Schedule
The Traditional Building Conference Series, now in its twenty-fifth year, has interesting, informative and inspirational education and architectural tours planned for 2026. Three of America's most historic locations will be our living laboratories for learning about architectural history, traditional design and craftsmanship. Earn up to 13 AIA Continuing Education Units in each event, most HSWs. Meet industry experts and network with your professional peers in intimate settings with excellent food!
Our 2026 Dates & Venues
- March 24-25, 2026 - Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites, Salem, MA
- June 16-17, 2026 - Cape May Convention Center (Beachfront Ballroom), Cape May, NJ (Palladio Awards at this event): REGISTER NOW
- November 3-4, 2026 - The Grand at 81 Mary, Charleston, SC
Stay tuned here for more information, or sign up for email updates.
Traditional Building Conference Series Cape May, NJ: June 16-17, 2026
Cape May Convention Center
714 Beach Ave.
Cape May, NJ
Schedule as of April 2, 2026. Please check back for updates.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
8:00 AM
Breakfast, Networking, Sponsor Exhibits
9:00 AM
Welcome and Introductions
9:15 -10:15 AM
Heritage Tourism and the Victorian Revival in Cape May
Speaker: Mark Alan Hewitt, FAIA
This course has been submitted to the AIA for credit review.
Learning Objectives:
- Recount the history of Cape May as pioneering resort town.
- Describe the process of growth, deterioration and adaptive reuse of Victorian Era buildings.
- List ways that heritage tourism supports urban revitalization of historic communities.
- Discuss the impact of heritage tourism for economic benefit on people and communities.
- Consider the power of historic preservation ordinances for urban revitalization.
- Compare and contrast landmark laws and zoning laws in historic communities and their impact on land use.
Architect, preservationist and historian Mark Alan Hewitt. FAIA, will tell the extraordinary story of how the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts under its dynamic director Michael Zuckerman transformed a deteriorating Victorian town into one of the most successful heritage tourist venues in the Eastern United States. The inside story, from Zuckerman’s recollections, 1982 to 2020, makes a dramatic case for how a preservation group with minimum resources can grow, change, and improve an entire community for its people.
Decarbonizing the Built Environment on the Path to Our Urban Future
Speaker: Carl Elefante FAIA, FAPT, Principal Emeritus, Quinn Evans
1 AIA Health/Safety/Welfare Learning Units; CS-021400 1 Hour - Energy (MA CSL)
Learning Objectives:
- Strategize to keep and repurpose existing buildings to meet energy and climate targets and simultaneously yield collateral social, economic, and environmental benefits.
- Consider the limitations of many accepted practices and what is needed to overcome them to meet energy and climate targets and yield collateral social, economic, and environmental benefits.
- Apply the forgotten premises of climate-adapted design to meet energy and climate targets and yield collateral social, economic, and environmental benefits.
- Design for a very long service-life for buildings to meet energy and climate targets and yield collateral social, economic, and environmental benefits.
For those who shape the built environment, the forces impacting the 21st century present a relevance revolution. The importance of what, where, and how we build has never been more consequential. The actions of today’s building-sector professionals will chart the course of humanity’s urban future. What will it be? “If the Past Teaches, What Does the Future Learn?” From a career rescuing building from demolition and repurposing them, Carl Elefante shares his experiences prioritizing stewardship and applying the lessons of built heritage for strong and abundant communities.
Curtailing climate change requires retooling everything about the design, construction, and operation of buildings to eliminate carbon pollution. It demands both a greater focus on building performance and construction technology and also deeper understanding of the impact of buildings and cities on human health, safety, wellbeing, and productive capacity. Going for Zero both explains the demands of climate action on architectural solutions and the broader impacts of climate action in addressing intransigent social, economic, and environmental concerns. These topics are addressed from a unique perspective.
The subject matter is most relevant to architects and other building-sector professionals. The presentation offers a range of material from global trends to detailed technical information and is presented without jargon.
11:50 AM-12:30 PM
Educational Session
12:30-1:30 PM
Lunch, Networking, Sponsor Exhibits
1:30-2:40 PM
Educational Session
2:35-2:50 PM
Break and Depart for Tours
Tours will be repeated on Day 1 and Day 2. Please choose one each day. Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather.
Touring the Emlen Physick Estate House and Cape May’s Historic District by Trolley
This tour has been submitted to the AIA for credit review (1.5 hours)
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the National Historic Landmark status of the City of Cape May, NJ.
- List the different architectural styles found in the historic district.
- Reflect on the city’s recovery from a devastating fire in 1878 and how it became a center of adaptive reuse of historic homes in the 20th century for commercial purposes.
- Discuss the lifestyle of a wealthy Philadelphia family during the Victorian Era in Cape May through the lens of the Physick family’s home.
- Identify key architectural features designed by architect Frank Furness for the Physick family.
- Assess what historic houses can teach us about its residents and American culture by examining architectural details and the family’s choice in decorative arts.
- Explain the impact of the 1876 World’s Fair on architectural taste and decoration in the late 19th century and 20th century.
Known as the “Queen of the Seaside Resorts” for its quaint Victorian cottages and pristine beaches, Cape May is the oldest seaside resort in the country, and in 1976, the entire city was declared a National Historic Landmark. Possessing one of the country’s largest collections of 19th century seaside wood framed buildings, the historic district features a variety of styles of Victorian architecture. Tour guides will explain Cape May’s history and architecture and how and why it has survived and thrives to this day. The tour is newly updated with contributions of Cape May’s Black community recently documented and entered into the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and into the National Register of Historic Places. After the trolley tour, we will tour the Emlen Physick House.
Designed by architect Frank Furness, the Emlen Physick home showcases Stick Style architecture with intricate moldings, custom furniture, and vibrant wallpapers. Beyond décor, the era’s artistic traditions shine through unexpected details like mourning jewelry made from hair and whimsical “rogue taxidermy” in parlor shades. Even functional elements, from pocket shutters to ceiling medallions, were crafted with elegance. Each room tells a story of beauty, memory, and creativity, making the Physick Estate a living masterpiece of 19th-century design and expression. Tour Cape May’s 1879 Victorian House Museum and learn about its key role in Cape May’s decades-long renaissance story as you appreciate its beauty and craftsmanship. There will be a special interpretive program about the impact of the 1876 World’s Fair on America during this tour.
Cape May Architectural Walking Tour
This tour has been submitted to the AIA for credit review. (1 hour)
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the National Historic Landmark status of the City of Cape May, NJ.
- Explain the different architectural styles found in the historic district.
- Reflect on the city’s recovery from a devastating fire in 1878 and how it became a center of adaptive reuse of historic homes in the 20th century for commercial purposes.
- Consider the pedestrian friendliness of Hughes Street, Ocean Street, and Columbia Avenue and how it can inform designs for new urban, residential neighborhoods today.
See the architectural features of America’s only National Historic Landmark City up close on this one-hour walking tour that explores Cape May’s Historic District by foot. Put on your walking shoes and stroll along the sidewalks of streets such as Hughes Street, Ocean Street and Columbia Avenue, with a knowledgeable guide to describe the distinctive elements that make Victorian Cape May’s architecture so special. See where the Great Fire of 1878 burned and how it affected how the town looks today, and more. Comfortable shoes recommended.
Painted Ladies, Porches, and More Walking Tour
This tour has been submitted to the AIA for credit review. (1 hour)
Learning Objectives:
- Identify different architectural styles popular during the Victorian Era.
- Explain the importance of streetscape including porches, fences, setbacks, and sidewalks.
- Compare Victorian ideals for gardens with contemporary residential gardens.
- Experience the social nature of porches and their contribution to neighborhoods and neighborly exchanges between residents and visitors.
Walk from the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate to the Washington Street Mall and experience charming Cape May, a National Historic Landmark city, up close. Delight in beautiful gardens as you learn about Victorian era architecture and Cape May’s colorful history along the way. Learn the interesting features of various Victorian styles and discover how porches and fences provided the first impression of the Victorian home, and most importantly, the status, wealth, and refinement of the homeowner. Comfortable shoes recommended.
Mansions by the Sea Trolley Tour & Physick Estate House Tour
This tour has been submitted to the AIA for credit review.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the architectural styles of mansions built by wealthy summer residents from the early 20th century through today.
- Reflect on the early efforts to market this seaside city at the turn of the 20th century as a respite for the well-to-do from East Coast cities.
- Discuss the lifestyle of a wealthy Philadelphia family during the Victorian Era in Cape May through the lens of the Physick family’s home.
- Identify key architectural features designed by architect Frank Furness for the Physick family.
- Assess what historic houses can teach us about its residents and American culture by examining architectural details and the family’s choice in decorative arts.
- Explain the impact of the 1876 World’s Fair on architectural taste and decoration in the late 19th century and 20th century.
We will tour the most elegant part of town in the early 1900s. You’ll see the broad streets and summer “mansions” of Cape May’s east side on this trolley tour – an area marketed as “New Cape May” at the turn of the 20th Century. Today, new, beachfront second homeowners have continued the tradition. After the trolley tour, we will tour the Emlen Physick Estate.
The special theme for the 2026 Physick Estate Tour is The World on Display: The Centennial and Everyday Life, looks beyond the museum walls to an event that helped shape the world in which the Physicks lived: the 1876 Centennial Exposition, a world’s fair. Opening in Philadelphia on May 10, 1876, the fair drew more than ten million visitors over six months. Nearly 240 acres of Fairmount Park were transformed, with more than 200 buildings showcasing inventions, demonstrations, new products, and ideas that introduced everyday Americans to the modern age. Tour Cape May’s 1879 Victorian House Museum designed by Frank Furness and learn about this quintessential Victorian event. The Centennial became a catalyst for a changing American culture, whose influence is still felt today.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
8:00 AM
Breakfast, Networking, Sponsor Exhibits
9:00 AM
Welcome and Introductions
9:15 -10:15 AM
Craft and Classicism: Masons and Masonry
Speaker: Duncan G. Stroik, AIA
This course has been submitted to the AIA for credit review.
Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) was a stonecutter and stonemason who designed great buildings in a classical vocabulary. If Palladio were on the job site today, he would receive great deference for his ability to design and build well. How can architects work well with masons today-now that their crafts are widely differentiated? Through the lens of a case study, join architect Duncan Stroik in an exploration of the craft of masonry. Stroik will examine key details that contribute to improved building performance and durability. He will outline methods that build solid working relationships with craftspeople that in turn, support healthy work environments and improved project outcomes.
Learning Objectives:
- Build better relationships during project planning and design and on the job site for improved project implementation and outcomes.
- Research building craft practices to improve communication on projects between architects, contractors, and tradespeople.
- Respectfully question craft process to solve problems encountered during new construction and restoration projects.
- Plan projects that support craft practices such as lead time for materials, mortar curing schedules, and worksite safety.
- Cite drawings which can assist the craftspeople in doing quality work.
10:15-10:40 AM
Networking Break and Sponsor Exhibits
10:45 -11:45 AM
Educational Session
11:50-12:30
Educational Session
12:30-1:30
Lunch
1:35-2:15 PM
Educational Session
2:15-3:00 PM
Break and depart for tours- Select one:
- Touring the Emlen Physick Estate House and Cape May’s Historic District by Trolley
- Cape May Architectural Walking Tour
- Painted Ladies, Porches, and More Walking Tour
- Mansions by the Sea Trolley Tour & Physick Estate House Tour
Earn AIA Learning Units:
The Traditional Building Conference Series is a registered provider of AIA continuing education credits. Credits for ASID, NARI, AIBD, and some NAHB certifications are available.
Check out some of our previous conferences:
Coral Gables, 2021
2020 Virtual Conference
Winston-Salem 2019
Winterthur 2019
Oak Park 2018
Brooklyn 2017
Salem 2017
Charleston 2017
Washington, D.C. 2016
Pittsburgh 2016
New Haven 2016
Frequent & Past Attendees Include:
Consiglia Construction
Historical Concepts
Peter Pennoyer Architects
Shawmut Construction
David M. Schwarz Architects
Fairfax and Sammons Architects
Glave and Holmes Architects
Shope Reno Architects
Barnes Vanze Architects
Robert A.M. Stern Architects
Harrison Design
Schooly Caldwell Architects
The Architect of the U.S. Capitol
The National Park Service
City of Denver
General Services Administration
U.S. Department of State
Duke University
Princeton University
MIT
University of Virginia
South Carolina Historic Preservation Office
New York City Landmarks
Schafer Buccellato Architects
Quinn Evans Architects
Morales Construction
Bulley & Andrews
Winchester Builders