Announcing the Winners of the 2026 Modernism in America Awards
Today, Docomomo US announces 15 recipients of the 2026 Modernism in America Awards. Now in its thirteenth year, 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. With projects that make housing more attainable, bring schools and workplaces back to life, use environmental and regulatory review to protect significant places, and reduce our carbon footprint, preservation emerges not as an obstacle to change, but as a strategy for making change possible.
This year’s Modernism Awardees breathed new life into schools and workplaces. At Crow Island School, a landmark of progressive, child-centered education, community planning guided a renovation that retains the building’s architectural character while improving accessibility, building systems, and learning environments. A complex seismic rehabilitation at UC San Diego’s York Hall allowed the 1960s campus building to remain open while preserving its distinctive fluted concrete colonnade. Los Angeles’ long neglected Stanley Burke restaurant restoration brought a unique workplace and commercial environment back to life, restoring this expressive Googie design with interior work by designer Helen Liu Fong.
The 2026 winners demonstrate that modern architecture was never exclusively the province of monumental buildings or elite commissions. Projects such as Michigan’s Pickers’ Quarters and College View Home in Maryland reveal the importance of modern design in making architecture accessible for everyday life through economical materials and efficient planning.
Many of this year's projects illustrate how environmental design and regulatory review are not obstacles, but important tools for preservation and progress. The Gregory Bateson Building, an early model of low-energy office design, was renewed to achieve LEED Platinum performance. The successful rehabilitation of Hangar One at Moffett Federal Airfield required extensive review under NEPA, CEQA, and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, as well as consultation with NASA, the National Park Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Office of Historic Preservation. The De Jonghe Residence by Llyod Wright in Los Angeles shows this concept applied on a smaller scale, where a vehicle-dominated yard was replaced with a drought-tolerant garden of native and climate-appropriate species.
“What is especially exciting about this year’s awards is the way these projects connect the past to challenges we face today,” expressed Docomomo US Executive Director Liz Waytkus. “They demonstrate that preservation can support affordability, community life, environmental responsibility, and cultural recognition while ensuring that modern architecture and design remain a part of our everyday lives.”
Docomomo US Board President and Awards Committee Chair Meredith Bzdak spoke to the impact of the Awards, stating “The 2026 awardees remind us that preservation is an active practice. Whether rehabilitating a modest home, bringing a school or workplace back to life, navigating complex regulatory requirements, or dramatically improving a building’s environmental performance, these projects show that preserving modernism is fundamentally about giving it a future.”
The 2026 award winners were selected by a distinguished panel of experts led by jury chair Ann Beha, FAIA, senior collaborating architect with annum architects (formerly Ann Beha Architects). She is known for championing preservation and adaptive use in dialogue with contemporary design. “Modernism was never a single aesthetic or a single story,” Beha explained. “This year’s awardees demonstrate the remarkable range of modern architecture—from worker housing and schools to civic landmarks and experimental residences—and show how thoughtful preservation can make these places meaningful and useful for generations to come.”







































