“How often does a 22-year-old kid get to share a credit with Piranesi?”

In the fall of 1968, architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, assisted by Steven Izenour, taught a third-year studio course at the Yale School of Architecture called “Learning from Las Vegas, or Form Analysis as Design Research.” That class would give rise to a famous book of the same name, first published in 1972, and would also influence future architectural education methods. The class, which traveled to Las Vegas to analyze a new type of American city, had a huge impact on its 13 students (nine in architecture, two in urban planning, and two in graphic design) who undertook a true collaborative adventure with their three instructors. In connection with an interview conducted with Denise Scott Brown earlier this year, publishing in January 2014, Designers & Books corresponded with five of the students—45 years after the class—about their memories of the studio, and the publication of the book.

Students at the opening of the Circus Circus Casino. Las Vegas, 1968
Students at the opening of the Circus Circus Casino. Las Vegas, 1968 - Students at the opening of the Circus Circus Casino. Las Vegas, 1968; Tony Farmer (left), Peter Schmitt (center), and Martha Wagner (right). “Denise somehow managed to get us tickets and it certainly was, for me at least, the biggest extravaganza I’d seen. We all made costumes with discards from Goodwill and Day-Glo spray paint.” —Ronald Filson, 2013. Photo: Ronald Filson

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