Mission
The mission of Traditional Architecture Incorporated is simple and direct. It is to create beautiful places and objects.
Beauty is never easy to describe, but there are rules that help guide the designer. Architecture and the decorative arts manifest continuous evolution. Motifs and objects considered to be beautiful are renewed and revisited, while other concepts disappear. We believe it essential to look to the past to determine what works and is appealing, while reaching toward the future with new innovations and technologies that perpetuate aesthetic evolution.
Traditional Architecture, Incorporated, focuses on two disciplines: architecture and design. The architectural aspect encompasses projects from small home additions and renovations to multi-million dollar commercial facilities. The design aspect—specifically, furniture and accessories—complements the architectural component by concentrating on fine, delicate details and finish. Design begins by discerning a building's role within the site or urban environment, and leads ultimately to the fine detail of the objects that complete the rooms within a building. Traditional Architecture, Incorporated, holds to the belief that by integrating these the components of architecture and design, all projects benefit by study ranging from the large scale to the very small.
People
 |
 Winning competition entry for the Royal Oak Foundation Traveling Fellowship Click to Enlarge |
Thomas M. Felton, who has more than a decade of architecture experience, established Traditional Architecture and incorporated the organization in 1999. His training began at the University of Notre Dame where he received his Bachelor of Architecture with a concentration in structural engineering. His third year of study took place in Rome, and it was there that the passion for classicism was born. After graduation, Mr. Felton tailored his career to gain experience under the foremost classical and traditional architects and designers in the world. His apprenticeships in Philadelphia and New York included work and study under such legends as John Blatteau, Mark Hampton, and Peter Marino. This experience included major contributions to such illustrious projects as an international banking center for Riggs Bank on Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., and homes for clients such as Revlon's Ronald Perelman, and corporate magnates Thomas Hicks and Henry Kravis. Mr. Felton continued his education with a Masters Degree in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and won a traveling fellowship to paint open-air oil vignettes of Bath, England, with the Royal Oak Foundation. He taught classes at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Institute of Classical Architecture in New York City. Mr. Felton stresses scholarship and continuing education. Only with a finely tuned eye will a designer keep improving and innovating toward the creation of beauty.