Modern Movement Advocacy Growing Nationwide

Support for the preservation of modern architecture has been steadily growing across the United States over the past few decades. While the term “modern” generally applies to a wide range of structures built between WWI and the 1970s, the vast majority of our nation’s existing modern buildings were constructed during the boom years following WWII. From monumental Expressionist works such as Eero Saarinen’s TWA Terminal in New York (1962) to modest Lustron Houses scattered through the country, the general mindset in the preservation community and beyond is shifting to acknowledge that these buildings hold an important, valid place in America’s architectural legacy.

Though postwar structures built using modern materials and mechanical systems present unique preservation and reuse challenges, architects, scholars, and advocates nationwide are actively working to expand the body of knowledge concerning their conservation while promoting their significance. The United States branch of the international group DOCOMOMO was established in 1995, followed by the foundation of the Recent Past Preservation Network in 2000. These national organizations are only in addition to the countless community-based groups working to save local modern landmarks throughout the country.

Last year the National Trust launched its own Modernism + The Recent Past initiative, aimed at lobbying for greater protection of modern architecture, supporting grassroots advocacy efforts nationwide, and establishing a system of best practices in this new preservation frontier. Regarding the latter, the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut, owned by the National Trust since 1986, will become a center for the study of modern architecture and materials conservation. The 2009 National Trust Conference in Nashville reflected the growing interest in this field and featured several sessions dealing with the topic. These ranged from talks disseminating proven advocacy strategies, to lectures dealing with the technical side of modern preservation, to discussions about how the unique circumstances of modern buildings call for a reevaluation of some long-accepted preservation practices.

As modern buildings approach the fifty-year age threshold for listing on the National Register they are increasingly eligible for federal and state historic tax credits, the importance of which cannot be overestimated when considering how these buildings might be successfully restored and adapted to current uses. Post-war structures, just like their pre-war counterparts, can and should be rehabilitated into viable homes, institutions, and businesses to aid revitalization and growth in communities nationwide. To ignore such a major part of our county’s architectural history, and the potential it holds for the future, would be a terrible, short-sighted waste.

Though primarily known for its 18^th, 19^th, and early 20^th century architecture, New Orleans is blessed with an incredible stock of modern buildings for a city of its age. Many of these were still in use prior to Hurricane Katrina but have since been abandoned, though an increasing number of local advocates are arguing for their preservation and reuse. Check back for more posts on our city’s modern heritage and what can be done to preserve it for generations to come!