Kent Diebolt and Berta de Miguel have written a children’s book, “Immigrant Architect”. This book is an extension of the authors’ shared passion for the life and work of Rafael Guastavino Moreno and his son, Rafael Guastavino Expósito. Illustrated and authored by Virginia Lorente and penned in the voice of the younger Guastavino, this book is geared […]
I have dedicated a major portion of my career to studying the life and work of Rafael Guastavino. Recently I was honored to play a part of two screenings of El Architecto De Nueva York, the award-winning documentary in which I appeared with Kent Diebolt and John Ochsendorf as well as our Spanish colleagues Camilla […]
As part of our work inspecting, investigating and documenting historic buildings, Vertical Access has worked on original Guastavino tile ceilings, vaults and domes in and around the New York metropolitan area and beyond. Rafael Guastavino is an architect who was born in Valencia, Spain in 1842. He immigrated to the United States from Spain in […]
The biographical documentary, El Architecto de Nueva York, was honored with a Golden Dolphin Award at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards on October 13, 2016. Directed by Eva Vizcarra and produced by RTVE/Endora Producciones, the film won in the category of History and Civilization. The accomplished life of Rafael Guastavino, an architect born […]
On March 1, 2016, Kent Diebolt, founding partner of Vertical Access, and Berta de Miguel, Metropolitan New York branch office manager traveled to Valencia to join 500 people at the world premier of the documentary film, “El arquitecto de Nueva York”. A celebration of the lives and careers of the Rafael Guastavinos – father and […]
During the recent Association for Preservation Technology (APT) conference — APT NYC 2013 Preserving the Metropolis — Kent Diebolt, Kevin Dalton and Berta de Miguel, from Vertical Access, organized a Hands-on Construction of “Guastavino” Thin Tile Vaults workshop. Other faculty fellows worked in conjunction with VA members: Benjamín Ibarra, Assistant Professor of Architecure UT Austin, […]
Great two-day workshop at APT NYC 2013 sponsored in part by A. Ottavino Corporation, Vertical Access LLC, Boston Valley Terra Cotta and a grant from NCPTT Workshop. See photos on the Association for Preservation Technology Facebook page.
Listen to Nan Graham’s commentary on WHQR.org about the life of architect Rafael Guastavino in North Carolina, and how he became an “accidental southerner” after constructing arches for the famous Bilmore Mansion. He would spend the rest of his life living in the Smokey Mountains, during which time he designed the Basilica of St. Lawrence […]
An article in theNew York Times (7/24, by Penelope Green), tells the story of how NYC mayoral candidate George McDonald purchased and now lives in the unique Tile House in Bay Shore, NY. Here’s a brief excerpt … “The Tile House, its local nickname, is an eccentric, Moorish-looking brick folly on the south shore […]
Sponsored in part by a grant from NCPTT Workshop. Fri, Oct 11, 8:00 – 5:00 Sat, Oct 12, 8:00 – 4:00 Location: Ottavino Stone “American architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries would often leave empty spaces in their blueprints and simply write, ‘Guastavino here.’ They had faith that Rafael Guastavino would create […]