Orangery, by Bereznicki Assocs., won early Bulfinch honors.

Entries for the sixth annual Bulfinch Awards, sponsored by the New England chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, are due on December 15. This year’s Bulfinch program expands its ambitions, inviting participants from around the nation who have designed projects located in New England. Winners will be celebrated at the Harvard Club in Boston next April 23.

The sponsors hope to bring more attention to the awards, and hence to strengthen the legacy of Charles Bulfinch, whose classical work in Boston and elsewhere in the region has resulted in its status as the most beautiful of the nation’s various sections – no small accomplishment, and rivaled only by the South in the opinion of many.

The South has never given up on classicism, whereas New England’s efforts to maintain a viable and growing classical tradition have had to fight, to a far greater degree, the animosity of many professionals and academics in the field. So if indeed New England does merit the title of most beautiful region, it has also had to work harder for that honor. The Bulfinch awards celebrate that work and those who continue to bring their energy and creativity to bear in keeping the practice of classical architecture and its allied arts on the cutting edge of real beauty that you can see with your eyes.

The orangery pictured atop this post was, in my opinion, the best bit of work among the first batch of Bulfinch winners back in 2010. It was designed by Bereznicki Associates, of Cambridge. As the word suggests, an orangery was originally a greenhouse for growing oranges in cooler climates but has evolved, in its usage, to mean a cozy little getaway apart from a more substantial abode amid generally substantial grounds.

We members of the board of the ICAA’s New England chapter are waiting to see what sort of entries are sent in this year. Again, the entries are due by Dec. 15. The chapter website has all the necessary details.