Our recent field trip to Boston gave us so many reasons to be excited to PRP4. Here are five reasons to bundle up and join us in Boston this March!

Docomomo US President Katie Horak addresses the heartbreaking devastation and loss of homes as well as modern heritage sites resulting from the fires that broke out in Los Angeles on January 7. At Docomomo US we stand together with our Los Angeles family.

We’re dedicating the July special edition newsletter to articles addressing the Docomomo US 2025 theme: Places of Worship. We invite article proposals that seek to explore and understand the multitude of religious, spiritual and faith-based sites across the country – illuminating their distinct styles, development, and community impact – and represent a diversity of communities, historic resources, and the individuals associated with them.

As Docomomo US closes out its third decade of education and advocacy work in the United States, Executive Director Liz Waytkus shares her thoughts on the significant issues the preservation community must confront to continue making meaningful progress.

Each holiday season, we select an image for our member holiday card that inspires and draws attention to the work of an architect, artist, or designer important to the Modern movement. This year, we highlight the work of Jane Slater Marquis (1922-2021), an American artist who worked predominantly in stained glass, completing major commissions throughout the American West.

As we conclude this year’s exploration of suburban corporate campuses, our thematic focus for 2025 shifts to the multitude of religious, spiritual and faith-based sites across the country – illuminating their distinct styles, development, and community impact. A deeper examination of this common typology furthers our understanding of Modern architecture and design in the United States.

Docomomo US and its New York Tri-State Chapter continue to successfully work to designate and protect Marcel Breuer’s iconic inverted Brutalist ziggurat, the former Whitney Museum of American Art at 945 Madison, as a New York City Individual and Interior Landmark.

Docomomo US is thrilled to announce its selection as the nonprofit beneficiary of the 21st annual DWR Champagne Chair Contest. Now through January 7, craft a mini modern chair from champagne corks and enter for your chance to win up to $1,000 in prizes from DWR. For every entry, MillerKnoll Foundation will donate $50 (up to $20,000 total) to Docomomo US.

The National Park Service has formally listed the Louis Kahn-designed Arts United Center on the National Register of Historic Places with National Significance.

It's not quite official yet (still needs approval of the Mayor and City Council), but this has been a long time coming and we are thrilled to report that Boston City Hall was approved as a City of Boston landmark by the Landmarks Commission this past Tuesday.

Wondering what to read in the new year? We've compiled 60 must-read titles on architecture and design, as well as recommended reading to get you thinking about on-theme topics for 2025 and beyond. Our Annual Theme for next year focuses on Places of Worship (more on that soon), and we're looking forward to the PRP4 conference, March 19-22, in Boston. Further afield, check out recommended reads about Los Angeles, our host city for the 2026 International Docomomo Conference.

As I write this, I join Docomomo US Executive Director Liz Waytkus and President-Elect Meredith Bzdak in Santiago, Chile, for the 18th Annual International Docomomo Conference. Convening with our friends from across the globe reminds us of the international impact of Docomomo and our place in this incredible community of scholars, practitioners, and lovers of modernism. There is already a little buzz in the air about the 19th Annual IDC, which will take place in Los Angeles in March of 2026. As an Angeleno, I can’t wait for the opportunity to welcome the international Docomomo community and all of you to this city that I love so much.

Docomomo US chapters, friend groups, and partners organized tours across the country for Tour Day 2024. Many tours explored the annual theme of Corporate Campuses, visiting sites such as Bell Labs, GM Technical Center, the Formica Headquarters, while other tours featured iconic Modern sites of different typologies, from residential to educational and beyond.

Our gift guide for modernists packs a designy punch across price points with finds for all ages, iconic originals, and a few items inspired by our 2025 visit to Boston for PRP4 (March 19-22). 

Welcome to the second installment of the 2024 Special Edition! We are excited to share the following articles and photo essay, which highlight Eero Saarinen’s outsize influence on corporate modern architecture; the impact of Formica on Cincinnati and other businesses; and how American corporate campuses influenced similar developments in Canada.

I spent an entire day wandering the atrium and manicured outdoor walkways feeling, thinking, and seeing what I imagined Eero Saarinen wanted (or didn’t want!) the inhabitants of this building to see and feel and think, my camera searching for compositions and forms that I hoped would reveal a version of the building that wasn’t the current and familiar depiction of the place. Saarinen’s design impresses as much as it provokes; the otherworldly reflections off the facade; the blissfully smooth curves of the sunken granite lobby and stairways; the linear walkways that seem to float along the perimeter of the atrium like walkways on a ship’s deck. You can’t help but feel transported – time moves differently within the space – and I wanted to try and capture this essence.

In 1949, General Motors officially announced its intention to construct a centralized product development campus, called the “General Motors Technical Center;” the site would finally co-locate all the disparate research, engineering, design and manufacturing activities that had outgrown its previous homes into one cohesive site. The press release read: “Architecturally, the buildings will be of unique design, both modern and functional in concept,” – now an enormous understatement given the legacy of the Eero Saarinen-designed campus and its influence on industrial architecture.

Whether it’s big box chain stores or anonymous manufacturing facilities, wide, flat-faced buildings are a common sight on the route into Rochester, Minnesota, from the north. About five miles from downtown, the IBM Manufacturing & Training Facility has a similar boxy massing to other buildings on the street but has a distinctive blue facade pattern. From the air, the vast scale of this building can start to be understood – in fact, when viewed from above, it resembles a computer chip. IBM Rochester is still the largest IBM facility under one roof, enclosing 3.6 million square-feet on 400 acres. In this city, IBM’s frequent moniker “Big Blue” applies to both the company and the building. Commissioned in 1956 and designed by Eero Saarinen & Associates, the opening of the building in 1958 marks a key moment in IBM’s design legacy and Minnesota’s computing industry.  

Founded in 1913, the Formica Company boasts a rich history intricately linked with the development of Cincinnati. As the company expanded, its manufacturing campus gradually moved northward from the Ohio River, mirroring the city’s own growth. The Formica® brand has made a significant impact on corporate campuses not only through its own unique architectural expansion but also by manufacturing laminate products that have furnished corporate buildings since the 1930s.

The Golden Mile can be found fifteen kilometers to the northeast of downtown Toronto, Canada and was one of the nation’s first industrial complexes that transition to commercial in the post-war area. The Golden Mile was once a place where iconic corporate campuses and companies like IBM. and others served as catalysts for economic development while supporting the growth and expansion eastwards alongside iconic planned residential subdivisions, which sprang up to house the new industrial workforce and support their modern lives. 

Docomomo US is currently seeking qualified applicants to contribute to the ongoing leadership of the organization as a one year student board member – starting on January 1, 2025, and ending on December 31, 2025 – the term is potentially renewable for one year at the discretion of the board.

A selection of recorded sessions from the 2024 National Symposium in Miami, Florida are now available to view on Vimeo.

The 80,000 square foot headquarters of Timex, the iconic American Watch company, designed by Fletcher Thompson, Inc., and opened in 2001, is under threat of demolition. The multiple award-winning building combines modern design, open floor plan democratization, and blends into the natural landscape.

The overwhelming share of responsibility in the preservation field concerns the innumerable everyday local treasures that make up the greater wealth of any community’s architectural fabric. However, in a field of advocacy where the public often remains unfamiliar with the urgency or value of conserving our Modern heritage, there is an extraordinary amount to gain from focus on exceptional monuments and their uniquely accessible interest to the public. With the potential to catalyze a broader awareness and understanding of the modernist legacy, as the outsized example of Penn Station, among others, did for our 19th- and early 20th-century inheritance, such ambassadorial sites are a tremendous asset to the modern built environment.

Next week, Wednesday, September 25, we’re gathering at Saint Peter’s Church in midtown Manhattan for A Tribute to Theo (our first-ever gala) to celebrate Theo Prudon and kick off the new Theo Prudon Fund for Preservation Education. It's going to be a memorable evening in a gorgeous, modern space. As we look forward to the event, I’d like to focus my President’s Column this month on Theo, and my appreciation for his steadfast leadership and his dedication to preservation, education, Modernism, and Docomomo US.

All of these homes have a story to tell, but with architecturally-significant home ownership comes great responsibility. The moment one of these properties hits the market, there's always a risk that it'll get stripped of original details or become a development opportunity. It takes the proper steward, someone with curiosity and passion, to preserve their narrative and architectural integrity. So tighten your purse strings, and let's make some new homeowner matches in the name of Modernism.

After months of discussions with our Finnish colleagues, the Alvar Aalto Foundation along with the Consulate General of Finland in New York, Finnish Cultural Institute in New York and managing firm Office of Tangible Space have released a press release regarding the future of the interior. While we are disappointed the interior could not have remained in situ, Docomomo US is grateful to our colleagues for mobilizing and protecting this very important piece of our legacy.

The Goldman House, a unique remnant of the Stelton Colony in Piscataway, New Jersey, is at risk. Notable for its artistic touches including bas reliefs, sculptural elements and interior details, it embodies the aspirations of a community that sought to challenge societal norms and experiment with new ways of living and thinking.

In 1970, then Herman Miller CEO Max De Pree began a poetic brief for a Herman Miller manufacturing facility in the United Kingdom by stating, “Our goal is to make a contribution to the landscape of aesthetic and human value.” The building that resulted from what became titled A Statement of Expectations was a pioneering High-Tech project by Nicholas Grimshaw that recently saw its own award-winning adaptive reuse into, very fittingly, an art and design school. We are happy to share a story originally published by Herman Miller’s WHY Magazine in 2014 that tells the story of The Bath Brief, and Herman Miller’s collaboration with Grimshaw.

It's been way too long since our last commercial real estate round up, and this year's annual theme, Corporate Campuses, provides the perfect opportunity for a revisit. We hope you enjoy perusing some of our finds, including: a Pomo headquarters that's instantly recognizable as a Michael Graves design; an elegant Yamasaki in Michigan; a former church looking for a new use designed by Elizabeth Wright Ingraham; and if you've ever dreamed of an office space in "The Pyramids," now is your chance.

The Texas Instruments Semiconductor Building and headquarters in Dallas, Texas, is an example of a much lesser explored, yet no less historically relevant, corporate research facility from the same era as the well-publicized industrial complexes by Eero Saarinen. In 1958, Texan architects O’Neil Ford with Richard Colley, Arch Swank and Sam Zisman conceived of the massive complex (Fig 1), which typified Ford's daring creativity and stands as what has been considered the most technologically innovative design of his career. The Semiconductor Building serves as a larger artifact of twentieth-century technology, showcasing both advancements in concrete structural design and pioneering breakthroughs in the field of digital electronics.

The Ford Motor Company corporate campus is located in Southeast Michigan, about 10 miles west of Detroit in the city of Dearborn. Ford first began purchasing property here along the Rouge River in 1915, but it was not until 1917, with the impetus of World War I, that they completed the first structure to produce eagle boats for the war effort. Countless additions later, the Rouge complex, now referred to as the Ford Rouge Center, is still operational and is itself a hallmark of adaptive reuse. The expansion of production at the Rouge anchored Ford in Dearborn, where the company would continue to expand its campus, especially after World War II.

Postwar corporate campuses were an important proving ground for architects to demonstrate the core principles of modernist design: that form should follow function, and that the honest expression of building materials should put their inherent qualities on display. Because corporate campuses in this era were also seen as rural oases, set apart from their urban high-rise counterparts on large plots of land, landscape design played an essential role in the expression of place. In many cases, the architectural expression of a modernist corporate campus required that it borrow some drama from its surrounding landscape. And, in some cases, this meant bringing the outside in.

This year’s Docomomo US theme “Corporate Campus” has sought to “explore and understand the influence of suburban corporate architecture and corporate campuses on the edge of more urban cores, their peaks, and now their valleys.” In a post-pandemic world, and in the past year in particular, the evolving role of the corporate campus, and the office in general, has proven to be on trend across culture.

Escape into our annual Summer Reads list, and take a modern architecture and design trip around the world. Like any good travel companion, these titles are up for anything (read them on the beach or a shady bench in the park), and they keep the drama contained (to their pages). 

Docomomo US Chapters Chicago, New York/Tri-State, and Northern California announce the recipients of their 2024 National Symposium scholoarships. 

Docomomo US is pleased to announce two scholarship recipients for the 2022 National Symposium taking place in Miami: Arièle Dionne-Krosnick and Angela Fernandes.

The seven-acre Modern corporate campus once home to Sunset magazine is under threat of demolition. The site captures the essence of “California Modernism” in both its physical design and cultural significance.

It's our first-ever spring shopping guide and we've rounded up a seasonally-inspired assortment of goodies that'll put a smile on your face and refresh your home from the inside out.  

The National Symposium in Miami is just weeks away. Docomomo US President Katie Horak reflects on Symposia past where visiting amazing Modern sites, gathering with friends, and holding challenging discussions all combine to create lasting memories.

Sometimes we all need a little extra push. We get it, so we’ve expanded upon our initial list of why you absolutely, positively cannot miss the 11th annual Docomomo US National Symposium, taking place May 29–June 1, in Miami and Coral Gables, Florida. Plus, there are some important updates about the Miami Marine Boat Tour and the Alfred Browning Parker Tours that we thought you’d want to know about it.

Amy Auscherman’s work spans conservation and collections management, archival product development, and communications – she’s authored a couple of books, digitized the collection of the Miller House & Garden, and currently runs the corporate archives of MillerKnoll brands (there are 15 of them, now, including Herman Miller, Knoll, and Design Within Reach). We’re super excited to have her join us as the guest editor of July’s Special Edition Newsletter and recently took the opportunity to chat with her about cubicles and corporate campuses.

In 1967, two young developers, Ray Graham III and Didier Raven, chose an equally young Antoine Predock to plan and design the residential community of La Luz (The Light) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Predock’s first independent commission received national acclaim for its skilled application of contemporary theories of urban planning and for its convincing synthesis of modern and regional forms of architecture.

The 11th annual Docomomo US National Symposium takes place May 29–June 1, in Miami and Coral Gables, Florida. It is THE primary event in the United States for professionals and enthusiasts to discuss and share efforts to preserve Modern architecture, but just in case you still need some additional persuasion, here are five great reasons why Miami is not to be missed!

The Docomomo US Study Grant program provides financial support for qualified individuals whose work or educational focus demonstrates a continued interest and commitment in the area or subject of exploration for which the particular study grants are being offered. The Study Grant program has been made possible with the generous support of an anonymous Docomomo US supporter. 

Docomomo US kicked off its 2024 Suburban Office Campus theme with a special tour of the former General Foods building in Rye Brook, New York, designed by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo Associates and opened in 1984.

In her first column of the year, Docomomo US President Katie Horak welcomes new members of the board and reflects on 20 years of membership and why it’s a great time to be a member.

The Docomomo US Board of Directors welcomed its new President Katie Horak and designated Meredith Bzdak as president elect at its January meeting. The Board also added three new members: Tonia Moy of Hawaii; Bob Thomas from New England; and Jingyi Luo, who is a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania.

Docomomo US is pleased to announce that Rosa Lowinger and Uta Pottgiesser, internationally recognized experts in the realm of Modern preservation, will present the opening and closing keynote addresses at the 2024 Docomomo US National Symposium.

Docomomo US accepts article submissions on an ongoing basis for publication on our website and in our monthly newsletter on a wide range of issues concerning Modernism. In particular, this year we invite submissions on the annual thematic focus of "Corporate Campuses."

After thoughtful consideration, Docomomo US will be holding the next National Symposium in Miami and Coral Gables, Florida. Recently, the state has introduced and passed many bills and laws that threaten already vulnerable sectors of the population. These policies do not align with the core values of Docomomo US or any of its chapters.

When considering what’s at stake for the coming year, I always reflect on what challenges we have faced and what we should celebrate. Like nearly every year prior to this one, the highs and lows were unique and involved multitudes of resilient partners and preservation organizations joining coalitions and speaking out on behalf of Modern sites and our built heritage.

Every year, Docomomo US selects a historical image for its member holiday card, something that pertains to the culture of Modernist architecture and design. This year, on the occasion of the Cooper Hewitt exhibition A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes, one of Ms. Liebes few known annotated design drawings graces the front of the card. 

Docomomo US is pleased to welcome one of the masterworks of architect Vladimir Ossipoff, the Liljestrand House, to the Explore Modern Partnership.

Last year we explored suburban development’s impact on our communities as a component of our Revisiting Urban Renewal theme. The conversations we had were often challenging and many touched on highway development and how car culture impacted communities and radically changed our built environment. In 2024 we will continue that exploration by following where some of those highways lead – to suburban corporate campuses – and examine their impact on the style, development, and furthering of Modern architecture in the United States. 

Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman shared their creative way of life with the world. As pioneers of California modernism, their expansive body of work embodies the optimistic spirit of the movement. It's warm and colorful. It's innovation applied to craft. They created pieces that were affordable and meant to be lived with and enjoyed.

Consider your holiday fully booked. 

Tour Day is a great way to get out and see some amazing Modern resources across the country. This year's tours covered a variety of resources, from large-scale urban renewal projects to Brutalist college campuses to well-preserved Modern residences and beyond.

This year's gift guide is a roundup tour de force for the aesthetes and design lovers on your list. It's got it all: recommendations from stylish Doco friends, travel-inspired picks by our executive director, variations on two themes for the new year – Miami and the Suburban Office Park – and finally, curated picks that'll woo, ahh, and wow! We hope you enjoy!

Last month, the city government of Boston, led by Mayor Michele Wu, took steps to put decades of architectural drama at its back, when it announced its support of landmarking Brutalist beaut Boston City Hall.

Docomomo US is currently seeking qualified applicants to contribute to the ongoing leadership of the organization as a one year student board member starting on 01 January 2024 and ending on 31 December 2024 – the term is potentially renewable for one year at the discretion of the board.

Docomomo US is pleased to share the following selection of articles and recorded presentations that explore an extensive range and breadth of topics under the subject of this year's thematic focus, Revisiting Urban Renewal. 

I have lived in Southwest DC for the past seven years in a 1963 cooperative housing “campus” that was built as part of the 1945 Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Considered to be the first formal urban renewal project in the United States, the RLA dislocated thousands of residents and their intact community of mainly Black Americans. The photograph that I was most familiar with that depicted the “before” community was the 1939 image (image #1) that shows the proximity of Southwest, District of Columbia, to the U.S. Capitol Building. Many residences in the foreground were built in “alley ways” and did not have electricity, running water, or indoor plumbing. 

Taking measure of a life’s work as complex as Ed Logue’s raises challenges. He described his career to an oral historian from the Library of Congress in 1995 as “a helluva ride.”

Rushed design processes, poor construction quality, post-occupancy mismanagement and a general lack of maintenance characterize the typical modernist public housing estate; their decline symbolic of the cycle of neighborhood obsolescence and redevelopment that once enabled these projects. While originally conceived as alternatives to blighted post-war urban neighborhoods, these stigma-prone estates throughout Europe and the Americas have ironically become convenient targets for demolition. It is no surprise that proponents for their preservation are first confronted with poor public perception and ideological conflicts – fundamental issues that are often more inhibiting than the physical viability of preservation.

When Docomomo US was created over 25 years ago, we set out to build a network of like-minded individuals to offer leadership, knowledge, and enthusiasm for the Modern Movement, which was little understood and little appreciated. We could not have envisioned the remarkable change in public attitude toward modernism we see today. That enthusiasm is due in large part to the dedication, interest, and support of our longstanding members in advancing the understanding of modern architecture and design.

2024 will mark the 20th anniversary of the publication of Root Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America and What You Can Do About It. The book explores the long-term consequences of urban renewal in Black neighborhoods and has many lessons to help us understand the complex problems we face today. Root Shock was written by Dr. Mindy Fullilove with support from the research team she co-founded, the Community Research (now known as the Cities Research Group).

In an article entitled "Pragmatic Preservationist: Docomomo's Liz Waytkus on Modern Architecture, Advocacy, and Natalie DeBlois," Julia Gamolina profiles Docomomo US Executive Director Liz Waytkus for Madame Architect, a digital magazine and media start-up celebrating the extraordinary women that shape our world.

During the 1950s and 1960s, architectural models, maps, and renderings helped local boosters justify and build support for urban renewal in communities across the nation. New York City’s master planner Robert Moses helped pioneer this practice. Urban historian Themis Chronopoulos has analyzed how brochures produced by Moses’ Committee on Slum Clearance juxtaposed images of actual (if outdated) places – tenements, corner stores, back alleys – against illustrations depicting the sleek, modern residential and commercial structures that might be built in their stead.

A selection of recorded sessions from the 2023 National Symposium in New Haven, CT, are now available to view on Vimeo.

The Louis I. Kahn designed Margaret Esherick house, located in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of Interior. The private residence was listed on the Register on August 21 due to its architectural significance as an iconic modernist building, universally recognized as a premier example of Kahn’s design principles.

Docomomo US seeks a full-time Communications and Membership Coordinator.

Citing concerns about condition and repair costs, leadership of the Church of Saint Mary in Alma, Michigan is seeking to demolish the town's "most architecturally significant building," as described by William Scott Jr., biographer of William Wesley Peters, the church architect and long-time Frank Lloyd Wright associate. Local groups including Docomomo US/Michigan are advocating to save it.

In Coral Gables, an ongoing conversation concerns the beauty of our architectural heritage. Does our design sensibility begin and end in the 1920s, when the city was founded as part of the City Beautiful Movement? Or do we view our built environment as a dynamic work in progress – a “moveable feast” of diverse building styles that reflect changing standards of beauty, utility, and sustainability.

It's officially summer and one of the ways we mark the start of the season is with our Summer Reads book list. Whether you are headed on vacation or just to the backyard hammock, make sure to take one of these modern architecture and design titles with you.

Every year, the Symposium goes by faster than we think. As the dust settles, we finally have some time to reflect on the many wonderful moments that we experienced with our friends, colleagues, teachers and mentors. By no means a complete account, here are some of our favorite images that we captured this year. We hope you'll enjoy them as much as we did!  

The 18th Docomomo International Conference in Chile 2024 will have a call for sessions first, then a call for papers. The submission of session proposals in a comparative and interdisciplinary way will be greatly encouraged.

The innovative convergence of modern architecture with 19th century styles, mid-century design innovations and cutting edge modern art were all represented in the interests of the architects Gordon Chadwick and George Nelson and their industrialist/art collecting clients Otto and Eloise Spaeth.

The moment a private home goes on the market is a precarious one - there is always the chance it could be sold to a developer, or to a homeowner who plans to make big changes. The goal of our real estate round ups is to connect modern properties with the right stewards and to show real estate agents the value in these historic homes.

With close to a month left to our National Symposium in New Haven, Docomomo US President Robert Meckfessel admits an embarrassing secret; he has never been to New Haven. In this month’s President’s Column, read about what Bob is most excited to see when he visits this “architectural cornucopia” for the first time next month.

The elegant Historical Studies and Social Sciences Library at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, built in the early 1960s by Wallace K. Harrison, is under threat. Resulting from an exemplary collaboration between the architect of the United Nations and the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who headed the Institute, this graceful building is a well-kept secret, deeply ensconced in the recesses of the campus, invisible from the road and known only to its users. The minimalist vocabulary of the interior is striking, but the library's most salient feature is its inventive roof structure, which is at the core of the current crisis. 

Docomomo US/Chicago and coalition rally to stop a major threat posed to a Chicagoland modern campus.

Interested in hearing more about Modern Travel: Finland? Docomomo US President Robert Meckfessel shares his own Finnish travel experience, a Modernist pilgrimage sure to “affirm one’s life as an architect.” Read more in this month’s President’s Column.

After a precipitous, seven-year rollercoaster of preservation initiatives, the National Park Service has rejected a nomination of the James R. Thompson Center to the National Register of Historic Places. The rejection was primarily due to objections by the site owner, Prime Group.

The Italian-born photographer and, of course, long-time Docomomo member, Andrea Brizzi has been capturing the built environment for 40 years. His most recent photography features a series of forgotten Modernist works in northern Italy and Sardinia. 

The Modern architecture movement in the United States has a rich but complicated history, one that Docomomo US is committed to explore, even as we advocate for its preservation. This history is closely intertwined with that of Modernism in Europe, but the post-war American version has its own flavor and context, driven by our own unique demographics, economics, cultures and politics. Out of that complex mix arose countless examples of innovative, thought-provoking architecture and landscape, both by transplanted Europeans and by our own home-grown American practitioners. Several aspects of that, however, are less admirable and merit further examination to understand the true and complete story of Modernism.

The Alfred Noble Library is located in Livonia, Michigan just outside the City of Detroit. This Late Modern structure was designed by world-renowned architect Gunnar Birkerts. Although the previous administration promised that the local community would have input into the future of the building, the current mayor's office plans to request demolition in early 2023.

Docomomo US seeks a guest editor for its July 2023 newsletter which will focus on the annual theme of "Revisiting Urban Renewal." A stipend of $500 is available for the position.

Docomomo US accepts article submissions on an ongoing basis for publication on our website and in our monthly newsletter on a wide range of issues concerning Modernism. In particular, this year we invite submissions on 2023 thematic focus of "Revisiting Urban Renewal" as well as explorations of Modernism in set design for TV and movies. 

Tour Day 2022 featured over 30 tours across the country, many of them to sold out crowds. Docomomo US chapters, partners, and friend organizations embraced this year's theme of Shopping Malls, taking participants on tours of historic shopping centers both thriving and struggling, and hosting both virtual and in person lectures and book talks to explore the history and future of the classic American mall.  Aside from malls, tours also features iconic modern sites and crowd-pleasing favorites.

Urban and suburban development led to radical changes in the way we live, work, and gather. Docomomo US will explore the multifaceted theme of urban renewal as the 2023 annual theme seeking to revisit and better understand the complexity of the projects that were built, their positive and negative significance, and their impact today.

Take a look at this year's holiday book list for recommended reading before our National Symposium in June, Complexities of the Modern American City. This year's list is packed with titles to contemplate our current urban environments, the issues they face, as well as the architects, planners and theororists who created them. As an added bonus, check out some of the titles that we've included to educate our future urbanists on what it means to design and construct thoughtful spaces.   

How the producers of Star Trek The Original Series employed an existing design genre to provide us the World of the Future.

As we take in the cultural epicenter of New Haven, CT, for the 2023 National Symposium, we will consider the triumphs and complexities surrounding the design and building of the Modern American city and the impacts on our collective communities. Researchers, practitioners, and enthusiasts involved in the process of preservation, conservation, renovation or transformation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the Modern Movement are invited to submit abstracts of papers or full sessions that align with the stated thematic goals.

This October, Docomomo US founding president Dr. Theodore Prudon, FAIA, FAPT was recognized by the country of the Netherlands and the Connecticut Architecture Foundation for his lifelong work and accomplishments.

With local finds from New Haven, and our favorite tributes to the classic American mall, the 2022 Modern Holiday Gift Guide is packed with diverse recommendations for gifts both big and small.  

When Docomomo US was created over 25 years ago, we set out to build a network of like-minded individuals to offer leadership, knowledge, and enthusiasm for the Modern Movement, which was little understood and little appreciated. We could not have envisioned the remarkable change in public attitude toward modernism we see today. That enthusiasm is due in large part to the dedication, interest, and support of our longstanding members in advancing the understanding of modern architecture and design.

How did Milwaukee, in the middle of the country, in the middle of the 20th-century, come to have some of the nation’s most inspiring and monumental mosaic murals? How is it that many churches, libraries, schools, government buildings and public spaces across Wisconsin have mural-sized mosaics fully integrated into the architectural surroundings? A close look at four mosaics commissioned in Milwaukee, at a time when modern art and architecture were capturing a new spirit of innovation and civic pride, reveals different approaches to using mosaic as an architectural art form and presents a unique perspective on the history of arts in Wisconsin.

Last April, the Docomomo US Board of Directors and staff assembled in Milwaukee for our first long-range planning retreat in five years, to consider the future of Docomomo US — our goals, aspirations, challenges, opportunities, and role in the future of preservation. This was sorely needed, especially since the context we work in has dramatically changed in the past five years, as we have dealt with COVID, a leadership transition, a dynamic political landscape, our own growth and expansion, and more.

On behalf of Docomomo US we would like to offer our sincere condolences for the loss of our friend and collaborator Pauline Saliga. During the many productive years of her distinguished tenure as executive director of the Society of Architectural Historians, Pauline was a passionate advocate for the preservation of the built environment.

Docomomo US is pleased to announce the twelve recipients of the 2022 Modernism in America Awards. These projects highlight the best in preservation practice by today’s architects, designers, preservation professionals and advocates. This year’s awards recognize preservation efforts ranging from the transformation of large-scale projects into beacons of sustainability to modest home revitalizations, many of which have been years, or even decades, in the making. The results are a testament to the dedication and foresight of those who recognize the value of preserving our modern heritage for everyone.

Some Docomomo US membership rates will increase beginning September 1, 2022. 

After a four year process by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the state announced its plans to partner with Leggat McCall Properties (LMP) to redevelop the Charles F. Hurley Building. This announcement came after years of discussions over the future of the Boston Government Services Center and how to improve circulation, engagement with the community while being respectful to the building as a historic resource.

 Jessica Anshutz, aka the "Rust Belt Mallwalker" shares a visual essay of malls she has documented since 2016.

With high design and high art, NorthPark Center made shopping glamorous for everyone.

In this excerpt from The American Department Store Transformed, 1920-1960, Richard Longstreth explores the influential role of department stores in the rise of the regional shopping mall.

This excerpt from Alexandra Lange's new book, Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall (Bloomsbury USA), tracks architect Victor Gruen and designer Elsie Krummeck's early attempts at improving on the traditional shopping center, resulting in the Northland Mall in Southfield, Michigan. 

Docomomo US Board President Robert Meckfessel, FAIA, will be sharing his thoughts on current issues in the field of modern preservation as well as the latest updates on the organization in a new monthly President's Column. In this first installment, he reflects on the National Symposium in Philadelphia and the ongoing modern/postmodern divide.

Motivated by the proposed demolition of the Docking State Office Building, in Topeka, Kansas, preservation advocates have organized to preserve the state’s rich modern architectural resources. A modernist gem neighboring the Kansas State Capitol, the 1957 Docking Building has been threatened with partial or complete demolition for over a decade.

This Docomomo US Regional Spotlight article offers some historic background and insight on a key contribution by Hawaiian modern architect Vladimir Ossipoff (1907-1998). In general, Ossipoff’s architecture consistently fused the climate, topography and culture of Hawai‘i like no other over his over 6 decades of practice solely in the islands. His design sensibility was timeless, elegant and usually understated.

In the 1960s, the partnership of the Hawaii architecture firm Lemmon, Freeth, Haines and Jones, their joint venture of Belt, Lemmon and Lo, and San Francisco’s John Carl Warnecke and Associates were selected to design the new Hawaii State Capitol Building.  The resulting building in the Hawaiian International Architecture style was devoid of the classic rotunda featured in most capitol buildings, instead utilizing an open-air rotunda that invites the sun, trade winds, and the occasional rainbow into the lofty, emblematic space.  The design symbolized natural beauty while breaking many boundaries of architectural design both in Hawaiʻi and across the United States.

Parking at Ala Moana Center can be a nightmare. Even for those of us that have been going there for decades, finding a store can be almost as challenging. As kids, we all knew where all the important things were: the sculptures to play on, the deli with the tasty sandwiches, the koi ponds, the hippie store with the imports from India, and the book/record store. It was a adventure to go into “town” to shop at the mall. Even after changes to Ala Moana in the early 80s, finding the cute shop with the funky international jewelry, or familiar “local” drug store or any of the three department stores was not tricky. Navigation was easy. On the lower level, almost all the shops (HOPACO and its glorious pens!) were located on the outer perimeter of the mall building. On the upper level, shops were all along the main open passageway, with a few accessible from the parking side, easy! The mall’s appearance now - muddled and confusing from all the years of updates, is an unfortunate result of its more than sixty years of success.

Shopping centers built between the 1950s through the 1970s on the island of Oahu are unique examples of Modernist architecture in Hawaii. They comprise the majority of large-scale commercial buildings on Oahu and amongst the other islands, which experienced a different level of commercial impact from tourism during the post-war era.

In the decades immediately following World War II Hawaii exploded into the modern era. This remote island chain in the north Pacific suddenly found itself in the midst of global activity with the advent of passenger jet service to Honolulu and the laying of the trans-Pacific telephone cable, both of which contributed to more closely linking the United States with its newest state. The architecture of the islands, keeping pace with its society, assumed an increasingly modern flair, while continuing to embrace the Islands’ strong regional design tradition. 

The 2022 National Symposium in Philadelphia featured over 45 speakers and 12 sessions presentations. If you were not able to join us, or if you would like to watch sessions you were not able to attend, you can now access the Symposium session recordings through Vimeo.

Docomomo US, the leading national organization dedicated to the preservation of Modern architecture, landscapes, and design, announces that its long-standing President and Founder, Theodore H.M. Prudon, FAIA has stepped down and Robert Meckfessel, FAIA has become the organization’s President.

It's officially summer and one of the ways we mark the start of the season is with our Summer Reads book list. Whether you are headed on vacation or just to the backyard hammock, make sure to take one of these modern architecture and design titles with you.

The moment a private home goes on the market is a precarious one - there is always the chance it could be sold to a developer, or to a homeowner who plans to make big changes. The goal of our real estate round ups is to connect modern properties with the right stewards and to show real estate agents the value in these historic homes. 

A proposed renovation to the exterior facade, lobby, and atrium of KRJDA's 60 Wall Street would turn this unique postmodern resource into another bland and generic space. 

Seattle's Brutalist Freeway Park design has been unanimously approved to become a city landmark.

The Docomomo US Northern California (NOCA) Chapter is pleased to announce Shelby Kendrick as the recipient of the 2022 Docomomo US/NOCA Symposium Travel Grant. 

Docomomo US is pleased to announce three scholarship recipients for the 2022 National Symposium: Jacob Faust, Nicolas DelCastillo, and Shelby Schrank.

Prompted by the recent demolition of Geller I, Docomomo US has selected 11 of of the most significant examples of Modern architecture from across the country that are at risk of being lost.

When the Terrace Plaza Hotel was originally built, designed by Natalie de Blois of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, it was a visionary project - one of the first International Style hotels in the United States. Now, the long vacant hotel is up for auction. Is there a preservation-minded developer out there who can recapture some of the vision of its original designers?

Dedicated in 1972, plans are underway to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Paul Rudolph’s design for the First Church in Boston.

Throughout much of the 20th century the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company was known by its moniker "Behind Your Independence ... Stands the Penn Mutual." Located just south of Independence Hall, the slogan reflected both corporate branding and the physical reality of its corporate headquarters as backdrop to Independence Hall.

Are you interested in helping to preserve and share the significant heritage of modernism in New England? The New England chapter of Docomomo US is reaching out to those who might want to become involved in extending the group’s reach throughout the region and in participating in activities and leadership.

Come join our team!

As part of its 2022 advocacy theme, Docomomo US is launching Mallitecture & Memories, a crowdsourcing campaign to document midcentury shopping malls.

The Stephen F. Austin School (SFA), constructed under the Public Works Administration building program in 1935, enrolled its first Mexican-American student in 1946, and was one of nine original sites for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)-backed “Little School of the 400.” The now-vacant building is under threat of development for much needed housing.

An excerpt from the book Reglazing Modernism - Intervention Strategies for 20th Century Icons, by Angel Ayón, Uta Pottgiesser and Nathaniel Richards, which was awarded the 2021 Lee Nelson Book Award from the Association for Preservation Technology International (APT).

Docomomo US is thrilled to welcome our 19th regional chapter, Docomomo US/Wisconsin. Docomomo US/Wisconsin is a regional chapter of Docomomo US that promotes awareness, appreciation and protection of Modern architecture and design across the state of Wisconsin through documentation, engagement, and advocacy efforts.

We are pleased to announce Jesús (Chuy) Barba Bonilla and Rachel Leibowitz will join the Docomomo US Board of Directors. 

Marcel Breuer's first binuclear house, Geller I in Lawrence, New York has been demolished this week in the dead of night. Geller I is largely considered the project that propelled Breuer to private practice in New York and prompted the Museum of Modern Art to commission Breuer to design an exhibition house in the museum’s courtyard entitled The House in the Museum Garden in 1949. 

On December 15 the preservation world received some unexpected good news about the long-threatened James R. Thompson Center: Governor Pritzker had chosen a developer whose proposal for the site includes retaining the structure as a mixed-use property with office, retail and hotel space. There is still a long road ahead but this is a huge step in the right direction.

Architect Fred Guirey and his associates received the commission in 1961 to be the architect for the Arizona Public Service (APS) administrative building. Over the next 60 years, several panels over the walkway developed hairline cracks, making them a safety hazard. Alison King of Modern Phoenix and the firm 180 Degrees Design + Build stepped in to save them from the landfill.

Two significant modern homes in the Tucson, AZ region have recently received official recognition as historic landmarks. Due to an increase in population growth in the mid twentieth 20th century, Tucson saw a correlated rise in construction during that time. Now, thanks to organizations such as Tucson Preservation Foundation, they are beginning to receive the attention and recognition that they deserve. In 2021, both the Beck House, designed by John H. Beck, and Viewpoint/Johnson House, designed by Judith Chafee, were designated as local landmarks.

As the population shift stretched out into the suburbs, it transformed the idea of commerce. Shopping malls became a staple of American society after the Second World War, providing convenient access to domestic needs while offering social and cultural components. Early malls were small, open-air groupings of commercial enterprises with a small parking lot out front. But the idea rapidly expanded with the creation of the fully enclosed malls. This new take on suburban commercial structures began the trend for these sprawling structures that became ubiquitous within our built fabric and only continued to morph and change over the course of the 20th century. Today, shopping malls are in a critical point of flux.

Docomomo US is pleased to welcome cf3 (Cincinnati Form Follows Function) as an official Friend Organization. 

2021 has been a long year, with preservation challenges to match. Docomomo US continues to put our resources and platform to positive use by engaging in intensive, multi-year efforts to save some of our country’s most significant modern heritage.

Docomomo US is participating in the Section 106 process for the Smithsonian Institutions's National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Restaurant Addition Replacement. This is a separate process than that for museum itself, for which work is currently underway. 

Holiday cheer in the air, and a modern book in your hand. While searching for books worthy of this year's list, we encountered a pleasant surprise - an exciting number of publications focused on the contributions of female designers - we love to see it. We also have a few more travel & leisure themed titles to round out our 2021 annual theme, and here's a hint: pre-order Alexandra Lange's book on shopping malls if you want to be ready for next year's theme. Gift a book to the modernist in your life or add them to your own "to-read" list for 2022!

For Tour Day 2021 we were thrilled to have a number of tours return to in-person formats, as well as many tours that offered a hybrid option, allowing attendees from both near and far to participate. This year's events explored the ways that midcentury travel and leisure trends influenced the modern landscape, from residential homes to roadside structures to infrastructre and beyond. 

In August of 2020, an unexpected sight debuted along interstate I-40 in Albuquerque, New Mexico: a sign for the BLVD2500 Luxury Apartments. Since 1971, 2500 Carlisle Boulevard NE has been the address of a modern architectural curiosity, a story that begins in the 1960s.

Identifying a project by its architect is a common occurrence; it's easy to associate a building with a single name. But a project is rarely the result of a singular vision. It's the result of a collaboration between the client, architects, engineers, and contractors for a specific site and defined problem. Among those unsung engineers is Sergio Acosta.

Founded in 1889, the University of New Mexico (UNM) is known for the balance and adherence to a Southwestern design identity that’s persisted throughout its 130+ years of architectural development. Upon first impression, the UNM main campus does not invoke the sense of architectural design variation that many campuses do; the modernist elements of the campus may not be initially apparent.

Don P. Schlegel, FAIA, is remembered by many as a mentor and credited with teaching a significant number of the practicing architects in Albuquerque. Schlegel spent the majority of his architectural career teaching on the University of New Mexico’s (UNM) Albuquerque campus and was a key figure in the establishment of the university's School of Architecture and Planning.

Albuquerque's modernist architecture, spanning the pre-war period into today, has only recently begun to be recognized and contextualized for the roles it has played in the city's development. The city government commissioned its first survey of mid-century modern architectural resources in 2013, followed closely thereafter by the study of select structures by a University of New Mexico architecture class. As interest has grown, new resources and research have emerged from a growing group of enthusiasts, preservationists, architects, and historians. This Regional Spotlight aims to contribute to this expanding pool of resources documenting Modern ABQ. 

The former Westinghouse Research and Development Center sited on 150 carefully curated acres in Churchill Borough, Pennsylvania, 10 miles from Pittsburgh's Point, holds a noteworthy place in the history of architecture, design, industry and science and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, maintaining significant integrity. The multiplex modernist corporate campus and landscape, designed through the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and exemplary of midcentury suburban R&D facilities with parklike surrounds, is at risk for complete demolition with an impending redevelopment plan void of reuse.

The 2021 Modern Holiday Gift Guide will inspire your next getaway with midcentury travel and leisure-themed gift ideas.

In celebration of its 70th anniversary, Farnsworth House, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will be renamed the Edith Farnsworth House, in recognition of the multi-talented woman who commissioned the Building from architect Mies van der Rohe.

Bidding is now open for be:cause modern, the auction for Modernism. We had a blast last year and can not wait to share the amazing items in this year's lineup, including one-of-a-kind pieces of art, drawings, books, modern experiences, and home stays generously donated by our friends, colleagues and members.

When Docomomo US was created over 25 years ago, we set out to build a network of like-minded individuals to offer leadership, knowledge, and enthusiasm for the modern movement, which was little and little appreciated. We could not have envisioned the remarkable change in public attitude toward modernism we see today. That enthusiasm is due in large part to our long-standing members' dedication, interest and support in advancing the understanding of modern architecture and design.

Jennifer Baughn's new book, Buildings of Mississippi, is the first volume in the newly redesigned Buildings of the United States series. With a more reader-friendly guidebook format and color illustrations throughout, Buildings of Mississippi is also the most substantive, up-to-date history of the state’s built environment. Crafted specifically for the Docomomo US audience, the following excerpt highlights the state's modern travel and leisure resources of the midcentury and recent past.

The sign beckons you, the building interests you, and the office welcomes you, but the room itself defines most of your motel lodging experience. It is here that the traveler sheds the stress of the road, seeking relaxation and slumber. The success, or lack thereof, of this effort determines the enjoyment of your stay.

Modeled after roadside parks, safety rest areas (SRAs) were constructed as part of the Interstate Highway System to provide minimal comfort amenities for the traveling public. Early in their developmental history, however, design aesthetics moved in the tradition of roadside architecture that defined American highways in previous decades. Thus safety rest area sites emerged as unique and colorful expressions of regional flavor and modern architectural design.

Before neon signs with trendy sayings were popping up in hipster mac n’ cheese bars, before old motels were being revamped into $300/night luxury experiences, before ruin porn proliferated on Instagram, there was the Society for Commercial Archeology (SCA). As “America’s Roadside Heritage Advocate,” SCA is thrilled to participate in Docomomo’s “Travel & Leisure” annual theme. What follows are three articles: an introduction to SCA and roadside architecture by Jeremy Ebersole, Joanna Dowling’s 2008 study of Interstate rest areas, and Lyle Miller’s 2020 look at the evolution of motel rooms. "Drive" with us into this exploration of the bewildering, evocative, and always fascinating world of commercial archeology.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s there was an efflorescence of ski resorts across the USA. In Vermont the pastime was in its heyday with 81 ski areas operating in 1966. Not the least of which were the Sugarbush, Glen Ellen, and Mad River Glen resorts in the Mad River Valley. Nestled between the two ranges of the Green Mountains, it was a groovy place to ski and be seen. Young professionals and hip suburbanites were drawn to the area for its low-key charms and great skiing. It was this atmosphere that drew a group of adventurous young graduates of the Yale School of Architecture to the area to try their hand at design, building and developing weekend houses for the ski set.

The town of Norwich, Vermont has a deep and rich developmental history dating back to the mid-18th century. As the town grew over the next century, its residents built houses in the Georgian, Federal, and Greek Revival styles. There was little new construction in Norwich during the period of population loss in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and as a result there are few examples of Victorian, Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, or bungalow-style buildings in the town. Between 1944 and 1974, however, development began again, and low-slung homes of the style now known as Midcentury Modern were built on the hillsides in Norwich.

The Gutterson Fieldhouse at the University of Vermont. St. Mark Catholic Parish on North Avenue. The Given Medical Building of the UVM College of Medicine. The NBT Bank on Bank Street. The Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes. Ohavi Zedek Synagogue. Rice Memorial High School. What do all these greater Burlington buildings from the 1940s, '50s and '60s have in common? All of them — and hundreds more around Vermont — were designed by one architect: Ruth Reynolds Freeman.

Think of Vermont, and what comes to mind? Most likely a decidedly nostalgic vision of quaint villages, white churches with tall steeples, picturesque farmsteads with red barns and cows grazing in green fields, and covered bridges crossing meandering rivers. This is all true, but it’s not the complete story. Believe it or not, the 20th century did happen in Vermont and left its own unique imprint on our built environment.

Was it to be a missing person’s report, or more of a personal ad? Middle-aged female architect ISO a goddess she recollects from her youth: about seven feet tall; long, flowing locks; triumphant pose. Last seen: Battle Creek, Michigan, sometime in the late 1980s, in the food-court of a mall. I see now that it’s starting to read a bit like an episode of Stranger Things, but pour yourself a bowl of corn flakes and settle in.

Hot Spring’s downtown core and Park Avenue (Highway 70) approach road hosts several elegant modernist hotels sprinkled throughout an urban fabric typically touted for its historic Bathhouse Row, Arlington Hotel, and assortment of prewar buildings dating back to the 1880s, tightly hemmed into a picturesque valley of the Ouachita Mountains. This group of hotels, some undervalued and threatened, represent the final phase of the dynamic, almost century-long trajectory of the Arkansas settlement which was once considered a top resort destination in the United States.

The former Ministry of Education and Health Building in Rio de Janeiro, also known as Gustavo Capanema Palace, one of the earliest modern public buildings in all of the Americas and a highly significant site in the global history of Modernism, could be auctioned off by the Brazilian Government. 

In her definitive biography of Walter Gropius, Fiona MacCarthy posed the question about the last years of Gropius’s life: “Why was it that the Bauhaus and its history continued to be his great preoccupation and why did he cling to the little group of friends—Bayer and Breuer and Schawinsky—who had been with him at the Bauhaus, and who sometimes treated him with singular disloyalty, for the rest of his long life?” To answer this question, one need simply look to the Wellfleet community they shared and the unforgettable times spent together on Cape Cod beginning in the mid-1940s. The following is an excerpt from Breuer’s Bohemia: The Architect, His Circle, and Midcentury Houses in New England by James Crump, forthcoming from Monacelli Press on September 14. 

Docomomo US is excited to share that be:cause modern, the auction for modernism, will return again this November. In anticipation of the event, we are seeking special donation items such as signed drawings and books, paintings, woodcuts and lithographs, unique and vintage tabletop items, exclusive tour experiences and modern home stays.

On June 25, 2021, the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council, voted unanimously in support of the James R. Thompson Center nomination to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. 

During the mid-20th century, the Green Book helped Black Americans to travel by letting them know which hotels, motels, restaurants, gas stations, and other businesses it would be safe for them to frequent. Here we highlight some of the modern resources that made their way into the Green Book.

Get a sneak peek of some of the tours that will take place this October for Docomomo US Tour Day. This year's theme is "travel and leisure."

In the second-ever edition of our Commercial Real Estate Round Up, we are featuring travel and leisure-related midcentury businesses (and one Airstream!) currently for sale. The hospitality industry has been hard-hit in the last year and half, but we are all itching to get back out there and the prospects look good if you're in the market to become the next steward of one of these legacy midcentury businesses. 

The 2021 Docomomo US National Symposium focused on the most important city in the United States when it comes to modern design – Chicago. I have never physically visited Chicago, but I was very grateful for my opportunity to attend this event. It illuminated not only the central role that the city of Chicago has played in Midcentury Modernism but also how it represents a node that connects the Midcentury Modern design of many other large cities in America, such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington DC.  

A list of Robert Venturi’s most well-known works will usually include the Sainsbury wing extension to London’s National Gallery (1991), Fire Station no. 4 (1968) for the city of Columbus, Indiana, and of course his postmodernist masterpiece, the iconic residential house built for his mother, the Vanna Venturi House (1964) in Philadelphia. Quite less known are the remarkable series of vacation and second homes his firm designed in the 1980s in classic coastal New England locales.

The Ant Farm Antioch Art Building Creative Preservation Group (AFAAB) is dedicated to the creative preservation of the spirit and structure of the Ant Farm Antioch Art Building in Yellow Springs, Ohio. 

The Docomomo US 2021 National Symposium Chicago: Crossroads of Modern America is now available to watch through Vimeo. You can purchase individal sessions or choose a package deal to watch the whole Symposium.

Local architects in the modern era could have tremendous impact on the built landscape of their communities. In post-WWII South Dakota, there were only a handful of architectural firms in-state that were very active, though that pool of professionals expanded some into the 1960s and beyond. A unique contributor to modern architecture in South Dakota, and in particular the city of Sioux Falls, was the architect Ward Whitwam, who recently passed away in January 2021. 

Our society learns to appreciate past architectural styles in waves, and landmark buildings attract attention earlier than other types of structures. In the mid-20th century, the Catholic Church in South Dakota invested in a handful of worship spaces that stand out in the top tier of Modernist ecclesiastical design for the state, making them an excellent introduction to architecture of the Modern movement in South Dakota.

Historical context for modern sites in South Dakota is still in its fledgling stages and recognition of modern resources within the general population of South Dakota is still a hill to climb, and, for those outside the state, awareness of this history is likely negligible. Writing this set of spotlight articles has served as a way for the staff of the South Dakota SHPO to expand their knowledge about Modernism, and they are our humble way to introduce South Dakota to the wider Modern Movement audience.  

The Lexington Herald Leader put it correctly when they stated that "For the architecture world, there is a collective sigh of relief that one of the most iconic residences in the world, which has had a tumultuous decade, could be safe for now," after the Miller House in Lexington, Kentucky was sold at auction to a buyer who has expressed interest in preserving the home and possibly finding ways to share it with the public.

Twenty-one books for your Summer 2021 modern reading list. 

Docomomo US is pleased to announce three additional scholarship recipients for the 2021 National Symposium Chicago: Harshitha Beere, Alejandro Saldaño Perales, and Asiye Yukselen, bringing the total to six scholarships awarded.

Perhaps not be the best news for preservationist purists, but good news for adaptive reuse advocates, the once-threatened Brutalist Coral Gables Police and Fire Station will be repurposed as a the Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables' new dealership’s new showroom and office.

The Docomomo US 2021 National Symposium, “Chicago: Crossroads of Modern America,” will feature a joint keynote address by Mabel O. Wilson and Jack Pyburn that considers how race and the African American experience have been impacted by the Modern Movement and looks at the origins of how history is determined to be significant or valuable, that may in turn lead us to reconsider what we preserve.

In the years immediately following World War II, there was a concerted effort in Milwaukee to construct new arts, sports, and cultural facilities.  These projects were promoted by city and county politicians, business leaders, and civic groups as amenities to serve local residents and showpieces to elevate Milwaukee’s status as a major city.  All played a role in cultivating Milwaukee’s identity, and some even made a significant contribution to the city’s architectural heritage.  The three buildings discussed below continue to serve in their original capacities and are some of the city’s most visible symbols of the Modern Movement.

The curator of the “American System-Built Homes” on West Burnham Street in Milwaukee examines Frank Lloyd Wright’s blend of proportion, materials, social reform, and nature in these seminal homes that mark Wright’s earliest gesture of modern architecture to a broad audience. Concepts developed and tested on The Burnham Block infuse Wright’s thinking for the rest of his life and continue to shape modern architecture to this day.

The Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, known as the "Domes," was designed in 1959 and constructed over the next eight years. Architect Donald L. Grieb's proposal for the cone-shaped domes was selected following a national competition. Its patented design has never been replicated, making the Domes unique in the world.

This essay examines three built works by Wisconsin’s First Black Registered Architect, Alonzo Robinson. Under-recognized for his distinct modern contributions to Milwaukee’s landscape, this piece takes a closer look at significant works from Robinson’s portfolio that represent his dedicated service to this city, his faith, and his community.

Milwaukee Moderns will introduce the diverse communities, progressive ideas and cultural leaders in Milwaukee during the twentieth century. This preview chronologically examines five iconic modern Milwaukee buildings through the lens of the pioneering architects, designers, activists, and community leaders that pushed for design reform and advocated for architectural innovation.

Docomomo US is pleased to announce our first three scholarship recipients for the 2021 National Symposium Chicago. These scholarships were made possible thanks to members who donated specifically to our Scholarship fund.

The real estate market is a little crazy right now, so we are hoping that these amazing modern (and some Postmodern) homes are all able to find owners who will appreciate them as much as we do. 

Following the limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that closed libraries, bookstores, schools, universities and learning spaces all overs the world, Docomomo International endeavored to transform its signature publication, the Docomomo Journal into an open source format, making its contents available to all readers.

Trenton, New Jersey’s Brutalist Health and Agriculture buildings are being demolished as we speak, making way for the urban blight of surface parking. In 2016, then Governor Chris Christie announced a major state office construction plan that would replace three buildings, including two built for the combined use of the state’s health and agriculture departments. Local civic activists came together as Stakeholders Allied for the Core of Trenton, calling for a redesign of the new building plan, in the manner of 21st century development. 

Bookshop.org is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. Docomomo US has set up a storefront where you can purchase recommended readings for our Mission for Modernism events, seasonal book lists, and annual themes. 

We know you get a lot of emails. In keeping with the modern belief that less is more, Docomomo US has always aimed for quality over quantity. Please complete this short survey to help us gage how we’re doing and to continue providing communications that are relevant to you.

In a shocking and frustrating turn of events, news broke this week that the beautiful and iconic Art Deco lobby of the McGraw Hill building has been completely gutted. 

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is reviewing proposed changes to the Rockefeller Wing addition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, designed by architect Kevin Roche. 

Registration is now open for the 2021 Docomomo US National Symposium Chicago, to be held virtually from May 25 - 28, 2021. 

The Docomomo US/NOCA Symposium Grant provides financial support for students and emerging professionals committed to the documentation and conservation of Modern Movement buildings, landscapes, and sites. The intent of this year’s scholarship is to enable up to three individuals to participate in the Docomomo US 2021 National Symposium.

Docomomo US is accepting article proposals for the ongoing Regional Spotlight Series and the Summer Special Edition newsletters that will focus on this year's annual theme of Travel & Leisure.

Originally published in 1962 and out of print for almost 50 years, The Notebooks and Drawings of Louis I. Kahn was the first book on influential 20th-century American architect Louis Kahn (1901–74) to feature his own images and words and offers a unique window onto Kahn’s early creative process. Among the books of his own work published during his lifetime, it is the one that the architect most treasured, the one that he felt got his work—and his thinking—right.

Rita Cofield, a lifelong resident of L.A.’s Watts neighborhood, is working to protect a building designed by USC Architecture alumni Robert Kennard and Arthur (Art) Silvers that is right in her own backyard.

Modern Love + The Advocacy Fund. As part of our #ModernLove campaign, Docomomo US is announcing the creation of a new intiative: The Advocacy Fund. Gifts to this new initiative will go directly to critical advocacy efforts and will support local and national work. 

Docomomo US joins The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) plus a growing list of leading landscape architects, architects, and scholars in speaking out on threats to the "finest corporate campus in the world," the Weyerhaeuser Campus in Washington State. 

Director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz History Center of Pittsburgh takes us on a ‘visit’ to the Betty and Irving Abrams home designed in 1979-82 by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown and explores the broader trends of Jewish patronage for modern architecture along the neighborhood’s infamous Woodland Road, and throughout the region. Recently a contentious local preservation issue, the property’s new owner wants the dwelling dismantled and removed from their property. The preservation community reacted in disagreement, noting the grave loss of an important postmodern design in a particular context.

In conducting research for the exhibition Imagining the Modern: Architecture and Urbanism of the Pittsburgh Renaissance at the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Heinz Architectural Center and the subsequent book, we made it a priority to meet some of the key players active during this critical time in Pittsburgh’s renewal. Among the most surprising discoveries was Troy West. West was a surprise not just for his bold body of work, but for the participatory process by which they were created. His built legacy in Pittsburgh could be considered scant, but his influence on the city, the way architecture is taught, and the definition of a modernist architect is far more profound.

A local leader in education with a keen eye for Brutalism shares a visionary, preservationminded love poem of the open-plan structure that welcomes and inspires his students from lowincome communities - designed with a groundbreaking concept in 1972 by Tasso Katselas, Pittsburgh’s most prolific modern architect.

Through the lens of a contemporary, award-winning landscape architect-designer, we explore and examine a 1974 project by Dan Kiley, painstakingly crafted in tandem with architect Edward Larrabee Barnes, enhancing the site of one of Pittsburgh’s most epic cultural institutions in the Carnegie legacy, and most successful modernist additions in a U.S. art museum.

Recently retired archivist of Carnegie Mellon University’s Architecture Archives offers a glimpse into the professional career and Pittsburgh-rooted portfolio of Walter L. Roberts, a multi-talented, unsung architect of the region who made a diverse, modernist mark including with Westinghouse Electric, community housing and facilities, industrial design firms and more.

Chair of the Pittsburgh Modern Committee of Preservation Pittsburgh introduces ‘Pittsburgh’s Modern Milieu’ with an impression of the city and region’s modern and postmodern resources, initiatives, challenges and curiosities – along with a summary of the spotlight series, which touches on the ongoing Docomomo US themes: the Diversity of Modernism and the 1970s turn 50, amongst other topics. (+ plus announcing the launch of a special collaboration-series of limited edition screen-prints of Pittsburgh modernist gems!).

A midcentury PepsiCo plant in Doral, Florida is slated for redevelopment, which may include demolition of all current buildings, including a unique brutalist theater designed to resemble a bottle cap. 

2021 - new year, new modern homes (and apartments, and ... floating homes?!) on the market for your viewing pleasure. What does this year's real estate market have in store? Keep scrolling to find out!

If there is one industry that defines the mid-century, it’s Travel and Leisure. Whether hitting the road by car or jetting off to exotic locations, modern ideals and aesthetics can be found just about everywhere you look.

In a year in which the United States of America has been ravaged by the worst pandemic in a century and economic devastation that may take generations to repair, Docomomo US is disturbed and appalled by the December 21, 2020 announcement of the Executive Order on Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture

With a new year on the horizon, the repercussions of the past year on modern sites we love are front and center. Here are some of the issues and threatened sites that will be on our radar in 2021.

When one thinks of Kansas, a hotbed of progressive design is likely not the first descriptor that comes to mind. One usually thinks of the Wizard of Oz, figures like Dwight D. Eisenhower, and perhaps the origin of fast food pizza (Pizza Hut). That said, a deeper review of architecture and design brings to the forefront the breadth of modernism that can be found throughout the state.

In October of 2020, in the middle of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Wichita Public Library, likely the first Brutalist building designed in the state of Kansas, became the state’s first Beton Brut building added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Library nomination was rushed through, along with a separate nomination for the adjacent Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center by concerned citizens against the wishes of developers and City officials.

Kansas, the 15th largest state by area, resides at the geographical center of the continental United States. “The Sunflower State” combines mostly family-owned farms and ranches with the robust aviation industry that made the state a strategic military training center during World War II. Paralleling this, between 1941 and 1956 the population of Kansas’s largest city, Wichita, doubled from 115,000 to 240,000 during the peak years of postwar modernism.

We are happy to report that the first-ever Docomomo US silent auction was a resounding success. The total amount raised towards our cause of continuing to save the modern sites you love was $28,188! A sincere thank you to all of our donors, many of which are long-standing friends, members, foundations and architectural firms, and congratulations to all of the winners! 

We may not be able to take part in many of our usual activities right now, but thankfully curling up with a good book is not one of them. In fact it is one activity we would highly encourage. Peruse our 2020 Holiday Book List for great midcentury architecture and design books to add to your roster, plus some aspirational reads in the travel and leisure category to get ready for when we can finally travel again.

What modern preservation struggle matters most to you? This Giving Tuesday, we are giving you the chance to spotlight a modern preservation struggle (past or present) that is important to you.

The Docomomo US annual Tour Day event celebrates the #70sTurn50 this year. If you missed out on any of the grooviness, we have compiled all of the virtual events that were recorded here in one place.

The 2020 Modern Holiday Gift Guide brings '70s cheer to your gift giving this year. Offering curated picks from @hoodmidcenturymodern, the year's best new architecture Instagram, two Docomomo US board members with impeccable taste, and our Executive Director, who always manages to find the next big thing before anyone else, the guide has something for everyone. 

Docomomo US/Philadelphia Board Member Grace Ong Yan's new book Building Brands explores the role of architectural branding in the design of corporate modernism and tells how business strategies, modern architecture, urban conditions, and conceptions of society shaped the ambitious branding goals of corporate clients. 

Milwaukee’s former Forest Home Library branch is an iconic mid-century modern building. The library, which won multiple design awards for its innovative use of materials, scale, and functionality, is now threatened by demolition by a developer claiming it cannot be rehabilitated for new uses.

Adapted from an assignment for the class Modern American Architecture on the Historic Preservation program at GSAPP, Columbia University, James E. Churchill discusses the global impact of New Brutalism and the attempt to reinstall ethics and humanism into architectural design and examines the works of Louis I. Kahn, his connections to C.I.A.M. and the three-phase plan for the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

When Docomomo US was created more than 20 years ago, we set out to build a network of like-minded individuals to offer leadership, knowledge, and enthusiasm for the modern movement, which was little and little appreciated. We could not have envisioned the remarkable change in public attitude toward modernism we see today. That enthusiasm is due in large part to our long-standing members' dedication, interest and support in advancing the understanding of modern architecture and design.

There has been a rush of iconic modernist homes making their way to market this fall, from Richard Neutra's Kaufmann Desert House to Wallace K. Harrison's personal 1930s summer house. We're hoping they find the right buyers, maybe that's you? For those of us with not quite so much cash on hand, there are plenty of other midcentury homes to seek out, and we've rounded up our favorites here.

In celebration of great photography and modernism, Docomomo US is creating limited edition sets of twelve postcards featuring each of the winning photographs. Pre-order a set (or two) today!

By the 1970s, modern architecture in Hawaii had donned many different garbs. To explore the various ways modernism was interpreted in 1970s Hawaii, the chapter has created a Google Earth map of 1970s sites throughout the state. Additionally, Docomomo US/Hawaii's annual walking tour (virtual this year!) will explore the theme “The 70s Turn 50” by highlighting buildings constructed in Honolulu between 1970-1972. These five sites, voted on by chapter members, reflect the many trends architects and designers were experimenting with at the time. 

We are expanding our popular real estate round up to include commercial sites! Although we have included commercial sites from time to time in the past, given the changing nature of real estate these days, we decided to put an extra focus on commercial sites that are in need of good stewards who will recognize their architectural value. Help us find new owners who will be the right match for these mid 20th century buildings and landscapes. 

Docomomo US is thrilled to welcome our newest regional chapter, Docomomo US/Colorado. The chapter encompasses the entire state of Colorado, with members all along the Front Range and Western Slope. 

Since taking ownership in 2012, United Therapautics has claimed it would reuse the remaining portions of Paul Rudolph's Burroughs Wellcome building. It came as a surprise to many earlier this month when news came that a demolition order had been pulled. Preservationists have rallied in support of the building.

The Hirshhorn Museum, the first modernist building on the National Mall, is getting an overhaul of its sunken sculpture garden as well as improvements to the building envelope. This will be the second time the garden has been redesigned. Docomomo US and Docomomo US/DC continue to participate as part of the Section 106 process.

Docomomo US is excited to be launching its first online auction this November. The auction entitled be:cause modern will feature one-of-a-kind items, drawings, book, experiences and modern home stays. The be:cause modern auction will benefit the ongoing work of Docomomo US and support its mission during the challenging times we find ourselves in.

Gio Ponti´s contact with North America dates from 1928 when he was invited to participate in an interior and furniture design exhibition organized by Macy´s department store, but it was only at the beginning of the 1950s that Ponti would return his attention to the American continent. During that period, his many travels included Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, and the United States, and were marked by the enunciation of some of his key design principles that would be taken further in the decades to come.

Googie design was a hot topic of conversation in the summer of 2019, when the question of preserving Tom’s Diner was a frequent headline. The Diner was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places more than ten years ago and featured in local publications, but the term Googie was not widely known or understood even though the building was highly recognizable and well loved by many.  Fortunately, through community support and creative partnerships the most intact Armet and Davis design in Colorado survived and is set to thrive again soon.  

The design of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is a masterpiece of the Modern Movement in architecture. It is the foundational, break-out design by I.M. Pei that kicked off his extraordinary career. 

The adoption of Modern architecture is a ubiquitous feature of most American cities following the Second World War. However, the preferences and architectural palettes within the Modern movement varied considerably based on the tastes of locals and the architects they commissioned. The City of Fort Collins is using the work of northern Colorado architect William Robb to better understand its local trends within the Modern Movement.

In 1939, Elizabeth Paepcke came to ski in Aspen. She would return in 1945 with her husband, Walter, a wealthy Chicagoan, starting a long relationship that would introduce Bauhaus modernism to the once quiet ski town.

On July 23, 1954, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) was awarded the contract to design and construct the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The site itself was chosen from over 580 submissions by a Site Selection Committee that included Reserve Brigadier General Charles A. Lindberg, while over 300 architectural firms applied for the commission – one of the largest government construction projects of the Cold War era. Constructed during Eisenhower’s presidency, the Air Force Academy was intended to complement the established military academies West Point and Annapolis.

Willert Park Courts, the first housing complex for African Americans in Buffalo and an early example of International Style design, will receive the Docomomo US 2020 Modernism in America Advocacy Award of Excellence. The organization's top advocacy prize honors the work of Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN) and the Michigan Street Preservation Corporation (MSPC) who for over 15 years maintained their stance that the complex is “one of the single most historic places in the City of Buffalo.”

Docomomo US presents the twelve winning photos of the inaugural "I Spy Modernism” Architectural Photography Competition.

This historic context statement was prepared for the City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning, Office of Historic Resource as a part of the SurveyLA initiative, the largest and most comprehensive survey ever completed by an American city. Architectural historian Daniel Paul provides an overview of Late Modern architecture, its character-defining features, and selected subtypes.

On August 7, 2020, I went to the estate sale at the former home of midcentury American designers, Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman. It felt almost like visiting a house museum — one that was open to the public for only three days. It was akin visiting the Eames house, frozen in time as Ray left it when she passed away. It was rather magical to be in the Ackerman’s home and see their backyard studio where so much of their work had been imagined and created.

American Architecture in the 1970s was fraught with divergent reactions to Modernism and responses to sociopolitical and environmental crises. The decade was one of exploration, experimentation, and reckoning that would shape the directions of architecture through remainder of the twentieth century. As the 70s turn 50, we are faced with the new task of trying to comprehend and contextualize these buildings, sites, and landscapes in order to steward them into the future.

An energetic D.C. real estate mogul has swooped into Buffalo to bring the city’s tallest building, SOM’s Marine Midland Center, back to life. The result is an unfocused mish-mash of interventions on what once exemplified the sophistication of its original architects and their client.

As 2020 marks the first year that the 1970s turn 50 years old, we find ourselves seemingly in the same place as in 2010, 2000, 1990, and the beginning of each past decade: Having to make the case that buildings and sites that seem so young can be considered historic. Just as the public has gained an appreciation for Midcentury Modern and the preservation community has developed the intellectual and technical expertise to evaluate and preserve 1950s and 1960s resources, we are now at the starting point of a new decade needing to reestablish these baselines. Like the previous decades, there will be places from the 1970s that are important and worthy of preservation. Our eyes and personal tastes will gradually adjust to see the beauty in what many now consider to be outdated, ugly, and mundane.

In an effort to celebrate and better understand the 1970s, Docomomo US/Northern California has embarked on a project to map the buildings, sites, and landscapes of the era in Northern California. Some of the buildings mapped are iconic examples of Modernism in the region, while others are more controversial or diverge from Modernism.

In 1956 Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman purchased a home in Culver City and converted a portion of it into a design studio. This Friday through Sunday, August 7-9, an estate sale will be held of the home where they lived and created for more than 60 years. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a piece of their life work and items they collected and cherished.

Whether you are a longstanding member of Docomomo US or have yet to join, we are grateful that you are here and that you care about preserving our modern legacy. Today we are asking you to take the next step and join or renew your membership by August 31 to help us hit our goal of 100 members in the next 30 days.

Hidden in plain sight lie hundreds of forgotten Cliff May homes in the heart of Las Vegas. Architect Cliff May’s designs first appeared in Las Vegas in 1954 with the construction of a pair of identical homes on Van Patten Place, a half-mile west of Las Vegas Boulevard. That same year, Cliff May’s take on  modernism would be brought to the masses with the purchase of 103 homesites by Burns Construction from land developer Ernest Becker. Located in the third unit of the relatively young Charleston Heights Tract, the subdivision drew its name from the elevation created by the large fault line which runs north/south through west-central Las Vegas. 

In 1962 the City of Henderson commissioned the Palm Springs architecture firm of Wexler and Harrison to design a new, state-of-the-art City Hall. Incorporated only nine years earlier, Henderson already found itself outgrowing its original City Hall – a barracks structure dating from the construction of Boulder Dam that was moved from Boulder City. George Tate, who had begun practicing architecture in Henderson in 1960, acted as the local architect on the new steel structure. 

Due east of the Las Vegas strip lies one of the most well-known treasure troves of midcentury homes in Las Vegas: Paradise Palms. In 1960, fresh off their build of nearby Sunrise Hospital, local developers Irwin Molasky and Merv Adelson (who later in the decade would form Lorimar Television Productions) formed Paradise Development Corporation and Paradise Homes, with the intention of opening up Las Vegas’ Paradise Valley east of Maryland Parkway along Desert Inn Road for development and creating a wide-range of upscale housing on a 720-acre plot of vacant desert.

Legendary midcentury architect Paul Revere Williams had a long-standing involvement with Las Vegas that began in the early 1940s and lasted through the 1960s. Williams, widely regarded as the first African American member of the AIA in 1923, had built a successful Southern California practice designing over 2,000 residences ranging from humble bungalows to sprawling estates for Hollywood’s elite. 

Architects A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons made a successful name for themselves in the midcentury era as the preferred architects for prolific developer Joseph Eichler. While not exclusively employed by Eichler, it was their work with another well-known West Coast builder that would first bring them to the Las Vegas market.

What will you find if you wander off the Las Vegas "Strip"? Longtime residents and preservation advocates Dave Cornoyer and Heidi Swank will introduce you to "the other Las Vegas," full of midcentury charm that visitors don't commonly see.

Last year, Docomomo US and our chapters focused our attention on the work of diverse designers through our annual advocacy theme "The Diversity of Modernism." Since then, we have continued to document and represent architects and designers of color and women who made significant contributions to the Modern Movement. The July 2020 Special Edition newsletter is dedicated to highlighting some of these designers. Thank you to our chapters and partners for their continued efforts with this, and a special thank you to Jerome A. Robinson for his contributions. 

This summer we are all about the at-home amenities. Luckily, there are plenty of modern homes that offer just that. Light-filled interior spaces, large windows that bring the outdoor surroundings in, and outdoor living space are just some of the features to be found in this summer real estate round up.

The Meyer House in Huntsleigh, Missouri, was designed by Charles Eames and Robert T. Walsh. John and Alice Meyer commissioned them after seeing another of their designs, St. Mary’s Church, in Helena, Alabama. The playfulness of Charles and Ray Eames’ later designs for items such as chairs, textiles, tables, and children’s toys, that they are most well known for, are clearly evident.

The Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia is well-stocked with modernist homes of impressive architectural pedigrees. Nestled on Glengarry Road, there is the Dorothy Shipley White Residence, designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects and completed in 1963. Preservationists kept an eye on the house for many years as it deteriorated, and worked together to gain local landmark status for the home.

Docomomo US would like to send some positive spirit and honor the graduating class of 2020 by offering all recent graduates one free year of membership.

The Iconic Houses Network has just launched Icons at Risk, a new international initiative to preserve the world’s most endangered architecturally important modern houses.

Willert Park Courts is significant culturally, historically, socially and architecturally as the first housing complex for African Americans in Buffalo and as an early International Style design, but its demolition has been in the works for many years under the ownership of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority.

In keeping with our latest Regional Spotlight, Making Houston Modern, here are some modern Houston homes on the market that we would love to see find a sympathetic buyer. 

When Howard Barnstone landed in Texas in 1948, fresh out of Yale, it seemed as if he and Gertrude Levy were fated to meet in Houston’s contemporary art scene. With a job offer to teach at the new University of Houston architecture school, Howard moved to town and settled in. That was the opening scene in the marriage play starring Gertrude Levy and Howard Barnstone.

A number of important Houston Jewish families were drawn to Braeswood in its first decades, including the Gordons, Rauches, Brochsteins, Battelsteins, and Kaufmans, and they often employed Jewish architects such as Joseph Finger, Irving Klein, and Lenard Gabert, as well as Barnstone, to design their houses.

Barnstone’s office produced multiple schemes for the proposed Menil art center, which would house art storage primarily, along with offices, a conference room, and a small public gallery. The program grew to include a library for 3,700 volumes of “spiritual and philosophical” books, a workshop, and a small theater.

During the English architectural critic Reyner Banham’s last visit to Houston, to write about the Menil Collection by Renzo Piano (with Richard Fitzgerald, 1986), he observed the interrelationships among three generations of architects--Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Philip Johnson, and Howard Barnstone--who all left an indelible mark on modern architecture in Houston.

Complex, controversial, and prolific, Howard Barnstone was a central figure in the world of twentieth-century modern architecture. Recognized as Houston’s foremost modern architect in the 1950s, Barnstone came to prominence for his designs with partner Preston M. Bolton, which transposed the rigorous and austere architectural practices of Mies van der Rohe to the hot, steamy coastal plain of Texas. Barnstone was a man of contradictions—charming and witty but also self-centered, caustic and abusive—who shaped new settings that were imbued, at once, with spatial calm and emotional intensity.

This Sphinx-like bank in San Jose is under threat as part of a redevelopment plan for the area. It was designed by Cesar Pelli during his time at Gruen Associates.

We've tailored the 2020 summer reading list to suit the (crazy, historic, revolutionary) times we are living in. What relevant lessons do architecture and the Modern Movement hold for the current day? You'll have to read on to find out.

At this time of profound sorrow and frustration over the murder of George Floyd, Docomomo US honors the call put forth by the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), “to condemn racism and take an active role in eliminating the racial biases that account for a myriad of social, economic, and health disparities, and most importantly, result in the loss of human lives."

The former Federal Mogul Staff Office Building has been unoccupied since 2015. Earlier this year, the auto supplier company Marelli announced plans to move its headquarters to the international-style site, designed by architect Louis Rossetti, a protege of Albert Kahn. As part of the move, Marelli plans to spend millions of dollars renovating the building, including replacing the façade with a non-descript glass wall and removing the geometric columns encasing the original portion of the structure.

This past spring has seen historic amounts of rain in the Midwest, and the impact has been felt on many significant modern sites. 

The Mississippi Heritage Trust has been advocating for a preservation solution for the Sun-n-Sand Motel for over 15 years. The following excerpts, from the Spring issue of Elevation, the Journal of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, illustrate the preservation battle from a variety of perspectives.

Nestled within a bevy of towering trees on a quiet street in the heart of Jackson, Mississippi sits one of our state’s most meticulously preserved modern gems, the Falk House. Homeowner John Hooks recalls discovering the house when he was a mere 19 years old. “I remember thinking the place was mysterious and unique,” he remembers. “The house has an energy that’s very special, very powerful.”

If buildings today were designed following visionary Mississippi builder and designer Carroll Ishee’s principles, we would have more interesting communities that respected the natural environment instead of wreaking havoc on this limited resource. Ishee is said to have built over 150 buildings, most of which were houses, along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He tackled tricky terrain and conquered challenging sites others deemed unbuildable. His love for nature is visible in his work which was designed using sustainable principles and crafted with natural materials long before “green” was the norm.

The iconic images created by photographers of the mid-20th century have forever shaped the way we view great works of modernism. Now Docomomo US invites you to put your own photographic imprint on modernism through the "I Spy Modernism" photo competition.

The first image that comes to mind when many Americans picture Mississippi’s landmark architecture is probably white-columned antebellum mansions built by wealthy cotton planters. But Mississippi’s historically agricultural economy boomed with new industry in the 20th century, and that gave rise to a diverse and complex architectural landscape. Jennifer Baughn, who along with Michael Fazio recently co-authored the book Buildings of Mississippi, explores some of Mississippi's modernist landmarks. 

The 1970s, two Futuro Houses, and a Louis Kahn school have made Preservation New Jersey's annual 10 Most Endangered Places list. 

The Docomomo US/Minnesota chapter seeks a temporary research intern to work with the Docomomo US/MN Registry Committee to identify potential contexts, themes, important builders, and geographic areas relating to the modern movement in need of further research. 
 

Many cities have landmarks or elements that distinguish them from every other city or place. Midland, Michigan is unique because of the unbelievable quality and concentration of structures that create a cohesive expression of modernism in the Midwest. 

Docomomo Japan and Docomomo International together regrettably came to a decision to postpone the 2020 conference for a year. The team continues to carefully monitor the situation in order to make a decision in setting a new schedule for the postponed conference.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, one of eight Wright sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2019, recently implemented a new Virtual Accessibility Experience (VAE) created by AVA Inclusivity. The Los Angeles-based company, founded in 2017 by Astrid Reed and Gregg Leonard, worked with members of the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Cultural Affairs and Department on Disability to meet the City’s standards and needs.

It's a weird time for, well . . . everything, including real estate. Agents have adapted to "the new normal" by staging virtual showings, and there's still plenty of homes on the market. So go ahead and look - from the safety of your computer screen.

Docomomo US has issued a Call for Articles for upcoming newsletters around the themes of "Modernism in Education" and "City/Regional Spotlight."

This year's Docomomo US Advocacy Theme is the '70s Turn 50. The Docomomo US/Minnesota has made it easy for your to explore modern in Minnesota by highlighting the state's 1970s sites on their Registry Map. Travel through 1970s Minnesota by navigating the map or clicking the plus sign next to “70s Selections” to browse by type, then let them know which sites of the '70s should make the top ten list!

Docomomo US honors the memories of the colleagues and friends we've lost during this time. 

In the past month, historic sites, museums, nonprofits, and cultural institutions have shown their resiliency by rapidly transitioning to provide online resources for their audiences during this time of social distancing. It's a lot to keep track of, and we know you just want the good stuff - so we've done the hard work and compiled some of the best modern resources in one place for you. From virtual tours to YouTube channels to academic journals, we hope this list keeps you occupied until it's safe to meet again in person. 

Jacques Calmon Brownson has received praise for his civic buildings, especially as chief architect of the award-winning Chicago Civic Center (1965, renamed Richard J. Daley Center in 1979) during his time with C. F. Murphy Associates. In the 1990s, Paul Gapp, architecture critic at the Chicago Tribune, listed it among the city’s ten most important postwar works of architecture.

The house William Deknatel designed for prominent Northwestern University English literature professor Lambert H. Ennis and his spouse, Ellen Newby Ennis, reflects Deknatel’s training at the Taliesin Fellowship. Deknatel—along with his spouse, Geraldine, John H. Howe, and Wesley Peters—was among the charter applicants for membership at Wright’s school when it was established in 1932. While in temporary quarters, he and his colleagues worked directly under Wright on construction of the Fellowship buildings. This gave Deknatel hands-on experience with Wright before setting out to establish his own practice.

The house for Dr. Aaron and Lucile Gottschalk Heimbach in the city of Blue Island, south of Chicago, is one of a handful of single-family houses designed by Bertrand Goldberg. After starting his own independent practice with the commission of the Harriet Higginson House (1935) in the city of Wood Dale (northwest of Chicago), he designed this family residence and physician’s office.

Modern in the Middle: Chicago Houses 1929–75, co-authored by Susan Benjamin and Michelangelo Sabatino, is the first survey of the classic twentieth-century houses that defined American Midwestern modernism. The authors survey dozens of influential houses by architects whose contributions are ripe for reappraisal, such as Paul Schweikher and Winston Elting, Harry Weese, Keck & Keck, and William Pereira. Offered for the first time here is a excerpt of four selected homes that we hope will expand your understanding of modern in the middle.

When we started the Heroic Project in 2007 there was a very good chance that Boston’s City Hall, which had been in a state of active neglect for over a decade, was in danger of being sold and demolished. The prevailing attitude to the building then was that it was the ugliest in the world, as certified by the now-defunct website virtualtourist.com. It was at this moment that my co-authors reached out to the office of Kallmann, McKinnell & Wood to talk through the origins of the building, the competition, and the resulting structure.

If you're looking for ways to support issues you care about in these challenging times, here's a list of nine ways you can help while social distancing. Many of these items could apply not just to Docomomo but to other historic preservation organizations as well. 

On February 25th, the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) responded to DCAMM's proposal to demolish the Hurley Building. 

Earlier this week the Dallas Theater Company announced a firm has been chosen to complete a master plan for the theater's restoration. 

Isamu Noguchi's artwork in the midcentury skyscraper at 666 Fifth Avenue (originally the Tishman Building) has not escaped the pressures of the New York City real estate market. It has been modified over the years to maintain the building's profitability. Now, the current owner wants to remove Noguchi's work completely.

Docomomo US/New England and the Boston Preservation Alliance have issued individual letters to the Massachusetts Historical Commission, which will soon decide the fate of Paul Rudolph's Boston Government Services Center. Letters from Docomomo US 

Being in the rejuvenated lobby of Boston City Hall for the annual meeting of Docomomo US/New England presented the opportunity to reconsider briefly the story of the place, a half century after its opening.

Docomomo US has signed on as an endorsing organization of the Climate Heritage Network, a voluntary, mutual support network of local and city, state/provincial and regional, indigenous peoples’, and national arts, culture and heritage governmental and quasi-governmental boards, offices, ministries and site management agencies as well as NGOs, universities, businesses and other organizations committed to aiding their communities in tackling climate change. 

Docomomo US became aware in the last few weeks of a draft executive order that is circulating for consideration by the White House officials that would designate “classical” architecture as the preferred style for federal buildings. This significantly alters the long-standing Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture written in 1962 by Daniel Patrick Moynihan which states that Federal architecture and new buildings should place major emphasis “on the choice of designs that embody the finest contemporary American architectural thought.” The policy continues to explicitly state, “The development of an official style must be avoided. Design must flow from the architectural profession to the government and not vice versa”.

A full-scale replica of architect Paul Rudolph’s iconic 1952 Walker Guest House will be auctioned during this February’s Palm Springs Modernism Week.

Docomomo US announces its thematic focus for 2020: the '70s turn 50. Love it or hate it, architecture of the 1970s now has another label: historic. The 1970s turn 50 in 2020 and Docomomo US will spend the year looking at a time of great change and an even greater variety of forms, technical advances and ideas of architectural thinking. 

A coalition of preservation groups including Docomomo US have signed on to a letter to Ernst & Young in support of finding a buyer who will preserve the James R. Thompson Center. 

Whether you want to hole up in a cozy modern ranch, enjoy views of snow-covered peaks, or escape to a warmer winter climate, we've got a midcentury home option for you. 

The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation has completed Phase I restoration of the historic Ball-Paylore home designed by architect Arthur T. Brown, FAIA in 1952 for clients Phyllis Ball and Patricia Paylore. The property is now available for limited tours and overnight stays. 

With a local developer now on board, plans to transform the Pirelli building into a hotel are moving forward.

@modTEXAS is calling upon the powers of social media for its Mapping Mod project, an Instagram-based initiative to document Modernist architecture and design in 2020. The project was launched in January 2019 and is continuing to grow.

As the decade comes to a close, we at Docomomo US would like to thank you for your membership and support of our organization, and your ongoing resolve to keep vital architecture alive and help save threatened sites around the country.

The holidays can be hectic. Keep it simple with a good book - whether it's for yourself or for someone else - less is always more. 

Houston Mod took the opportunity of their annual holiday party to recognize a little-known modern chapel recently named a city landmark.

Return of the #DocoGames! Join us for the 2019 epic tournament of modernism and support these eight contenders in their efforts to save the modern places they love.

Great news for midcentury homeowners in California: this past October, the nation's most populous state passed a Historic Tax Credit into law. 

The Western Savings Bank aka Souper! Salad! by W.A. Sarmiento at Metrocenter in Phoenix is being offered for sale or lease.

The 2019 Modern Holiday Gift Guide features picks from some of our favorite people and places. 

What Houston Mod's been up to this fall. 

Make Modernism your cause for Giving Tuesday 2019 and help raise the profile of a modern site you care about saving. 

Docomomo US believes one of the best ways to foster increased awareness and appreciation for significant sites is to experience them firsthand, which is why we started the Explore Modern Houses Partnership. Today, we are excited to welcome the Glass House to the partnership.

Let's #throwback to Tour Day 2019 where Docomomo US chapters and friends across the country celebrated the the many diverse aspects of modernism.

Just as Boston seemed to be embracing its Brutalist heritage - restoring its infamous City Hall and plaza, and even throwing it a 50th birthday party - news broke earlier this month that the State plans to redevelop the Paul Rudolph-designed Government Services Center.

Interested in moving modern forward? Get involved with the Docomomo US/Oregon Board and be part of a national network dedicated to raising the profile of modern sites, structures and design, while advocating for modernism.

A nomination to the National Register for Seattle's Freeway Park, designed by Lawrence Halprin & Associates and Bulgarian architect  Angela Danadjieva, is being considered by the Washington State Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

Seems like the Thompson Center has been in the news a lot lately - here's an update on our favorite downtown starship.

The new and expanded Museum of Modern Art reopened this month, but it's not the first time there's been a "new MoMA." See what the critics have to say, then go see it for yourself!

Elizabeth Munyan, the recipient of Docomomo US Northern California (NOCA) Chapter’s 2019 Travel Grant for Students & Emerging Professionals, writes about her experience attending the 2019 National Symposium in Honolulu.

Although most of the events have passed, there's still a couple great chances to celebrate the #diversityofmodernism this Tour Day.

The Society of Architectural Historians and UVA Press have announced a new open-access edition of SAH Archipedia, an authoritative online encyclopedia of the built environment of the United States.

The Explore Modern Houses Partnership grants discounted access for Docomomo US members to an exclusive list of modern places across the country. This year we welcome two new sites to the partnership.

Fall favorites: crunchy leaves, warm beverages, and midcentury house hunting.

American Bank plans to demolish its iconic "Round Bank" building in Bellmead, a suburb outside of Waco, TX, sometime in 2020, after deeming restoration too expensive.

It has been nearly twenty-five years since the founding of Docomomo US in 1995. Working as a small group of volunteer professionals in uncharted territory, we laid the foundation for our work by contributing suggestions for the first tentative list of American Modern heritage proposed for inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Since our founding, hundreds of significant modern sites have been saved or designated because of our collective work, our network, and people like you.

After years of sitting forlorn and abandoned, the New York City Parks Department finally has enough funding to move forward with the long-awaited restoration of the New York State Pavilion, designed by Philip Johnson for the 1964 World's Fair.

Clothing designer Rumi Murakami Robertson's love of modern design runs deep. When she heard the Docomomo US National Symposium was coming to Hawaii, she was moved to participate. 

Docomomo US is pleased to announce two new guest speakers for the opening and closing receptions. 

Do you love all things Mid-Century in Indiana? Indiana Modern, an affinity group of Indiana Landmarks has announced a contest on Instagram, #INModernLove, starting Aug. 19 and running through Oct. 1, that challenges people to post their best images of Indiana mid-century structures and landscapes.

Docomomo US membership rates will increase starting on September 1. 

A new book on the thin shell concrete designs of innovative structural engineer Jack Christiansen (1927 - 2017) has just been published by University of Washington (UW) Press. Christiansen made significant contributions to modernist architecture in the Pacific Northwest. An exhibition of Christiansen’s work, co-sponsored by Docomomo US/WEWA, will be on view at the University of Washington this fall. 

Film screenings, walking tours, archive visits, and a Lustron House are just some of the things the the Docomomo US/Minnesota chapter has been up to lately. 

Adaptive use remains an important and essential part of the preservation strategies. The case presented by Sara di Resta and Roberta Bartolone is particularly interesting. The Masieri Foundation originally asked Frank Lloyd Wright to design a new building along the Grand Canal in Venice to house its offices, replacing a typical Venetian building. After several attempts the Wright design was officially rejected by the city and Carlo Scarpa – who in turn was an admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright – was commissioned. Rather than designing a completely new building he kept the original facade, a solution typical for many projects in the 1960s and 1970s. It is this building that is being adapted for student housing to host visiting professors and students.

Claes Caldenby’s “Architecture and Society. White Arkitekter and Swedish Post-war Architecture” sketches the design and business trajectory of a large Swedish architectural firm and how its portfolio evolves in response to the changes in policies and the move away from the government’s involvement in housing.

Richard Klein’s contribution, “What is the Legacy of the Architectures of Change?” addresses that other ubiquitous postwar phenomenon of prefabrication and particularly what was then described as industrialized building. Here large factories produced elements, mostly in concrete, that were assembled on-site in multi-story residential buildings of simple shapes allowing quick and efficient assembly. Recognizing the pushback against their monotony, the program Modéles Innovation sought to make the buildings more attractive and unique. Many aspects of this program are reminiscent of the US Housing and Urban Development program Operation Breakthrough of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The Unités d’habitation designed by Le Corbusier and André Wogenscky represent an exceptional moment in the development of the culture of housing in the 20th century. Here, Franz Graf looks at the evolution of the five Unites d’habitation sites. In many instances they are no longer the social housing they were intended to be and have become quite fashionable residences.

Preservation of modern architecture is not just a local but a global concern. Recent high profile events including the fire at Nore Dame, the inscription of Frank Lloyd Wright sites on the World Heritage List, and the announcement of the Getty's Keeping it Modern grants, remind us of this fact. In this special edition of the newsletter, we take a look international efforts to preserve modernism which remind us that preservation is not just local and that Docomomo US is part of an international network working to save our modern heritage across the globe.

New England Modernism: Revolutionary Architecture in the 20th Century is a six-part documentary series produced by Jake Gorst and Tracey Rennie Gorst, with project consultant Hicks Stone. They are raising funds for the project through a GoFundMe campaign. 

AIA, the American Institute of Architects, is the profesionnal organization for architects in the US. AIA members must take courses and meet a minimum requirement every year to stay up to date on skills and recent developments in the field. Docomomo US is an approved AIA CES provider. Some portions of the 2019 National Symposium have been approved for AIA credits. 

We have already given you five reasons to revisit Hawaii in its heyday this September, but in case that was not enough, here are five more we hope will entice you to register today.

This year, two travel grants were made available to students and emerging professionals with an interest in studying the Modern Movement to attend the 2019 National Symposium in Hawaii. We are pleased to announce the recipients of this year's awards.

The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club is a midcentury modern boutique hotel that has established itself as one of Waikiki’s most sought after experiences for art, music and cultural events. This design-centric outpost quickly built a following among locals and visitors alike for its iconic “Wish you were here!” pool, boutique coffee bar Olive & Oliver, and acclaimed Oahu-born Chef Ed Kenney’s restaurant, Mahina & Sun’s.

Fenway Clayworks is the result of a lifelong interest in functional ceramics. Its founder, Sean VanderVliet has 20 years of experience as ceramicist, using his hands to craft and sculpt objects for the home. Sean speaks to the subconscious influence design has on us, how we consume it daily without realizing it, and how that has manifested in his work.

Vivian Beer is a furniture designer/maker based in New England. Her sleek, abstracted metal and concrete furniture combines the aesthetic sensibilities of contemporary design, craft, and sculpture to create furniture that alter expectations of and interface with the domestic landscape. She shares with us the people and pieces of midcentury design that have sparked her imagination. 

WXY is an award-winning multi-disciplinary practice specializing in the realization of urban design, planning and architectural solutions in challenging contexts. For our Inspired by Midcentury feature, WXY tells a visual story of how their work has taken inspiration from one early and one later example of European modernism. 

Since 1985, Raymond Jungles, Inc. (RJI), has developed a dynamic practice inspired by the ethic of stewardship of the land under the leadership of Raymond Jungles. Here, RJI shares how their approach to landscape is informed by artists, architects, and designers of the midcentury. 

Furniture maker, artist and educator Wendy Maruyama has been making innovative work for 40 years and has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. Her recent work moves beyond the boundaries of traditional studio craft and into the realm of social practice. The work she created for a recent exhibition drew inspiration from Anni Albers' work as a weaver and textile artist as well as her experience facing discrimination at the Bauhaus.

Landmark Columbus will be receiving a 2019 Keeping it Modern Planning Grant from the Getty Foundation for the iconic North Christian Church, which was designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1964. Additionally, another Keeping it Modern grant was awarded to Saarinen’s Miller House and Garden.

The 50th anniversary of the moon landing is July 20, 2019. The Johnson Space Center, which houses the Mission Control Center, was designed by Charles Luckmanand has been restored just in time for the anniversary. 

Houston Mod welcomes Luis de las Cuevas, Bayardo Selva, and Michael Valenzuela to its board. Houston Mod is a friend organization of Docomomo US dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas.

Docomomo US/Chicago is seeking nominations for its Board of Directors. They are looking for a dynamic and diverse group of people interested in leading the chapter. The chapter serves the greater Chicago area, including Indiana and Wisconsin.

The City of Beaverton plans to demolish a midcentury landmark and shutter 60+ small businesses, replacing it with a temporary parking lot while a longer-term redevelopment plan is in the works. Sign the petition to Save the Peaks.

Summer is house hunting season. Here are some midcentury listings to inspire you. 

When Docomomo US was created more than 20 years ago, we set out to build a network of like-minded individuals to offer leadership, knowledge, and enthusiasm for the modern movement, which was little and little appreciated. We honored the contributions of our longstanding members at the Modernism in America Awards ceremony in New York City on June 19th.

Awardees, sponsors, colleagues, and friends traveled from near and far last week and to celebrate Modernism's biggest night - the 2019 Modernism in America Awards. 

We are pleased to announce Katie Horak and Eric Keune will join the Docomomo US Board of Directors. 

Whatever your summer plans are - laying by the pool of a classic Palm Springs MCM, cruising the roadside architecture of Route 66, or taking in both nature + modernism at one of many National Parks that have both on offer - you're going to want a good book on hand. Enter our 2019 Summer Reads book list.

Brutal Neglect will be a short documentary directed by FAMU/Falmouth Film graduate Sophie May exploring a significant piece of Czech Brutalist architecture, Hotel Thermal, aiming to save it from the threat of reconstruction.

Brazil has nominated the Roberto Burle Marx's home, studio, and surrounding landscape as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The nomination will be considered in 2020.

The James Rose Center in Ridgewood, NJ, home of the midcentury landscape architect and now a preserved house museum, is seeking a tenant its North Studio.

Paul Rudolph’s internationally acclaimed Umbrella House has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The iconic house, one of Paul Rudolph’s first solo projects as a young architect, was commissioned by entrepreneur Philip Hiss in 1952.

The Marcus Center for the Performing Arts was designed by architect Harry Weese, with a surrounding landscape by Dan Kiley. The impressive complex is currently threatened by an insensitve redesign proposal.

This past week the Albright Knox Art Gallery released new renderings of its proposed expansion plan, including a "roof sculpture" for the open courtyard of Gordon Bunshaft's addition. 

Efforts to save Helmut Jahn's postmodern Thompson Center, dubbed "The Starship" for its futuristic appearance, have intensified amidst Governor Pritzker's announcement that the state will put the building up for sale. A group of ten high profile organizations have signed on to a letter urging the State of Illinois to support landmark status and #SaveOurStarship.

The animals aren't the only ones coming out of hibernation - spring is a time when the real estate market starts to wake up, too. We've come across some great midcentury homes for sale recently, so we've rounded them up here for your home-buying convenience.

Houston Mod, a Docomomo US friend organization, announced the launch of its latest book, After Alden: Mid-Century Architecture in Brazosport, Texas by Marty Merritt. 

Docomomo International is now accepting abstracts for the 16th International Docomomo Conference, to be held in Tokyo in 2020. Please submit abstracts no later than August 30th, 2019 (12 pm GMT) for one of the 11 identified thematic sessions.

Earlier this month, the Docomomo US/Georgia chapter showcased three MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) train stations constructed between 1975 and 1982 on its annual "MARTA-tectute" tour.

Although long overlooked, in recent years threats to sites of Modern heritage have been gaining a higher profile. Just in the past month, they topped two "most endangered" historic sites lists in Oklahoma and Chicago.

Late 1960s Steelcase Curved-Back Executive Swivel Chairs #1288 are needed for the restoration of the historic Apollo Mission Control Center

Fifty years after his family fled the Austro-Hungarian Empire, prolific shipbuilder John Rados purchased a large, hillside lot overlooking the Port of Los Angeles.

Included on America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2018 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Ship on the Desert is a little-known piece of Texas architectural history.

The Docomomo US Northern California (NOCA) Chapter is pleased to offer a travel grant for one student or emerging professional to attend and participate in the Docomomo US National Symposium 2019 in Hawaii from September 25-28, 2019.

Boston City Hall is 50 years old and thriving. Designed by Kallman McKinnell & Knowles after Gerhard Kallmann and Michael McKinnel entered and won a design competition, the new city hall was well-received among architectural critics but was polarizing for city residents. Over the years, the building faced various threats ranging from alteration to demolition, but recently the city has begun to embrace its Brutal heritage.

The American urban and suburban landscapes saw dramatic changes to the built environment post WWII. From the way we lived, to how we worked, shopped and played, many unknown regional minority and female architects played a vital role in the development of our communities. For as much as is known about the contributions of major architects such as Johnson, Breuer, Wright and Kahn, the contributions of regional minority and female architects to our built heritage is vast and yet largely unknown. 

Late last year, Docomomo US was made aware of a significant threat to redevelop San Diego's Horton Plaza. A group of local stakeholders quickly came together to advocate for preservation of this unique representative of our recent past. 

2019 is the centenary of the Bauhaus. Events, exhibitions, museum openings, and more are scheduled throughout the year to commemorate this influential school and its impact on modernism. We have compiled a list of some ways you can mark the occasion, Bauhaus-style.

Down in Texas, a special collaboration is brewing to map modernism around the state. modTEXAS,  Houston Mod, Mid Tex Mod, and Docomomo US NTX have joined forces to invite participants to seek-out subjects on a monthly theme using the #modtexas tag.

The Dome at Woods Hole, the oldest extant Buckminster Fuller designed geodesic dome in the world and a unique and delicate structure (the framing members are stock dimensional lumber cut to fit the geometry) is now under serious threat.

It's that time again and we've pulled together a few gift ideas that are now on our modern wish list.

The new publication Shaping the Post-War Landscape represents a significant contribution to the body of literature on landscape architecture and to the scholarly writings on design of the Modern era in general.

Reduce your screen time and read a book! Docomomo US is pleased to present our annual list of notable books of 2018 and 2019.

This year for Giving Tuesday (Nov. 27th), Docomomo US is launching its first ever battle for architectural survival with the “Doco Games.” The #DocoGames is a day-long tournament that features sixteen of Docomomo US’ biggest supporters fighting to save a building they love.

Docomomo US is pleased to announce we are now accepting nominations for the 2019 Modernism in America Awards

Nicole D. Santiago, the recipient of Docomomo US Northern California (NOCA) Chapter’s 2018 Travel Grant for Students & Emerging Professionals, writes about her experience attending the 2018 National Symposium in Columbus.

One of the most outstanding Modern building restoration projects of these last few years in Paris was completed recently.

This book fills a serious void in the history of Modernism, portraying in handsome images and insightful words accomplishments that too few are aware of.

Teleport and see what tour goers explored across the country during Tour Day 2018.

Liz Waytkus sat down with Kelvin Dickinson, president of the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation and Eduardo Alfonso, Exhibition Coordinator of Paul Rudolph: The Personal Laboratory now on view at the Modulightor Building in New York City.

Set to be sold, the likelihood that the cathedral will be demolished is increased by its proximity to the upcoming CityPlace Burlington redevelopment project.

Docomomo US is hiring this fall. Come join our team!

From the stages of iconic buildings to the sidewalks and plazas where we gathered, we hope you feel as inspired as we do after many enlightening conversations that took place in Columbus, Indiana.

A rally was held on Sept. 25th in an effort to bring attention and gain support for nominating Helmut Jahn’s controversial James R. Thompson Center in Chicago to the national register. View the slideshow and sign the petition today!

The house will hit the market on October 17th but has no historic protections and may face threats of alteration or demolition.

On a lovely Saturday morning on April 28, 2018, about thirty modern enthusiasts from North Texas toured the historic Dallas Zoo on Marsalis Avenue, located at its current location since 1912, for a memorable tour and lecture co-sponsored by Docomomo US NTX and Preservation Dallas.

Being a member of Docomomo US now comes with new perks! Click to find out how exploring modernism just got easier.

Docomomo US and the Recent Past Preservation Network (RPPN) former board of directors announce they have reached an agreement to transfer the remaining assets of the Recent Past Preservation Network.

The Preservation Technology Dossier 14, featuring a collection of lectures put on by Docomomo US together with Docomomo International ISC-Technology at the 2015 National Symposium, is now published and available online.

The Dallas firm of Pratt, Box & Henderson was the special topic of conversation on May 24th as over 120 aficionados of architecture and planning assembled to hear a series of talks about the influential firm.

The original Selby Public Library, a.k.a. G.WIZ building is under threat of imminent demolition. Show your support to #SavetheSelby.

There's still time to register, join a tour, tell a colleague, and finish planning your symposium experience, but hurry - registration closes on September 19.

The Coral Gables Public Safety Building, one of the city's only brutalist buildings,
is facing the threat of demolition by developers.

On August 24, 2018, the Atlanta Fulton Central Library was unanimously nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Docomomo US Northern California (NOCA) Chapter is pleased to announce Nicole D. Santiago as the recipient of the 2018 Travel Grant for Students & Emerging Professionals.

Docomomo US and the Society of Architectural Historians filed a joint position statement on the preservation of the Venturi, Rauch, and Scott Brown-designed Abrams House (1979) in Pittsburgh, PA.

Tour Day is just around the corner! Check out the August sneak peek of tours and events you can look forward to this October.

I didn’t really realize Harry was a well-known sculptor/designer until I was an adult, so his fame did not affect me growing up. I knew he was doing important work when we would visit the shop and see one of his monumental architectural commissions. The way he spoke about his sculptures with a sort of humble pride, how comfortable he seemed in the shop and how he joked with his assistants all indicated to me that he loved his work.

I was almost two years old when my father’s Petal Table was introduced by Knoll in the Los Angeles showroom in 1960. My father always told us that we must do something we loved as a career, and for him, his love of design was infectious.

It never occurred to me that growing up modern or Ackerman was special. I’m still surprised and touched when people express admiration for my parents and their designs. Like most children of well-known designers, it took me years to realize the significance of their contributions.

Growing up, I didn’t think I liked modernist architecture. I disliked Le Corbusier’s La Tourette, and Mies van der Rohe’s glass boxes, and I didn’t like lifeless gray concrete. It was only in graduate school that I discovered the thinking behind it.

One of the benefits of growing up in a home with a strong and distinctive architectural character is that it almost inevitably imparts an innate sense of design and spatial awareness to the people who live there.

It had all the earmarks of a wake: people dressed in black, lamenting an unexpected loss, then toasting the departed one at a nearby pub. But the mourners in this case were members of Docomomo US/Philadelphia, who gathered on June 28th to protest the rescinding of a familiar site’s historic designation.

In response to AIA’s failure to grant a Twenty-five Year Award this year, the July 2018 Dispatch specifically focuses upon 1993 and provides vignettes to introduce, contextualize, and identify character-defining features of 1990s-era architecture.

1993 in Japan saw the end of an era of excess, of the Japanese miracle, but it also saw the completion of many of the greatest architectural monuments to that period, in an architectural style of such strangeness and intensity, that it stands apart from every period that had come before.

While it felt like nothing was happening, 1993 was arguably the stealth vertex of a parabolic arc from the concerns of Postmodernism to those of our present period.

The focus of this essay is ultimately a brief investigation of architecture of the 1990s, culminating in a list of important works of the last decade of the 20th century, so that we might better comprehend the context within which architecture of that era can be understood and evaluated.

In 1990, Peter Eisenman’s office won the competition for a new convention center for Columbus, Ohio, with their startling scheme: a 580,000-square foot polychrome structure crushed up against the curving concrete decks of Interstate 670.

Tour Day is just around the corner! Check out the July sneak peek of tours and events you can look forward to this October.

Sessions include conversations with more than thirty visionary leaders and innovative practitioners in preservation, architecture, art, and design––including Michael Bierut of Pentagram, and architect and critic Susana Torre.

The Domes Task Force is currently evaluating long-term options for the future of the Mitchell Park Domes. Working with outside consultants, the Task Force has developed eight options and are seeking public comment until Monday, July 9.

In March, it was announced that Grimshaw Architects would be designing a new 33-gate “Terminal One” to replace Terminal A. 

Members of Docomomo US/MN and Twin Cities Mid-Century Modern (TC MCM), as well as neighbors and other architecture devotees gathered to tour and discuss the 1963 home’s outstanding features and its fate.

New York City and the surrounding region continues to be a hotbed for issues surrounding modern architecture. Read the latest updates from this past month.

The former headquarters of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) designed by architecture firm Mills, Petticord & Mills may undergo major exterior renovations.

We are so excited about our two upcoming special editions we had to give you a sneak peek.

In order to arrive at a credible predication about the prospects for public art, it is necessary to sketch the past and present of the field, drawing a line through the two toward a possible future.

News of threatened Modern buildings is, unfortunately, plentiful. The Institute for Advanced Study’s approach to the preservation of its Modern resources is refreshingly thoughtful.

The Docomomo NOCA Travel Grant provides financial support for students and emerging professionals committed to the documentation and conservation of Modern buildings and landscapes. The intention of the scholarship is enable one individual to participate in the Docomomo US 2018 National Symposium.

Despite community pushback, plans to drill windows into the facade of the building designed by Marcel Breuer & Associates are still on the drawing board

Preserve Providence Heights is seeking donations to support their legal efforts and aid a potential buyer before demolition of the campus begins

When we set out to build a network of like-minded individuals, we could not have envisioned the remarkable change in public attitude due in large part to the dedication and support of our members

The event, hosted by the Minnesota chapter, took place April 24th and boasted nearly standing-room-only at the Eero and Eliel designed Christ Church Lutheran

Docomomo US is pleased to announce the thirteen recipients of the 2018 Modernism in America Awards.

Docomomo US/DC hosted a lecture by Zachary Schrag last week at the West End Library that led attendees through the contentious and sometimes surprising history of the D.C. Metro system.

With the help of scholars, academics, historians, and Congress, the National Park Service is recognizing and preserving its Mission 66 visitor and design centers

Bob's pedagogic approach was one of gentle direction supported by a fierce insistence on the highest professional standards.

According to the online media company, Return on Information - New Jersey, the multifamily property has sold for $70.5 million to a regional investor, The Pavilion Towers LLC.

Built in 1945, the Friesen Chapel along with an historic grove is threatened with complete demolition due to a pending housing subdivision.

The Philadelphia Chapter of Docomomo US inaugurated its 2018 One Building/One Brew series on Thursday, March 29, with tours of two buildings that reflect the role of Modernism in the city’s rich history of dedication to civic values.

According to Curbed Detroit, Yamasaki's Reynolds Metals Regional Sales Office is seeking a sympathetic owner and is currently on the market for $900k.  

Docomomo US was recently made aware of the demoliton threat to High Ridge Park, a commercial office park in Stamford, Connecticut designed by the famed Palestinian American architect Victor Hanna Bisharat.

As we explore Public Spaces: Inside and Out, we look back at our Winter 2008 newsletter focused on Modern Plazas and Landscapes.

Sanika Kulkarni, a recipient of the Mexico City Student Grant, reflects on the architectural similarities between Mexico and India, and how the tour developed her appreciation for the preservation of modern architecture.

On February 24, Docomomo US/Greater Philadelphia welcomed Docomomo International Chair Ana Tostoes to Philadelphia with a reception at the Esherick House, designed by Louis Kahn and completed in 1961.

Elmhurst Art Museum's highly anticipated restoration of Mies van der Rohe McCormick House facade to be complete in June 2018

Docomomo US/Oregon and others share pictures of facade being dismantled.

The new website features a database of modern buildings, sites, and designers in the Chicago region extending from northwest Indiana to southeastern Wisconsin.

As JP Morgan Chase and the City of New York announce plans to demolish and replace 270 Park Avenue, formerly the Union Carbide building, Docomomo US and Docomomo US New York/Tri-state join forces to advocate for this iconic example of corporate modernism.

After a 6-0 vote to give landmark status to the Babylon Apartments by Miami’s historic preservation board in July 2016, Miami city commissioners overturn the designation, signing the death sentence of this Miami classic.

Docomomo US and its Chapters will explore Public Spaces as our advocacy theme for 2018 - seeking to understand and appreciate the intricacies of their design, their relationship to the projects, which created them and their context within the overall urban setting, site and building design.

By advocating for the safeguarding of buildings and sites based less on chronological ‘fit’ and more on whether or not they have expanded the tenets of the Modern Movement in meaningful and provocative ways, Docomomo will take a decisive leadership role in an arena that will only intensify and expand in the years ahead.

Minneapolis' Peavey Plaza and New York's 140 Broadway face harmful renovations to their original design.

Community Board, Docomomo US and colleagues continue to advocate for building's lobby.

The Oregon chapter reflects on the life and work of Bob Frasca, prominent Portland, Oregon architect and co-founder of the firm Zimmer Gunsul Frasca (ZGF)

The DC chapter kicked off the new year with a lecture on Brutalism and a Mod Mixer at the iconic Watergate Hotel. Live vicariously through their recap here

Miami commissioners have signed a death warrant for the Babylon, the distinctly colorful, ziggurat-shaped Brickell apartment house that was the first commercial building by homegrown design giant Arquitectonica and a landmark that helped set the stage for the city’s downtown revival.

Sarah Yoon, a recipient of the Mexico City Student Grant, reflects on her recent trip with Docomomo US to Mexico City and the resilency and vibrancy of the city. 

From ongoing advocacy efforts, to recognizing significant people and projects in the Modernism in America Awards, to celebrating and bringing awareness to significant architecture and design across the country during the National Symposium and Tour Day, see what is taking place in 2018.

Cincinnati's Terrace Plaza Hotel, designed by SOM's Natalie de Blois, was the first International style hotel in the United States. It is now under threat.

The exterior is calendared to be landmarked, but the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has approved demolition of the building's lobby.

Docomomo US is saddened by the loss of the architect and developer who created futuristic atriums and revitalized city centers.

“Tiki Modernism: Design History Drinks” was Docomomo US/Northern California’s latest event and a fundraiser for an upcoming scholarship for preservation students.

An eagle-eyed preservationist has sounded the alarm over a renovation of the atrium of the Wells Fargo Center on Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, designed by noted modernist landscape architect Lawrence Halprin.

Read what has taken place in 2017 with our chapters located across the United States.

The Parador Ariston, on the Atlantic south coast, is the only work by Bauhaus master Marcel Breuer in Latin America. Unfortunately, the Parador Ariston has now reached an advanced state of disrepair, having been abandoned for at least 20 years and suffered the effects of sea air, weather and vandalism.

According to the Boston Herald, a five-year, $80 million plan to renovate City Hall and rip up the surrounding plaza is going out to bid.

The Center for Labor Education and Research (CLEAR) and Docomomo Hawaii together have raised approximately $35,000 towards our goal of $50,000 that we will need for the installation of these murals in their new CLEAR home, at the UH West Oahu Campus. Our deadline for installation is December 31, 2017.

Here are a few books that are now on our wish list.

His work, often described as “quirky” or “whimsical” since it appears difficult to categorize stylistically, falls more under Frank Lloyd Wright’s Organic School of Modern Architecture. Unlike many FLW acolytes, however, Ledner did not merely copy the style of the teacher, but embraced the philosophy and made it his own.

Stone designed the Stuhr Museum in 1963, the result of a naïve yet ambitious building committee who simply asked the major galleries and museums of the nation who they would hire to design for them if given the chance. The resounding answer was Stone.

It's that time again and we've pulled together a few gift ideas that are now on our modern wish list.

Support Docomomo US and our efforts to save and celebrate the modern heritage found in your neighborhood and communities across the country.

Rich in color, culture and details, the Modern Mexico City travel tour, which took place last month, was a feast for the eyes and for the senses. 

On Friday November 3, preservationists, enthusiasts, and Robert A.M. Stern gathered outside Philip Johnson's controversial AT&T building to protest proposed changes to the iconic building.

Watch the digital premier of Starship Chicago - a documentary on Helmut Jahn's James R. Thompson Center. 

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) Headquarters in Hyattsville may be demolished and replaced with 7 acres of single family homes if plans by a potential developer go through.

A plan by the design firm Snøhetta to remake Philip Johnson’s AT&T Building has sparked anger in the architecture world.

Teleport and see what tour goers explored across the country during Tour Day 2017. 

Sadly, Issaquah, WA is losing the historic, architectural and artistic treasure of Providence Heights College despite a hard fought battle for its preservation by the Sammamish Heritage Society, The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, and a collective group of individuals in the community. 

Save the Atlanta Public Library recently reported the head of the library is currently proposing to demolish the facade and put up a glass wall on Atlanta's Central Library.

On Friday, October 6th, Docomomo US and a diverse group of professionals passionate about architecture and design came together to celebrate the Modernism in America Awards.

The community-driven proposal aimed at boosting Freeway Park’s pedestrian visibility and its diversity potentially threatens the integrity of Lawrence Halprin and Angela Danadjieva's design.

Breathing fresh life into one of the city’s most ambitious cultural projects and making history as the largest gift on record toward the construction of an American museum, David Geffen has pledged $150 million to a new building for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Kevin Roche’s path toward becoming one of corporate America’s favorite architects was paved in the 1950s, when, while working at Eero Saarinen and Associates, he helped design the first, and many would argue, the most groundbreaking corporate headquarters and research facilities for clients such as CBS, General Motors, IBM, John Deere and Company, and Bell Laboratories.  These companies represented traditional manufacturing and emerging information technologies while prizing architecture as a symbol for power and prestige.

The Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters, completed in 1983, is a significant example of Late Modern architecture, defined by Charles Jencks in his seminal book Late Modern Architecture of 1980 as being committed to order, dramatic interior sections, and smooth exterior surfaces.

The International Business Machines Corporation, widely known for its acronym “IBM”, and nicknamed the “Big Blue”, commissioned its facility in Boca Raton, Florida, to the office of Marcel Breuer and Associates. The project architects were Marcel Breuer and Robert Gatje (longtime partner at this firm). Breuer, a respected, well-known architect and mature designer, received this commission at the height of his career.

No architects better captured the exhilarating spirit of Southern California’s aerospace era than William Pereira, Charles Luckman, and Albert C. Martin, Jr. Their corporate campuses and laboratories in steel and glass, with their strong horizontal lines, lavish landscaping, pools and fountains, and the deliberate blurring of interior and exterior space, perfectly expressed what journalist and author, David Beers called  California’s “blue sky dream”, a postwar suburban paradise driven by defense spending, a sense of manifest destiny, and the scientific fervor of a place that had set its sights on the stars.  As Beer explains, “aerospace and California were made not just for but by each other.”

The Reynolds Metals regional sales headquarters was the result of a corporate client who sought to build a showcase for aluminum and an architect who questioned modernism. The result was a “total work of art” of architectural branding, and an important example of “new formalism” that would be a travesty to lose.

A controversial demolition proposal is returning to the Preservation Board September 21. Norstar Development USA is seeking to demolish the remaining portions of the Shoreline Apartment complex. The north end of the development was demolished to construct the affordable Niagara Square Apartments, eight new buildings with 48 units at the corner of Carolina and Niagara streets.

In an unsurprising 4-0 vote, Portland City Council tentatively struck down a condition of approval attached to the Historic Landmarks Commission's approval of the "Reconstruction" of the Portland Building. City Council also voted to deny Peter Meijer's (Peter Meijer Architect, PC) appeal of the decision without a word of debate. 

In a disheartening turn of events, Miami's preservation board voted 7-2 to not consider Miami architect Kenneth Treister's Office in the Grove for designation. 

After a long hard fought battle the Sammamish Heritage Society and a coalition of organizations, professionals, and community members saw their appeal to overturn the demolition permit for the Providence Heights campus gain victory.

Preservation Houston and others are getting to work. Here's how you can join the disaster relief efforts.

Get a head start and map out the adventures you want to embark on the Tour Day. Don't be shy, you can do more than one.

Docomomo US Summer Intern, Joseph Gravius, shares how he came to love modern architecture, preservation, Docomomo US' and how to use the new "Explore Modern" register.

Visit the Docomomo US/DC's new website and stay informed about current advocacy, news, and events.

The Florida chapter is looking for signatures to bring to a scheduled public meeting September 5th in support of the designation of The Office in the Grove.

Two years ago, Chicago had a chance to add a futuristic floating concert hall designed by one of the 20th century's great architects to its renowned collection of iconic structures. The vessel could have adorned the city's downtown Riverwalk and moved up and down the branches of the Chicago River, entertaining audiences on shore.

But the chance to buy Philadelphia architect Louis Kahn's "Point Counterpoint II," which opens like a clam shell to present classical music concerts for listeners on shore, came and went with the closing of the first Chicago Architecture Biennial exhibition in 2015.

Tour Day is just around the corner! Here is a sneak peek of tours and events taking place this Tour Day. 

This past June, Docomomo US/Northern California led a sold-out tour of San Francisco’s Cathedral Hill and Western Addition as part of San Francisco Design Week, an annual festival led by AIGA.

An almost decade-long fight to protect historic resources at the University of Washington in Seattle has culminated in a State Supreme Court ruling in favor of preservation advocates in the case, University of Washington vs. City of Seattle, Docomomo US/WEWA, Historic Seattle, and the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

Late last week, Docomomo US sent a letter to the Albright Knox Art Gallery to share our concern for the recently released campus expansion concept design. The proposed concept appears to destroy character-defining elements of the Albright Knox Art Gallery including partial demolition of the significant 1962 addition by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

In our May newsletter, we presented the significance of Peavey Plaza, its decline, and the actions by The Cultural Landscape Foundation and the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota to save this unique site from demolition.  Recently, the City of Minneapolis hired consultants to produce a Historic Structures Report and then develop designs to rehabilitate the Plaza, stating that this work would meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.  Unfortunately, the proposed 30% design plans have raised significant concerns as many of the character defining features of the site are being significantly altered or removed: raising the lower basin to be level with the surrounding walkway, eliminating original terraces that defined spaces within the site, removing healthy tress and replacing them with alternate species, adding competing water features, and changing the material palate. 

Historic Districts Council has started a petition to address 30 landmark-eligible buildings in the proposed rezoning area of East Midtown in New York. Of the 30 eligible buildings, four significant modern buildings (the Universal Pictures Building, the Girls Scouts Building, Union Carbide and PanAm/MetLife) have been identified in the zone as landmark-eligible but not in the pipeline for designation. 

On Monday, July 3rd, Docomomo US submitted a formal letter to the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission on the proposed "reconstruction" of Michael Graves historic 1982 Portland Public Service Building (Portland Building).

Docomomo US is pleased to announce nine winners of the 2017 Modernism in America Awards program. 

I.M.Pei and his contributions to Philadelphia modernism were celebrated by a tour of Society Hill Towers and Townhouses on May 25, 2017.

The latest surrounding the Houston Astrodome is the Harris County Taxpayer Protection Act failed to proceed through the state legislature. Had this bill passed it would have forced Harris County to hold an election for voters to approve the proposed Astrodome Redevelopment.

Docomomo US is pleased to announce the selection of Sanika Kulkarni and Sarah Yoon as the 2017 Mexico City study grant fellowship recipients. Ms. Kulkarni and Ms. Yoon were selected based on their committed interest in modernism and the global perspective they will bring to the trip.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Philadelphia Police Department intends to move its headquarters into the white tower at Broad and Callowhill Streets that for decades housed the Inquirer and Daily News, jettisoning plans to move to a site in West Philadelphia that the city spent about $50 million to buy and renovate.

The Roundhouse property, where police have been based since 1963, will be sold for redevelopment, as will the Medical Examiner’s Office on University Avenue near Civic Center Boulevard, and the Sixth District building at 11th and Vine Streets.

In response to the recent panel discussion "Modernist Landscapes Reconsidered" held at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C., the ASLA considers the question, "should Modernist parks, plazas, and streets be saved?"

Six years after the demolition of Peavey Plaza was halted in 2011, a redesign is underway—but there are continuing concerns about the manner in which the site may be altered, and questions about how the proposed changes meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Guidelines for Rehabilitation of Historic Properties and Cultural Landscapes. 

Held in Washington D.C., almost 200 people attended the May 15 event at the National Building Museum to hear how 20th century modernist urban landscapes can, or should, respond to contemporary expectations for public space.

As cities and communities continue to rethink and reclaim public space, modern landscapes, many of which lack proper maintenance and understanding, have been placed in a vulnerable position. Here are just a few modern landscapes featured the Docomomo US Explore Modern Register that have been lost, saved and are currently still threatened. 

After a year-long attempt to find new stewards, Peter Eisenman’s House II in Hardwick, Vermont is reaching the zero hour. Devin Colman, the Architectural Historian for the State of Vermont, contacted Docomomo US this week stating, "the owner is willing to sell the house and 15 acres for $425,000 to anyone who will save the house. If it doesn’t sell, he has a buyer ready to purchase it for the land only, demolish House II, and build a new home on the site. The buyer wants to close by the end of June so he can start demolition this summer."

Googie Architecture Meets the Postwar City Beautiful

Take a stroll along the hike and bike trail of Lady Bird Lake and you’ll come across an inviting structure with a story significant to the lake that embodies the beauty of Austin. The Fannie Davis Town Lake Gazebo marks the spot of the beginning of the city’s efforts to improve the area through the Town Lake Beautification Project, inspired by Lady Bird Johnson’s national programs.

Despite new developments reshaping the city from ground to sky, the Statue of Liberty endures as one of New York’s most iconic sights.

Without getting on a boat, one of the best places to see Lady Liberty is Wagner Park, a small green slice of Battery Park City on the lower edge of Manhattan. Two decades ago Boston-based Machado Silvetti, in collaboration with landscape architects at OLIN, unveiled the park, an open space that ushers people towards the water’s edge with sweeping views of New York Harbor and that famous freedom statue.

Ed Keegan argues why the State of Illinois Building should remain a public asset in the May/June issue of Chicago Architect Magazine.

The Greater Philadelphia chapter has kicked off the Spring with great events highlighting modern architecture in the area. Read what has taken place and what is to come!

In 1955, Progressive Architecture’s second Annual Design Awards recognized more buildings by architects from New Orleans and Louisiana than any other city or state in the nation. That’s right — before New Orleans was “the city that care forgot,” it was one of the most architecturally progressive cities in the nation.

On May 5, 2017 Docomomo US/Florida submitted an application to the City of Miami Historic and Environmental Preservation Board requesting them to designate Office in the Grove, Coconut Grove, a historic, architectural resource.

Nestled along the East River in New York City, the United Nations Headquarters has long been admired as the physical embodiment of global diplomacy and collaboration.  Born from the ashes of World War II, the United Nations Headquarters was designed in 1947 by a collaborative, international team of esteemed architects including Le Corbusier, Wallace K. Harrison, and Oscar Niemeyer.  The campus’ resulting architectural achievements have endured as one of the most widely-recognized examples of 20th century International Style architecture, including the first glass curtain wall skyscraper in the United States.

Catholic Diocese of Orange Saves an Architectural Landmark:

This is the story of a prominent piece of architectural history saved from the wrecking ball and the fusion of art and science that made it possible.

As we approach Wright’s 150th birthday in June, we can note that it has been fifty-eight years since the architect’s death in 1959. 2017 also marks the 26th year of Taliesin’s preservation-focused non-profit, Taliesin Preservation Incorporated (TPI), and discussions surrounding Taliesin’s management and preservation treatment stretch back multiple decades. By looking at ways in which the buildings have been treated through time, it is possible to unpack some of the methods, means, and values inherent in preservation work, especially values specific to Taliesin and Wright’s legacy. The site is a rich example that illustrates many ways in which a place can be preserved. This article will highlight just a few interventions manifest at this complex site.

Over the course of this past year, my thesis work set out to evaluate the restoration and repair work done to the body of work of one particular architect, Bertrand Goldberg. His structures are dynamic works of engineering, characterized by monumental sculptural concrete forms and often designed with an exposed concrete finish. Recently, two of his buildings have been in the news; Prentice Women’s Hospital lost its preservation battle and was razed in 2015 while Marina City was granted landmark status by the city of Chicago in March 2016.

In 1953, the Chor-Bishop Mansour of a Brooklyn Heights church had heard whispers of a new French stained glass called gemmaux. Excited by the prospect of presiding over the first church to have all of its windows done in this style, Chor-Bishop Mansour Stephens of Our Lady of Lebanon promptly commissioned 10 windows from the artist that developed the technique, Jean Crotti.

Philip Johnson’s 1946 Booth House, in Bedford, New York is threatened and in urgent need of new custodians. Award winning architect and pioneering architectural photographer Robert Damora (1912 -2009) and his wife, architect Sirkka Damora, moved into Philip Johnson’s Booth House in 1955 thinking of it as temporary housing until they could build a home of their own design. The spare elegance of the Booth House evoked a simple, informal, unencumbered life style that suited them: they never left. When you find environment that soothes your soul there is little motivation to move on. Now 62 years after arriving at the house, at age 93 Sirkka finds the rural life there difficult to manage physically, and she is financially unable to continue in the house. The house must be sold.

The City of Issaquah has determined that demolition of the campus has no significant adverse effect—the Washington Trust strongly disagrees with this finding. We will be commenting on these documents and encourage anyone who values Providence Heights to also comment. Specifically, due to the size and significance of the property we encourage you to request that the City require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be completed. An EIS is necessary to appropriately investigate the full impact of demolition.

Docomomo US is pleased to announce the development of a Study Grant program to provide financial support for qualified individuals whose work or educational focus demonstrates a continued interest and commitment in the area or subject of exploration for which the particular study grants are being offered. The Study Grant program has been made possible with the generous support of an anonymous Docomomo US supporter for the Modern Mexico City travel tour taking place in October 2017.

Docomomo US/Oregon is currently keeping an eye on and advocating for a number of modernist buildings in the Portland and Salem area under threat. Read more about each one below and find out how you can participate in the chapter's efforts to save these modernist sites.

Last remaining Richard Neutra-designed structure in the National Park Service makes new strides in restoration efforts.

Architects and historical preservationists are calling on Metro to immediately suspend painting the vaulted walls and ceiling inside Union Station, arguing that Metro’s plan to brighten up the station interior could irrevocably harm the design of the iconic public space.

In a letter to Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld sent Friday, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts — a federal agency tasked with overseeing the architectural development of Washington — warned that painting the exposed concrete walls is not a simple maintenance task, but instead an “alteration to an essential characteristic” of the station interior. Metro failed to follow the proper procedures for a public review process that would be expected for such a significant act, the letter said.

On Oct. 31, 2015, the Bank of Hawaii closed its Kapahulu branch and sold the building, which was home to a set of five 1961 murals by acclaimed Hawai‘i artist Isami Enomoto depicting labor in the islands. The bank did not want to keep the murals, and when none of the state’s established art institutions were able to accept them, the Docomomo US/Hawaii Chapter assumed responsibility for the preservation of these artistically and historically important murals.

Wallace Harrison came to be regarded as an architect who connected the world of high art with that of a new form of monumental architecture. At the First Presbyterian Church in Stamford, CT, he began with a curiosity about Gothic space as a prototype for the integration of the arts, with the intention of designing a “place of worship with some of the splendor of colored light found in the great Gothic cathedrals.”

From the mid-1930’s through the 1980’s, New York City and its immediate surroundings were a nexus for the Modern art and architecture movement that had relocated from Europe to escape the rise of fascism and the destruction of the Second World War. The community included immigrants who had been active in the formative years in Europe and native-born Americans, generally a half-generation younger than their colleagues. Key among the transplanted Europeans were Marcel Breuer and Costantino (Tino) Nivola. I have good fortune to have known both men from my early childhood onward and, on entering the world of architecture, to have worked for and with each of them..

This February, Mid Tex Mod board members Sara Ludueña and Elizabeth Porterfield conducted a bus tour of mid-century modern architecture in Waco during the 2017 Preservation Summit hosted by Preservation Texas. Over twenty participants visited and toured some of Waco’s iconic mid-century residential and commercial buildings highlighting the works of local architects Robert S. Bennett, J.W. Bush, James D. Dewitt along with other national architects.

In March, we lost the old Georgia State Archives building; designed by A. Thomas Bradbury in 1964. Atlanta, a city whose last major expansion coincided with rise of Modernism, is lucky to have had a handful of great Modernist architects living and practicing within the city. Bradbury was certainly one of them.

Docomomo US/Hawaii has been instrumental in bringing attention to and advocacting for Hawaii's unique modern heritage through programming and events. From tours to lectures and talks stories to advocating for threatened properties, see what the chapter has been up to in 2017.

The mid-century modern Silver Spring Library by noted local architect Rhees Evans Burket, AIA, is facing an uncertain future. The county has put out a request for proposals from developers to turn the site into senior housing and child day care facilities through either incorporating the existing building or knocking it down and starting from scratch.

The Terrace Theatre in Robbinsdale, Minnesota opened on May 25th, 1951. The Mid-Century Modern building designed by the architectural firm of Liebenberg & Kaplan, for movie house owners, Sydney and William Volk, won national acclaim from newspapers, magazines, and industry publications. The August 4th, 1951 issue of Box Office Magazine featured the Terrace on the cover and contained a five page, illustrated article that praised the Terrace as “The Gem of the Lakes.”

The King County Landmark Nomination application for the Providence Heights campus in Issaquah has been withdrawn due to legal issues related to the ownership of the propert. It is owned by City Church of Kirkland, which does not support the nomination.

SHELTER, protection from the extremes of an environment, is a basic need. Throughout history our built form has risen out of how we respond to this necessity. Like other periods, Modernism strove to reexamine and reassess the forms, spaces, and materials that comprise shelter, creating a new language that defined the structures in which we live.

I have a confession to make: When I first started my career in historic preservation 15 years ago, I wasn’t a fan of Modern architecture. It simply didn’t interest me. You may be asking how that is possible when the modern Mecca of Columbus, Indiana, is less than an hour away. Modern buildings just seemed cold and stark. There simply wasn’t that hook to draw me in. Then in 2009 a coworker and I happened upon the Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University located in northwest Indiana and designed by architect Charles E. Stade.1My thoughts on Modernism changed.

In additon to national events like the National Symposium in Phoenix, the Modernism in America Awards, and Tour Day and monitoring ongoing advocacy issues like the Parker Center, Thompson Center, Peavey Plaza and more, Docomomo US chapters and friend organizations have planned amazing tours and lectures, launched initiatives and are monitoring advocacy issues of their own.

Docomomo US is pleased to announce our efforts to landmark Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo’s Ambassador Grill and UN Hotel Lobby interior (now ONE UN New York) have been successful. The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate the spaces making them New York City’s 118th Interior Landmark. The Ambassador Grill and UN Hotel Lobby join the ranks of many celebrated interiors including Grand Central Station, Radio City Music Hall and the Ford Foundation (also designed by Roche).

On January 10, the City of L.A.'s Entertainment and Facilities Committee held a meeting to review the City’s environmental analysis for Parker Center (renamed from the Police Facilities Building in 1966 to honor Chief William H. Parker), calling for the demolition of the historic building. Following a lengthy discussion and public comments, the committee, chaired by Council member Mitch O'Farrell, decided to continue the item until the pending Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) nomination is addressed. The nomination is awaiting to be scheduled and heard before the City Council Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) committee.

In 1966, Hideo Sasaki, Norman Fletcher, and Walter Pierce, all renowned practitioners of modernism and residents of Lexington, Massachusetts, produced a “Plan for Lexington Center,” an elegant design to turn a drab suburban center into a series of “living rooms” in which the community of Lexington could congregate. This design, executed in 1967, has been highly successful and has stood the test of time, as evidenced by a 2008 Tufts University study designating Lexington as a “Model Town Center.” However, now this iconic streetscape is threatened.

This past week, The Los Angeles Conservancy reported that the City of Los Angeles' Municipal Facilities Committee recently voted in favor of demolishing Parker Center based on the Bureau of Engineering’s (BOE) claim that the preservation alternative will cost nearly $107 million more. The plan to replace the building was presented before the City’s Entertainment and Facilities Committee on Tuesday, January 10, 2017. Read more about why the Parker Center is being demolished for the wrong reasons and view the Conservancy's alternative proposal.

As we head into the new year, Docomomo US is excited to build upon the positive developments that took place during 2016. However, there is still much at stake as we face an unknown political environment that could jeopardize long and hard fought preservation efforts. See what is taking place in 2017.

The Citizen’s Bank Building, in Bristol, Rhode Island, is like no other. Located at the end of a row of mid-nineteenth century structures, its dynamic concrete facade and curious decorative symbols mark an abrupt change from the past. Most viewers remember it vividly.

During the first three decades of the twentieth century, Mexico experienced several social and political transformations. As a nation transitioning from a dictatorship to a democratic state, Mexico needed to find an identity as a modern and liberal country. The economic and political reconstruction materialized through the arts and architecture, and these transformations were most evident in the Mexico City; not only the capital of the country but also its creative hub. It was here that American artist Marion Greenwood’s murals and artwork contributed to one of the first projects that would embody post-revolutionary ideals: the Abelardo Rodriguez Market.

Docomomo US is accepting submissions for the 2017 Modernism in America Awards in the following categories: Design, Inventory/Survey and Advocacy. Now in its fourth year, the Modernism in America Awards acknowledges the people and projects working to preserve, restore and rehabilitate our modern heritage sensitively and productively.

This past year Docomomo US has seen incredible things take place as buildings have been saved and the recognition of the importance of modern architecture, sites, and landscapes has gained national attention. These positive developments are due largely because of the efforts of the volunteers and members of our chapters, friend organizations, partners, sponsors and active participants. We look forward to what the new year will bring as we continue to celebrate and advocate for the modern heritage found in our neighborhoods. Here are the hightlights from 2016.