10 Modern Women of the Modernism in America Awards

It’s March! Nominations are now open for the 2025 Modernism in America Awards, and it’s also Women's History Month, which inspired us to take a look back at the award-winning initiatives where women played a central role in commissioning, designing, restoring, documenting, educating, and advocating for our built environment. Their contributions emphasize the importance of partnerships between owners, architects and the community and the interconnectedness that originates from the lifecycle of a project.

 

We hope these award-winning projects inspire you to nominate more female-led projects for a Modernism in America Award. Do you already know about a project that would be a great candidate? Encourage them to submit it for consideration or shoot us an email and let us know! We appreciate your help in recognizing noteworthy projects.

 

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Lillian Swann Saarinen

The Pond House, built in 1960 in Wellfleet Massachusetts by Olav Hammarstrom, was commissioned by Lilian Swann Saarinen, who wanted a modest, modern vacation home that respected its surrounding landscape.

 

The Pond House in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, received a Design Citation of Merit in 2019 for its  restoration, in particular with respect to treatment of the surrounding landscape.

Jane West Clauss

As former employees of Mies dan der Rohe, creative couple Jane West Clauss and Alfred Clauss created a radical new housing development in an unexpected location, the ridge of Brown's Mountain near Knoxville, Tennessee. The Clauss' development of Little Switzerland is likely the first enclave of International style houses in the US.

 

The Clauss Haus II at Little Switzerland, completed in 1941, received a Residential Design Citation of Merit in 2022.

Anastasia and Luby Bubeshko

Mother-and-daughter Anastasia and Luby Bubeshko, sought out architect Rudolph M. Schindler when they were looking for a home that could provide rental income and flexibility as life progressed. Designed in 1941, the Bubeshko Apartment are one of the few realized and intact multi-family dwellings in existence by the designer.

 

The Bubeshko Apartments received a Residential Design Award of Excellence in 2017 for its restoration.

Natalie de Blois

Long attributed only to Gordon Bunshaft, the Terrace Plaza Hotel opened in 1948 as the country’s first International-style hotel. In actuality, it was Natalie de Blois who was the chief designer of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill team that was responsible for all the details of the building including the interiors, furniture, tableware, textiles, uniforms, graphics, ashtrays and even the matchbooks. The hotel is said to have been the best collaboration between Modern architecture and art in the United States by including the works of Alexander Calder, Saul Steinberg, Jim Davis, and Joan Miró into the design.

 

The Cincinnati Preservation Association and the coalition of local advocates, including City Council member David Mann, received an Advocacy Award of Excellence in 2019 for their efforts to save Cincinnati’s Terrace Plaza Hotel.

Ray Eames

The Eames House offers a personal glimpse into the lives of the iconic mid-century designer couple, with Ray's creative vision shining through in the bold use of color, layered interiors, and innovative modular furniture – a true reflection of her distinctive influence on the space.

 

In 2020, the Eames House Conservation Management Plan (CMP) received an Inventory/Survey Award of Excellence. The undertaking by Getty Conservation Institute was part of its Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative (CMAI)  a tool for the Eames Foundation in its ongoing care and management of the Eames House.

Barbara Bestor

Bestor Architecture restored and partially renovated Silvertop, John Lautner’s first concrete shell construction, nestled in the hills of Los Angeles, California. One of the most technically and structurally innovative houses in the world, Silvertop is a touchstone in the evolution of architectural design.

 

Bestor Architecture received a Residential Design Award of Excellence in 2019 for its restoration of Silvertop.

Eugenia Woo

As Historic Seattle's Director of Preservation Services Eugenia Woo truly turned her passion for architecture and history into a career. She leads the organization’s advocacy efforts, fighting the good fight to “save Seattle’s soul.”

 

 Eugenia Woo received an Advocacy Award of Excellence in 2022. Woo has devoted her professional career to the important, and sometimes frustrating, fight to save our modern heritage.

Edith Farnsworth

The Edith Farnsworth House book brings to light Ms. Farnsworth's pivotal role in the creation of her iconic house designed by Mies van der Rohe, a perspective often overshadowed in other Mies-centric narratives about this modern country house.

 

In 2024, an Inventory/Survey Citation of Merit was presented to The Edith Farnsworth House book (The Monacelli Press), authored by Michelangelo Sabatino, with contributions by Scott Mehaffey, Dietrich Neumann, Ron Henderson, and Hilary Lewis.

Beverly Willis 

The women documented in the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation’s Pioneering Women in American Architecture project, were all born before 1940, a time when women struggled to be allowed entry into the architectural profession and to be recognized for their work. As such, the many featured on the New Angle: Voice podcast are not well known, even among architectural historians.

 

In 2022, an Advocacy Award of Excellence was given to the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation’s Pioneering Women in American Architecture project, which has rigorously researched and developed profiles of women who have made important contributions to American architecture.

Elizabeth Scheu Close

In the book and exhibition Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture author Jane King Hession documents the legacy of one of Minnesota’s earliest Modern architects and one of America’s pioneering women in architecture.

 

In 2024, an Inventory/Survey Award of Excellence was presented to Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture (book and exhibition), for its achievement in documenting the legacy of one of Minnesota’s earliest Modern architects and one of America’s pioneering women in architecture.

About the Awards

The Modernism in America Awards celebrate the documentation, preservation, and reuse of modern buildings, structures, and landscapes built in the United States or on U.S. territory and recognize those building owners, design teams, advocacy, and preservation organizations that have made significant efforts to retain, restore, and advocate for the aesthetic and cultural value of such places.