Inside The Aldrich Screening: The Harvard 5 — Ridgefield’s Night of Modernist Architecture

On a brisk Ridgefield evening, The Aldrich invites locals and visitors to a compact, conversation-driven screening of The Harvard 5, a documentary that traces how five postwar architects—Philip Johnson, John Johansen, Landis Gores, Eliot Noyes, and Marcel Breuer—upended American design with Bauhaus-inspired thinking. Set in Ridgefield, Connecticut, this two-hour event pairs an early evening Happy Hour with a 7:00 pm screening, then a moderated Q&A featuring filmmaker Devon Chivvis and Bruce Becker, creator & owner of Hotel Marcel, with The Aldrich Executive Director Cybele Maylone directing questions. The program is built for focused audiences: seating is limited to a maximum 70 participants, and ticket tiers reflect local access—Member $10, Adult $20, Student/Senior $15—making it an affordable cultural night out. The film archives interviews, rare footage, and architecture analysis that render post‑WWII modernism vivid; on screen are the concrete, curtain walls, and clean geometries that remade domestic and institutional design. For Ridgefield, a town known for its active arts scene, this screening is a rare chance to see architectural history contextualized alongside contemporary museum programming. Why book it? The Aldrich frames the film with local relevance. The Q&A connects cinematic research to practice through voices like Chivvis and Becker, and the small audience format encourages questions and close engagement with ideas about preservation, adaptive reuse, and the social impact of design. It is both an accessible night at a regional museum and a concentrated professional salon for architects, designers, students, and curious travelers. Practical notes: the evening runs about two hours, so plan for arrival before the Happy Hour and screening start at 7 pm. Expect a theater-style setting and a conversational Q&A; seating can fill, so reserve in advance through the provided booking link. The program is suitable for teens and adults interested in design, film, and cultural history; note that age minimums are not specified, but the subject matter is best for mature viewers. Combine this outing with a walk through Ridgefield’s village center or a visit to nearby historic sites to make an evening of it. For photographers, architectural details and archival stills in the film reward close attention; listeners benefit most by bringing questions and a notebook. This is an efficient cultural night that connects Ridgefield to larger stories in American modernism, anchored by a local museum staff that intentionally stages conversation as public service. Tickets are sold online with tiered pricing—Member $10, Adult $20, Student/Senior $15—and the evening accommodates a maximum of 70 participants, which creates an intimate forum for discussion; groups and educators should reserve early. Use the booking link to confirm availability, and plan transportation accordingly: car travel takes under an hour, making The Aldrich an easy cultural stop on a Connecticut day trip.