Guastavino Alliance

Mission: To promote greater awareness locally and worldwide of the genius of Raphael Guastavino.

Vision: To excavate and exhibit his "Rhododendron" estate and to create the only museum in the world honoring Guastavino and to enlighten and educate the public.

Goal: The Project goal is to create a museum to educate the public about the life and the genius of Rafael Guastavino. The dream is to someday construct this museum with a tiled dome using the technique that Guastavino perfected, known as “cohesive construction.” The focal point of the museum will be the exhibit created by John Oschendorf, Professor of Building Technology at MIT who is teaching the construction technique used by Guastavino. With this exhibit as the foundation, it is Christmount’s vision for the museum to become the repository of artifacts of his building projects and stories of his life in the United States and Spain.

Raphael Guastavino Sr.’s genius as architect, tile-maker and craftsman may be seen in buildings throughout the United States and Spain, but he was primary architect for only two churches, the last of which was the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville, where he is entombed.

As one travels around this country and to Valencia and Barcelona, one may see hundreds of examples of the handiwork of Guastavino and his son: libraries, public buildings, art museums, train stations--in Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and even in the Nebraska State Capitol building, among others. Other sites have been destroyed, painted over, neglected. Some owners of sites are unaware of their creator’s worldwide importance.

The effort is now well underway to create on Christmount property in Black Mountain the only museum in the world devoted to the life and work of this major artist, who deserves to be far better-known and appreciated. The Raphael Guastavino museum will attract donors who possess other artifacts in the area and around the nation.