Planning the 2011 SBSC Convention

The Souvenir Building Collector Society’s annual convention this year will be held in the Washington, D.C. area. Keep your calendar open for the weekend of June 10,11 & 12 for the not-to-be-missed events. The SBCS returns to our Nation’s Capital for the first time since the 1997 convention. Meeting organizers Harry, Julia and David are planning the weekend-long events busy with architectural tours, the swap/sale and socializing. The D.C. area is filed with many of the real buildings which souvenir building collectors have displayed on our shelves: the U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Supreme Court, White House, Iwo Jima Monument, Octagon Building, the George Washington Masonic National Memorial and others. We believe We’ve planned a great convention filled with famous building tours and visits to some outstanding souvenir building collections. Join us for panoramic views from atop the G.W. Masonic Memorial. Experience jaw-dropping moments the first time you see the massive columns in the Great Hall of the National Building Museum.

ARRIVING

Washington National Airport (DCA) is closest and most convenient airport to D.C. and our host area of Arlington. If arriving from Washington National Airport, you can walk from the baggage area to the Metro, which goes right to Hilton Arlington Hotel. Directions: Take the Blue line in the direction of Largo Town Center. After 5 stops, get off at Rosslyn and transfer to the Orange line in the direction of Vienna. Take it 4 stops and get off at the Ballston station. The Hilton Arlington Hotel is at the top of the escalators! Go straight into the building through the glass doors and look for a hotel sign, turn left and you’re in the hotel lobby. For those who want to arrive in style, consider flying into Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). Designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, The main terminal was built in 1958. It is highly regarded for its graceful beauty - which is suggestive of flight. Baltimore-Washington Airport (BWI) is also an option, but it’s farther away. Both of these last options will require a car rental, van shuttle or long cab ride to get to the hotel in Arlington.

HOST HOTEL

The Hilton Arlington in the Ballston area of Arlington, Va. will be our base of operations for this year’s convention. Book your room by May 19 to get the special SBCS rate ($149/night includes breakfast). We chose this hotel because it stands on top of the Ballston Metro Station, so we’ll be able to take Metro to all the building tour sites. We also hope to have a shuttle service to take members to the Friday dinner and the Sunday collection tours, which will minimize or eliminate the need for cars.

TOURS

FRIDAY: If you pre-registered a few months ago, Friday will be filled with tour of the White House, U.S. Capitol and Library of Congress. That night, we’ll dine during the opening reception at my condo building’s rooftop community room. The rooftop patio affords views of the National Cathedral and Washington Monument. You’ll also get to see a few souvenir building collections here. We plan to have shuttle bus service between the Hilton and the condo location, which is just one mile away.

SATURDAY: After the Swap/Sale, We’ll hop on the Metro and visit the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria then the National Building Museum’s Designing Tomorrow exhibit and architectural tour. We then head back to the hotel for our traditional banquet including the raffle and live auction of souvenir buildings. Please bring a souvenir building or two to donate for the raffle, which benefits the SBCS.

SUNDAY: Tours of both Harry and Russell’s collections with additional local collectors also displaying highlight from their collections in these locations. The 2011 Convention website is up and running and will have online registration available soon. We’ll add more convention material to the official website as we get closer to June. In the coming weeks, I’ll also feature some of the many D.C. souvenir buildings and more about the tours, so check back often.