The Historic Preservation Lecture: David Dowell

Join us Monday, February 26, at 5:30 p.m., for a free public lecture with architect David Dowell.

Dowell has been a partner at architecture firm El Dorado for more than 25 years. He founded the Design+Make Studio at Kansas State University 12 years ago, part of a teaching career that spans back to 1991 at institutions from the University of California, Berkeley (MArch, ’94); the Technical University in Dresden, Germany; Kansas City Art Institute; Washington University in St. Louis (AB ’89); and the University of Kansas.

Established in Kansas City in 1996, El Dorado is an integrated architecture, urban design, curatorial, educational, and fabrication practice. Their ethos is born of the Midwest: its frugality, its pragmatism, and its commitment to allowing and cultivating risk. El Dorado’s earliest works in the late 1990s were opportunistic rehabilitations of dozens of turn-of-the-century as well as art deco and midcentury modern buildings.

These early experiences formed an unexpected foundation of respect for and curiosity about historic buildings. This sense of becoming accidental preservationists persists to today and is the focus of this talk.

This event is part of the Sam Fox School’s Public Lecture Series and is free and open to the public. The lecture will take place in Steinberg Hall.

Free parking is available in the East End Garage beginning at 5:00 p.m. Enter the garage from Forsyth Boulevard or Forest Park Parkway.