National Symposium

Photo by R K on Unsplash

2027 Docomomo US National Symposium Dallas/Fort Worth

June 2-5, 2027

Think BBQ, bull riding, and Louis Kahn's Kimbell Art Museum (maybe not all at the same time) - the Docomomo US 2027 National Symposium is heading to Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas! We are excited to explore the modern architecture, sites and landscapes of the Dallas/Fort Worth region with you.

 

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Call for Abstracts Now Open

The Symposium theme, Lonestar Modernism: From Wide Open Spaces to Urban Places, will explore the remarkable architecture, landscapes, and urbanism that define one of America's most dynamic modern regions. From internationally celebrated masterpieces to hidden gems, we'll discover the people, places, and stories that made Texas modern.

The Call for Abstracts is now open to anyone involved in the preservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the Modern Movement. We encourage architects, landscape architects, planners, preservation professionals, architectural historians, scholars, students, advocates, modern homeowners, enthusiasts, and beyond to submit an abstract proposal based on the theme relating to projects in North Texas and across the country.

Abstracts are due by Sunday October 18 at 11:59 pm. 


Please read the full call for abstracts carefully before submitting a proposal.

Organizing Partners

The 2027 National Symposium is a joint partnership of Docomomo US and its North Texas chapter.

Sponsorship Opportunities 


The Docomomo US National Symposium presents a prime opportunity to support national preservation efforts of modern structures while at the same time promoting your own brand to hundreds of like-minded preservationists. 

Sponsorship opportunities coming soon. 

Committees 

(in formation)

Organizing Committee

Serge Ambrose, Assistant Professor, UT San Antonio School of Architecture + Planning

Meredith Bzdak, Ph.D., Partner, Mills & Schnoering; President, Docomomo US Board

Todd Grover, FAIA, Principal, MacDonald & Mack; President Elect, Docomomo US Board

Robert Meckfessel, FAIA, Principal, DSGN; Docomomo US/North Texas

Sue Ann Pemberton, M.Arch., Professor and Coordinator of Historic Preservation Graduate Certificate, UT San Antonio School of Architecture + Planning

David Preziosi, FAICP, Executive Director, Texas Historical Foundation; Docomomo US/North Texas; Docomomo US Board

Michele Racioppi, Program Director, Docomomo US

Michelangelo Sabatino, Ph.D., Hon. FRAIC, Director, UT San Antonio School of Architecture + Planning

Liz Waytkus, Executive Director, Docomomo US 

 

Sessions & Speakers Committee

Zaida Basora, FAIA, Executive Director, AIA Dallas

Todd Grover, FAIA, Principal, MacDonald & Mack; President Elect, Docomomo US Board

Priya Jain, AIA, Associate Professor & Interim Director, Center for Heritage Conservation at Texas A&M University

David Preziosi, FAICP, Executive Director, Texas Historical Foundation; Docomomo US/North Texas; Docomomo US Board

Kirsten Reoch, Executive Director, The Glass House

Michelangelo Sabatino, Ph.D., Hon. FRAIC, Director, UT San Antonio School of Architecture + Planning

Willis C. Winters, Former Director, Dallas Parks and Recreation

 

Featured Sites

Dallas City Hall

Dallas City Hall was designed by I.M. Pei and opened in 1978. Its design reflects an inverted pyramid, with its exterior walls sloping upwards at a 34-degree angle, allowing both for additional office space for workers on the top floors as well as a shaded perimeter around the building for visitors and office workers during the day. The building was constructed with a concrete mix intended to evoke the natural colors of the Dallas-Ft. Worth area geography. The gravity-defying design so unnerved then-Mayor Erik Jonsson that Pei added a series of non-loadbearing oval columns to the perimeter of the building to serve as reassurance of the building structural integrity.

Featured Sites

Kimbell Art Museum

The Kimbell Art Museum’s original building was designed by Louis I. Kahn and opened to the public for the first time in 1972. The Board of Directors of the Kimbell Art Foundation commissioned Kahn as the Museum’s architect in 1966. Working closely with the Kimbell's first director, Richard F. (Ric) Brown, who enthusiastically supported his appointment, Kahn designed a building in which “light is the theme.” Natural light enters through narrow plexiglass skylights along the top of cycloid barrel vaults and is diffused by wing-shaped pierced-aluminum reflectors that hang below, giving a silvery gleam to the smooth concrete of the vault surfaces and providing a perfect, subtly fluctuating illumination for the works of art. The main (west) facade of the building consists of three 100-foot bays, each fronted by an open, barrel-vaulted portico, with the central, entrance bay recessed and glazed. The porticos express on the exterior the light-filled vaulted spaces that are the defining feature of the interior, which are five deep behind each of the side porticos and three deep behind the central one. Additionally, three courtyards punctuate the interior space. Though thoroughly modern in its lack of ornament or revivalist detail, the building suggests the grand arches and vaults of Roman architecture, a source of inspiration that Kahn himself acknowledged. The principal materials are concrete, travertine, and white oak.

Featured Sites

Kalita Humphreys Theater

Frank Lloyd Wright’s only freestanding theater built during his lifetime, and his only public building in Texas, the Kalita Humphreys Theater represents the culmination of the vision for a unique, new theater type by one of America’s greatest architects. It was used for cutting-edge experimental theater by founding director Paul Baker. When it opened in 1959, it was “hailed as the most innovative and interesting theater in the country.” The auditorium was a powerful environmental space, with an intimate relationship between actor and audience, and a perfect acoustic. Rising above the rocky bluffs next to Turtle Creek, the theater is a sculptural concrete building of cylindrical forms on an angled grid, integrated into a setting of primordial beauty. [Excerpt from www.wrightinthepark.org]

Featured Sites

The Statler Hotel and Residences

The opening of the Statler Hilton in 1956 heralded a new era in Dallas. It was a bold, modern statement of a city on the rise. Architect William B. Tabler designed a sleek and stylish crescent of glass and metal that was filled with unheard-of luxuries—a rooftop pool, televisions in every room, a massive ballroom, multiple restaurants, and even elevator music. The Statler instantly became an icon of midcentury design and style, the flagship of the Hilton brand. At its height, celebrity guests like Elvis Presley performed there. Over the past few decades, the Statler fell into ruin. The building was nearly demolished in 2003, and rumors of renovations and new owners swirled about it for years. Centurion American Development Group purchased the property and set about a massive renovation. When it reopens, the Statler—the longtime poster child of Dallas’ struggles with historic preservation—will be updated to include a hotel, private residences, two restaurants, a two-level bar, retail, and a concert venue. Lubin’s mural will also be restored and re-installed, a gesture that will ensure that the new The Statler Hotel & Residences captures the spirit, style, and class of Dallas’ midcentury architectural gem. (Adapted from D Magazine, March 2016)