Innovation in the design of workspaces is a central tenant of architectural Modernism. Efficiency, technological developments, and even the welfare of workers, impacted the patterns of work and production. In the Philadelphia region – once proudly the “Workshop of the World” – the dramatic changes that reshaped the city and region also reshaped its architecture.

Come,get a first-hand look at some of the Philadelphia region's most impressive takes on sacred architecture with a self-driving tour of five Modern houses of worship. Knowledgable and noted architects and architectural historians will lead each of the five tours of the modern religious spaces. Each tour will be timed to give ample opportunity for you to reach the next destination.

Take an immersive stroll along Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway to experience and learn about the public sculpture installations dotting this grand boulevard including the works of three generations of Calders.

When one considers the work of Paul Rudolph (1918-1997), one thinks about his Florida houses of the early 1950s and his landmark works in New Haven, Boston, and Hong Kong. Similarly, Antonin Raymond (1887-1980) is best remembered as a “father of modern Japanese architecture,” and for his sensitive translation of that country’s classical and vernacular architectural traditions into modernism. 

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When Oskar Stonorov married Betty Foster, a quiet corner in northern Chester County became the unlikely center for an astounding cast of characters in national and international architecture between 1940 and 1970.

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The Steven and Toby Korman House (1971-73) is the last house that Lou Kahn designed, and it is the last work that was completed in his lifetime. The design was a collaboration with landscape architect Harriet Pattison and marks Kahn’s increasing interest in the integration of landscape and architecture, a country house in the classic sense tied to ideas explored earlier in his Kimbell Art Museum and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial designs.

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Framed by the picturesque Schuylkill River and the secluded Wissahickon Park, Philadelphia’s East Falls neighborhood attracted several dozen progressive clients during the mid-20th century who wanted proximity to Center City and access to nature at the same time.  They hired a wide spectrum of architects – from the celebrated Richard Neutra to local talents such as Earle Bolton, Jr., Elizabeth Fleisher, Newcomb Montgomery, and others – to design their distinctive new residences.

The Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia is one of those rare urban locations that has exceptional examples of architecture and landscape design from every period of United States history. This is especially true of the 1960s when global attention came to focus on Philadelphia as it’s architects and planners were energizing modernism with a broader sense of history, as well as social and environmental concerns.

George Pepper Middle School in Eastwick and the International House in University City are two of Philadelphia’s most representative examples of Brutalist architecture. The former, a commanding pile of rigid geometry – designed by Claudill Rowlett Scott in 1969 – currently sits vacant and vandalized following a wave of Philadelphia public school closures in 2013. The latter, designed by Bower & Fradley architects in 1966, is a landmark of the so-called “Philadelphia School” whose future was put into flux by the changing mission of its founding organization. Are these buildings oppressive, blighted eyesores – as some have characterized them – or are they utopian visions worthy of a second act? Take-in both of these concrete behemoths while discussing their history, architectural significance, and their future potential for serving the community again.

The Center for the Preservation of Modernism at Thomas Jefferson University will host a panel, tour and demonstration of the Hassrick House as part of Docomomo US National Symposium 2022. The event will be comprised of two parts: 1) talks and panel discussion by modern conservation experts and 2) conservation workshop offering demonstrations of modern conservation techniques as they relate to the preservation of the Hassrick House, designed by Richard Neutra and completed in 1961.

The 2022 National Symposium will take place in Philadelphia, PA from June 1-4, 2022. In the Philadelphia region, “yo” is a colloquialism used to get someone’s attention quickly. It’s a phrase without pretense, and when combined with Modernism, it puts into focus the importance of place and community in our modern heritage, as well as the urgency of preservation efforts. The 2022 Docomomo US National Symposium will explore why Modernism still has the power to turn heads, to inform, and to adapt, and how its many manifestations reflect on local, regional,­­ and broader goals.

Please join Docomom US/PHL on Wednesday, October 28 at 6:30pm for a special Tour Day virtual event where we'll explore the George Pepper Middle School in Philadelphia's Eastwick neighborhood and Mira Nakashima's House and Reception House in New Hope.

Join Docomomo US/PHL in Philadelphia's Chestnut Hill neighborhood for an exclusive tour of Oskar Stonorov's Frantz Residence, built 1956-1957.

Join the Greater Philadelphia chapter for a special edition of our One Building One Brew series at the Robinson Building.