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DOCOMOMO: The Latest Architecture and News

Theodore Prudon: ‘Modernism Has Never Been a Popular Movement’

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

Theodore Prudon, the founding president of Docomomo US, recently stepped down as the organization’s head. (Robert Meckfessel is the new president.) “Docomomo” is shorthand for the group’s mission: the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods of the Modern movement. Prudon has had a storied career as a preservationist, architect, and educator, heading his own practice and teaching at Columbia University. In October, he was presented with the Connecticut Architecture Foundation’s Distinguished Leadership Award at the newly reborn Marcel Breuer building in New Haven, which began its life in 1970 as the Pirelli Tire Building and is now the Hotel Marcel (designed, planned, and developed by architect Bruce Redman Becker).

A Modern Affair at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice

A special night to support DOCOMOMO US/New York Tri-State, honor the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice for the renovation of its landmark building, and celebrate the legacies of Kevin Roche and Dan Kiley.

Winners Announced for 2018 Modernism in America Awards

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Starship Chicago. Image © James Steinkamp

Thirteen projects have been announced as winners of Docomomo US’ 2018 Modernism in America Awards, honoring projects within the United States that highlight and advocate for the restoration of postwar architecture and landscapes.

Now in its fifth year, the Modernism in America Awards were founded to celebrate "the people and projects working to preserve, restore and rehabilitate our modern heritage sensitively and productively. The program seeks to advance those preservation efforts; to increase appreciation for the period and to raise awareness of the on-going threats against modern architecture and design."

Below, we have rounded up the successful schemes, and an organizer’s description of their significance.

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Docomomo Pens Letter In Response to the Planned Demolition of New York's Union Carbide Building

Following last week’s announcement of JPMorgan Chase’s plans to demolition the historically significant modernist masterwork 270 Park (formerly known as the Union Carbide Building), the US chapter of international non-profit Modernist architecture advocate Docomomo has penned a letter to New York City Landmarks Preservation Committee chair Meenakshi Srinivasan arguing for the structure’s preservation.

In the letter, Docomomo US President Theodore H.M. Prudon and Docomomo US NY/Tri-State President John Arbuckle highlight the structure’s critical acclaim and essential place within Modernist architectural history, urging the Commission to calendar the building for designation as quickly as possible.

Find the letter reprinted in full, below.

15th International Docomomo Conference – Metamorphosis. The Continuity of Change

Docomomo Slovenia is deeply honoured to be approved to host the 15th international Docomomo conference in Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia in August 2018. As this is also the year in which Docomomo International is celebrating 30 years of its existance, we would like to kindly invite you to join us at this unique place and moment in the history of Docomomo International in the conference with the title Metamorphosis – The Continuity of Change.

We are currently experiencing a complete escalation of change in different areas of life. Change has never been as easy as it is

9 Preservation Projects Win 2017 Modernism in America Awards

Nine projects have been announced as winners of Docomomo US’ 2017 Modernism in America Awards, honoring projects within the United States that highlight and advocate for the restoration of postwar architecture and landscapes.

Now in its fourth year, the Modernism in America Awards were founded to celebrate "the people and projects working to preserve, restore and rehabilitate our modern heritage sensitively and productively. The program seeks to advance those preservation efforts; to increase appreciation for the period and to raise awareness of the on-going threats against modern architecture and design."

The Winners for The 2016 Modernism in America Awards Have Been Announced

Docomomo US has announced the winners of its 2016 Modernism in America Awards, which honor projects around the country that highlight and advocate for the restoration of postwar architecture and landscapes.

The Modernism in America Awards is the only national program that celebrates "the people and projects working to preserve, restore and rehabilitate our modern heritage sensitively and productively. The program seeks to advance those preservation efforts; to increase appreciation for the period and to raise awareness of the on-going threats against modern architecture and design." 

The 2016 Modernism in America Award winners are:

"Expansion and Conflict": 13th International Docomomo Conference 2014

How has the advancement of the Modern Movement design ethos, through geo-political expansion from the Western world, challenged the cultural foundation and aesthetic heritage of Asia?

Modernism in America Awards

DOCOMOMO US invites submissions for the first annual Modernism in America Awards. The awards celebrate the documentation, preservation and re-use of modern buildings, structures and landscapes built in the United States or on U.S. territory. The Awards 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.