Docomomo US-WEWA promotes appreciation and awareness of modern architecture and design in Western Washington through education and advocacy.
Founded in Seattle in 1998 as a chapter of Docomomo US, our organization incorporated as a 501c(3) nonprofit in 2005. The chapter is administered by a dedicated all-volunteer Board of Directors.
Documentation
Docomomo US-WEWA's education and advocacy programs are grounded in documentation and historic research efforts. For every architectural tour we produce, we also create a body of written, photographic, well-researched, and well-designed materials about the architecture, history, and people related to the site.
Our website contains over 160 architects and designers biographies and five oral histories. We engage in research projects that bring to light the significance of regional architecture and design from the mid-century modern era.
Programs
Docomomo US-WEWA produces well-attended architectural tours of mid-century modern places, focusing on Seattle and the Eastside. Educational programs reach audiences mainly in Seattle and the Puget Sound region, including homeowners, designers, preservationists, historians, students, and civic leaders. Tours also present opportunities for like-minded modernist enthusiasts to engage each other in discussion and community building.
We also produce lectures on different topics related to Northwest Modernism. Topics may range from presentations on specific architects and designers; the development of modern communities; modern furniture design; modern building technology; and broader areas of interest such as the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.
Advocacy
Docomomo US-WEWA provides a leading voice in advocating for the preservation of modern places in Western Washington by offering technical assistance to public agencies, grass-roots groups and individuals; providing testimony during public hearings; submitting comment letters advocating for the preservation of endangered resources; preparing landmark nominations; garnering support from our constituents for advocacy efforts; and collaborating with other organizations to save modern places that matter.
