanna L. Silver, Esq. Patricia M. Sovern Maria Spears David Sprouls Eleanor Moore Sterne Jean Whiton

Sherri Donghia, 2007 Charlotte Moss, 2008 Vladimir Kagan, 2009 Penny Bonda, 2009 Shashi Caan, 2010 Cindy Allen, 2010 Cheryl Durst, 2011 Michael Graves, 2011 Michele Oka Doner, 2011 Amy Lau, 2012 John Saladino, 2012 Martha Stewart, 2012 Margaret Russell, 2012 Thom Filicia, 2013 Betty Sherrill, 2013 Susan Szenasy, 2013 Rosalyn Cama, 2014 Arthur Gensler, 2014 Christopher Hyland, 2014 Jamie Drake, 2015 John Rouse, 2015 Trisha Wilson, 2015 Wendy Goodman, 2016 Alexa Hampton, 2016 Daisy Soros, 2016

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With Gratitude

The New York School of Interior Design counts on the support and involvement of our friends, colleagues, and alumni. We very much appreciate your participation in our programs, your encouragement of our initiatives and efforts always to meet the needs of our students and the profession, and we are deeply grateful for your support year in and year out as well as for this anniversary.

Centennial Sponsors ASID Dr. Krystyna Breger Ergotron Farrow & Ball Alexa Hampton IIDA Wolfram Koeppe Anne and Bernard Korman Meadows Office Interiors Dennis Miller Milliken | Constantine Charlotte Moss William and Maria Spears Traditional Home Salute the Second Century Stanley Abercrombie Amory Armstrong Geoffrey Bradfield Peter Brandt Shashi Caan Libby Cameron Rosalyn Cama Renee deVignier Biery (aas, 1994) Jill Dienst Jamie Drake James P. Druckman Anne Eisenhower (1974) Ellen Fisher Wendy Goodman Elliot Greene Inge Heckel Jodie W. King Elizabeth Gray Kogen Ellen Kravet Amy Lau Ethan Lu Drew McGukin Interiors (aas, 2010) Susan B. Nagle (bfa, 1997) Charles Pavarini III (bfa, 1981) Betsey Ruprecht Arthur King Satz

Joanna Silver Daisy Soros (certificate) Patricia M. Sovern David Sprouls Adam Tihany Natasha Willauer (bfa, 1998) Trisha Wilson Vicente Wolf Salute the Centennial Marie Aiello (aas, 2004) Arlene Angard (aas, 2008) Anne Aristya (bfa, 2014) Beata Buhl-Tatka (aas, 1997) Becky Button (bfa, 2001) Allison Caccoma (aas, 2000) Susanne Earle Carr (certificate, 1950) Lawrence Chabra (bfa, 2009) Wendy Cruz-Gonzalez (mps-l, 2012) Allison Russell Davis (bfa, 2005) Mica Ertegun (certificate) Dee Faden (aas, 1991) Kelly A. Galvin (aas, 2014) Mariette Himes Gomez (dd, 1969) Susan Zises Green (certificate) Joseph Grusczak, asid (dd, 1956) Jacqueline C. Hosford (aas, 2003) Stephen Huberman (certificate, 1961) Ken Jennings Design, ltd. (dd, 1978) Ann Werner Johnson (bid,1997) Coco Kanakis (aas, 2000) Robert Kaner (aas, 2002) Gisela Kobayashi (bfa, 1993) Don Kossar (bfa, 1995)

Lawrence A. Levy (bfa, 2005) Brooke Lichtenstein (bfa, 2010) and Yiannos Vrousgos (bfa, 2010) Ashley Liu (mfa-1, 2013) Jerry Maltz (certificate, 1954) Valerie Elizabeth Mead (bfa, 2000) Dorothy Meggitt (certificate, 1992) Pauline C. Metcalf (certificate) Kathleen Navarra (dd, 1988) Sheila Newman (certificate, 1996) Wendell Norris (dd, 1967) Sylvia Curry Owen (certificate, 1964) George Marshall Peters (bfa, 2008) Trisha Reger, asid (certificate, 1982) Coleen Rogers (aas, 1993) Ethel Rompilla (bfa, 1984) Ingrid E. Schneider (bfa, 1989) Jane R. Schreuder-Matchett (dd, 1981) Megan C. Smythe (aas, 2009) Alexandra Stoddard (dd, 1961) Tamara Meadow Interiors (aas, 1996) J. Randall Tarasuk (aas, 2000) J. Murray Vise (certificate, 1970) Marita Wagner (aas, 1995) Erin Wells (bfa, 2004)

100 Years of New York School of Interior Design: 1916–2016 is published by the College’s Office of External Relations. writer

Jen Renzi director of external relations

Samantha Hoover, editor art director

Christopher Spinelli archivist/assistant librarian

Nora Reilly communications coordinator

Amy Gillman design

JakDesign, nyc printing

Earth Spectrum photography

All archival photographs are from NYSID’s Institutional Archives; Jason Gardner, Mark La Rosa, Social Shutterbug (Matt Carasella) special thanks to

Suzanne Carr, Robert Harding, Inge Heckel, Joe Grusczak, Anne Korman, Ethel Rompilla, Arthur Satz, Christopher Welsh, and Paul and Barbara Whiton, all of whom took time out to be interviewed and offered valuable stories on the history of the institution. back cover top: NYSID students in the studio ca. 1940s back cover bottom: NYSID students in the Graduate Center, 2015 © 2016 New York School of Interior Design