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!

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.

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.

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.