Areas of expertise

Greek and Roman Art History, Architecture, and History of Architecture

Thomas Howe is an architectural historian with a broad background in several related fields, including classical archaeology, art history and architectural theory and design. The common thread in his creative and research interests is to write architectural history and theory in a way that strengthens the profession's ability to design for current and future problems in a "Post Modern," multi-cultural world.

His undergraduate training was in German language and literature at Lawarence University in Wisconsin. Through extensive research work outside of the U.S., he has since acquired reading/speaking abilities in several languages (French, Italian, Greek, Latin, Turkish and Chinese).

He attended the Master of Architecture Program at the School of Design at Harvard in the early 1970's, and transferred to the Ph.D. program in Fine Arts, doing his work in Greek and Roman architecture, theory and aesthetics.

Howe has performed field work in Turkey, the United Kingdom and Italy. He has taught at Southwestern since 1985, and introduced (with Patrick Veerkamp) Southwestern's program in Architectural studies.

Courses: Fall 2009

Hellenistic Art
Architectural Studio I

Research

Vitruvius (the only surviving ancient roman building manual)- a compendium of liberal arts, science and technology. The Roman Forum, book currently written under contract for Cambridge Press: the political and social ambience of the creation of Roman architecture. Planning of archaeological parks and their urban ambience origins of form in architecture; Post-modern Classicism

Publications

Recent publications: Vitruvius, translation and commentary. Catalogue for Smithsonian exhibition, 2004. Drawings are currently the basis for didactic labels and the catalogue for an exhibit "Eureka, the genius of the antiques" [i.e. ancient Greek and Roman machines] at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, the largest and olders archaeological museum in Europe. Travelling exhibit of Roman frescoes, opens in Reno Oct. 23, 2005, and in San Diego, January 2006.

Honors & Awards

Phi Beta Kappa Marquis' Who's Who in America, 2003-2004, 2004-2005 Marquis' Who's Who in Business and Finance, 2004-2005 Empire's Who's Who Executive and Professional Registry, 2004-2005 Lexington's Who's Who. Madison's Who's Who (fall 2004-2009)