Our History
The Founding of NIAUSI dba The Civita Institute
The Northwest Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in Italy (NIAUSI) was originally incorporated in 1981 through the visionary leadership of Professor Astra Zarina, her colleagues at the University of Washington, prominent architects in Seattle, and former students of the UW Italian Studies Programs. In 1982, NIAUSI received 501.c.3 federal tax exempt status to conduct, in the words of Dean Meyer Wolfe, "Activities such as continuing education for architecture and urban specialists, historic and cultural tours of Italian sites, lectures and slide shows directed towards the general public..."
Early activities by NIAUSI included the development of a Fellowship program to send mid-career professionals on a sabbatical of self-directed inquiry in Italy. The volunteer board of directors and supporters were known for the fabulous fundraising events they held to award the annual fellowships. After 26 successful years of fellowships and events, Professor Zarina approached the board of NIAUSI with a new idea. She offered to donate her property in Civita di Bagnoregio, as did her husband Anthony Costa Heywood, to NIAUSI for the development of a research center and a new mission focusing on the contemporary relevance of Italian hill towns.
In 2013, five years after her passing, Mr. Heywood concluded the agreements that had been signed in 2007 and transferred the Zarina-Heywood estate to NIAUSI. Today, NIAUSI primarily does business as The Civita Institute and has grown into a nationally oriented non-profit with a highly developed set of Educational Programs, most with continuing education credits, an evolving Fellowship Program, and a Membership Program. These activities have indeed consolidated the historic facilities of the Zarina-Heywood property into a research center that is also attracting international attention particularly from her home country of Latvia, from Germany where she studied and worked, and Italy, the country she called home. The Civita Institute features unique, educational events, both virtual and in-person, and is a Provider of the American Institute of Architects and of the American Society of Landscape Architects continuing education systems. It manages the extensive collection of books, drawings, and photographs begun by Professor Zarina and augmented by The Civita Institute while working toward its online publication via OMEKA.
The Key Foundational Documents of The Civita Institute
Key foundational documents for The Civita Institute have been combined into a single document that can be previewed or downloaded here. The contents of this combined document include:
1) NIAUSI Articles of Incorporation, amended, March 5, 1982; p.1
3) Lease and Development Agreement for formation of The Civita Institute, June 19, 2007; p.112
4) Amendment #1 to Lease and Development Agreement defining Gift of Property Contents, March 6, 2010; p.148
5) Civita Properties Use Agreement defining use and purpose of "Shared Areas", February 7, 2013; p.180
6.1) Italian version Recorded Deed of Transfer by Tony Costa Heywood to NIAUSI, February 7, 2013; p.195
6.2) English version Recorded Deed of Transfer by Tony Costa Heywood to NIAUSI, February 7, 2013; p.200
The Mission of The Civita Institute
The mission of the Civita Institute is to inspire and foster an interdisciplinary understanding of the unique qualities of Italian hill towns that remain pertinent to our contemporary experience through the promotion of historic preservation, education and scholarly research, artistic creation, cultural exchange, and professional explorations.
In Gratitude
Located in Alto Lazio, in the ancient hill town of Civita di Bagnoregio, the facilities of The Civita Institute were conceived as a research center and donated to NIAUSI/ The Civita Institute for that purpose by the esteemed Professor Emerita Astra Zarina and architect Anthony Costa Heywood. In 2023, Professor Zarina posthumously received the Distinguished Faculty Award for Lifetime Achievement by the UW College of Built Environments. The courses she created and offered for the UW Italian Studies Programs, Architecture in Rome I and II and the Italian Hill Towns Program, endeared her to 50 years of students, including many whose lives were changed through her teaching. Her husband and architect Anthony Costa Heywood, deceased in 2024, remained in their Civita home after Professor Zarina's death in 2008, enjoying a life-estate there, receiving their many friends and finding comaraderie with new Fellows staying at The Civita Institute.
The Civita Institute continues to serve the mission defined in 2007. It is still managed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors that is energized by the positive and collaborative nature of a community of members, fellows, and educational program participants.
More about the life and work of Astra Zarina can be found at the following links: