NEWS

Charlotte Raymond Visits the Buildings Designed by Her Grandfather, Antonin Raymond

Update: January 23, 2024

Photographer and co-director of the Raymond Farm Center for Living Arts & Design, Ms. Charlotte Raymond, who is also the granddaughter of the architect, Antonin Raymond, visited our campus on January 12, 2024.

Antonin Raymond greatly influenced and left a lasting mark on the development of Japanese architecture, and his works can be found in ICU.

During her visit to ICU, Ms. Raymond toured the currently existing buildings designed by her grandfather, which include the main library (completed in 1960), the University Chapel (completed in 1954), and the two faculty residences (completed in 1960). Mr. Toshinobu Miura, chairman of the Raymond Architectural Design Office, and Ms. Yoshiko Godai, a long-time personal secretary to Antonin Raymond, also accompanied her on the tour.

Providing ICU's spiritual support, the University Chapel holds services every Wednesday and is the venue for the matriculation and commencement ceremony for all ICU students. The library is also indispensable as a place for student learning and is daily used by numerous students for various purposes. The two faculty residences represent early architectural works designed by Antonin Raymond after his stay in post-war Japan, and are valuable since not many residences by the architect remain in existence today.