PTown Tours:

Ptown Tours was started in July 2009 by Rob Anderson and Jim Vogel.  Having given and partaken of walking tours all his life, Rob was surprised to find no full-time walking tour company in Provincetown, so he and Jim decided to start one.  PTown Tours is modeled after Boston By Foot, which was founded by Polly Flansburgh in 1976. Rob, who has been a guide and docent with Boston By Foot since the 1990's,  is indebted to Polly and all the wonderful guides at Boston By Foot, for helping him find his own path and voice.  Please visit www.bostonbyfoot.com for walking tours of Boston.

Robert (Rob) Curtis Anderson:

Rob Anderson completed his Master of Arts in History and Theory from the Architectural Association (AA), in London, received a Bachelor of Architecture from the Boston Architectural Center, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Massachusetts College of Art.  From 2008 to 2010, Rob worked on his PhD course work with the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts (a short term residency program in Italy, France, and the US), researching issues related to reinvention, originality, plagiarism, and appropriation in art and architecture.  In 2014, he completed his doctorate by successfully defending his final dissertation work with Tilburg University, in the Netherlands (in affiliation with the Taos Institute), examining earlier coursework and research issues in the context of the social construction of space and collective memory.  His dissertation title is: “Authenticity and Architecture: Representation and Reconstruction in Context” and is being developed for publication.  Rob is also a trained artist and designer (robertcurtisanderson.com), an historian of architecture, interior design, and art, has a strong affinity for the work of Sverre Fehn, the artwork of Nikolai Astrup, the landscape and history of New England, England, Japan, and Scandinavia, and has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Japan, and China. 

In 2007, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to travel to Poland and Russia, researching art and architectural education, related to Modernism.  In 2018 he was awarded the Boston Society of Architects "Excellence in Teaching Award", and in 2019, he participated in a US State Department Grant to research and develop new courses for the National College of Arts, in Lahore, Pakistan.

Rob continually volunteers as a docent for Boston By Foot, has led guided tours through the Walter Gropius House, has taught at the Hong Kong campus of the Savannah College of Art, until its closure in 2020, as well as the Boston Architectural Center (now College), Endicott College, and Salem State College (now University), and has also taught art and woodworking at the Greater Boston Aid to the Blind.  He was also the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Chair of Liberal Studies and Architectural History and Theory, at the Boston Architectural College, from 2018 to 2019. 

Lastly, in 2009, he successfully launched PTown Tours, an art and architecture walking-tour company, based in Provincetown, MA (ptowntours.com).  This is our 11th year!  PhD and Fulbright Scholar.

Education:

• Ph. D. 2014, Tilburg University (Taos Institute), Tilburg, Netherlands
• Ph. D. coursework, 2009-2011, Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, Spannocchia, Italy/Portland, ME
• M.A., 2003, Architectural History/Theory, Architectural Association, London, UK
• B.Arch., 1997, Boston Architectural Center, Boston, MA, US
• B.F.A., 1992, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA, US

Architectural Experience:

• Private Design Practice, Owner/Designer, 1992-Present.  Projects included: McCarthy Residence, Citicorp Information Services, and MASCO Lansdowne Garage.
• Private Historic Preservation Consulting, Owner/Researcher, 1998-Present.  Projects included: Ashdown House (MIT) and Arlington Street Church.
• Historic American Building Survey, Architectural Technician, 1998.  Projects included: Katherine Graham Residence, Halcyon House, Dumbarton House, Tudor Place, Heinz/Kerry Townhouse, and J. Carter Brown Residence.
• Angelo Kyriakides Architects, Architectural Designer/Model Builder, 1997.
• Powers and Company, Inc., Architectural Designer, 1993-1998.
• Powers and Company, Inc., Architectural Intern, 1990-1992.
• Design Guild, Architectural Intern, 1988.
• Architectural Access Board, Volunteer Inspector, 1987-1988.