The Docomomo US Annual Theme “Places of Worship” profiles and explores the rich array of postwar Modern religious buildings that can be found in almost every community across the nation. It’s worth noting from the start that these buildings house worship, yes, but often much more.

Architect Walter Netsch was only 34 when handed the monumental task of designing the Cadet Chapel – a centerpiece in the bold new vision for the United States Air Force Academy. The commission was unprecedented in scale: a Cold War-era project involving cadet quarters for 8,000, a hospital, an airfield, academic and administrative complexes, a court of honor, and more. Over 340 firms competed for the honor, but it was Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) that won the contract on July 23, 1954.

In 2023, the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee launched a project to survey Milwaukee’s 20th-century houses of worship. The survey had one unexpected outcome, however – the discovery of a relatively unknown architect whose work extended beyond the geographic boundaries of Milwaukee: Henry R. Slaby, AIA. Slaby (1906-1995) was born in Milwaukee and apprenticed in the local architectural office of Herbst & Kuenzli. 

On Halloween night in 1939, the Community Christian Church – at the time known as the Linwood Boulevard Christian Church – suffered a fire that destroyed the church’s second building, and forced them to relocate for a fourth time since the congregation’s inception in 1888.

From an adapted barn in Locust Valley, Richard Lippold spun wire into gossamer threads to create other worldly compositions. He eschewed organized religion but was deeply connected to the natural world and communed with the metals that composed his sculptures.

Tucked into the quiet hills of Montecito, California, the Vedanta Temple emerges like a secret sanctuary for both visitors and spiritual seekers. Designed by Lutah Maria Riggs in 1956, it is a rare example of sacred architecture that blends philosophical depth, environmental sensitivity, and architectural restraint.

Tucked away on a quiet side street in the low-rise Queens neighborhood of Maspeth sits a little known modernist masterpiece of Lithuanian architecture, the Church of the Transfiguration.

Wallace Harrison, the architect best known for such projects as the United Nations Headquarters, Lincoln Center, and Albany’s Empire State Plaza, designed only one church, First Presbyterian Church in Stamford, CT, 1952–1958.

Sonya Sehgal is an emerging conservation professional and graduate student, pursuing a Master of Science in Historic Preservation at the University of Texas. She is the first recipient of the Theodore Prudon Education Fund Grant, and we recently spoke with her about receiving the grant and how she plans to utilize the funding to further her educational pursuits.

Expand your horizons and escape into our annual summer reads list, featuring new and on-theme architecture and design titles. And a reminder that when you purchase any of the books below through our Bookshop.org storefront, Docomomo US receives a portion of the proceeds. 

Docomomo US and Docomomo US/New York Tri-State Chapter are thrilled to announce the New York City individual and interior landmark designation of the former Whitney Museum of American Art at 945 Madison Avenue, designed by Marcel Breuer and Associates.

Docomomo US announces the return of its online auction Be:Cause Modern – the Auction for Modernism, supporting the preservation of modern architecture, landscapes, and design through principled advocacy, collaboration, and celebration. Bidding opens at 12pm EST on Friday, May 16, and runs through 9pm EST on Sunday, May 25.

Docomomo US is proud to introduce our guest editor for the Places of Worship Annual Theme: Partners for Sacred Places. We spoke with Bob Jaeger about the organization and it’s work. 

Susan Horowitz, director of preservation projects at Hamptons20Century Modern, reflects on the legacy of architect and advocate Barbara Goldberg Neski, who in 1952, became one of the first female graduates of the Bauhaus-oriented Harvard GSD program. As Neski Associates, she and her husband Julian designed 35 homes (many of which were located in the Hamptons). Throughout her decades long career, Neski was outspoken about the challenges for women in architecture.

Docomomo US is steadfast in its mission to protect our Modern heritage. We counter the recent executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” with a renewed commitment to telling the full and diverse stories of Modernism in America.

Howard Mumford Jones Research Professor Lizabeth Cohen adapts her Keynote Address from Preserving the Recent Past 4. "Revitalizing the Post-Covid City: What We Can Learn from the Past," was presented at the conference in Boston on March 20, 2025.

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.

In this month's column, Docomomo US President Katie Horak acknowledges the emotional toll of 2025's early months, marked by natural disasters, political unrest, and uncertainty. Yet hope abounds, as recovery from the Eaton and Palisades fires continues in Los Angeles, and Docomomo US looks forward to the Preserving the Recent Past (PRP) 4 conference in Boston, celebrating progress and reflecting on the ongoing preservation efforts over the last 30 years.

Take virtual tour through the recent past of Boston's Roxbury neighborhood. As part of the Preserving the Recent Past 4 conference happening in Boston this March, participants have a chance to tour the diverse Roxbury neighborhood. If you aren’t attending the conference but are local to Boston, tours are now open to the public for registration. Here is a sneak peek of some of the significant midcentury and recent past sites featured on the tour. 

The Docomomo US Board of Directors has added Nina Chmura of New Jersey as a new director, while Zoe Detweiler and Tyler Jones – both based in Los Angeles – join as student directors for 2025.