Dear friends,

It’s been a busy year at Docomomo US, as always, and we have forged ahead in the midst of the many challenges this year has presented. We are grateful for fruitful collaborations, like working with HPEF on the wonderful Preserving the Recent Past conference in Boston this past March, and advocacy successes, such as the landmarking of Boston City Hall and saving Victor Lundy’s personal home in Houston. We remain dedicated to the ongoing efforts to save the Vaillancourt Fountain in San Francisco and I.M. Pei’s Dallas City Hall. I am proud that we awarded the first recipient of  the Theodore Prudon Fund for Preservation Education and that we continue to grow the Fund; we are just about ready to open our next call for scholars. We took our Modernism in America Awards to Chicago for the first time ever, awarding 18 inspiring projects, and we traveled to Cuba, Iowa, North Texas, and Japan to explore the modern traditions of these incredible places (and registration for one of our long-time bucket list tours to India in 2026 is now open!).

 

And of course, a large focus of this year has been planning the 19th International Docomomo Conference (IDC), taking place in Los Angeles in three short months. If you are reading this and you haven’t yet registered for the conference, now is the time – our early registration ends this Sunday (December 14) at 11:59pm EST, and rates will go up. Of the many things I’m looking forward to at the conference, here are some of the highlights:

 

• A student workshop studying the transformation of Richard Neutra’s only built office tower, the LA County Hall of Records, into housing;
• 130+ paper sessions with speakers from nearly every continent, exploring the many ways that climate, creativity, and community have shaped modern traditions across the globe;
• A wide selection of curated architecture tours representing every facet of 20th century modernism in Los Angeles, from early works by Neutra and Schindler to the iconic Case Study Houses to late 20th century projects by Eric Owen Moss, Frank Gehry, and others;
• Tours to places farther afield, in which the modern traditions of places like Palm Springs, Bakersfield, and Claremont will be explored;
• Inspiring keynotes, including  Thom Mayne, FAIA, in conversation with Frances Anderton, who will set the scene for us on opening night; Hubert Jan-Henket, co-founder of Docomomo International, who will reflect on the relevancy of classic definitions of the “Modern Movement”; and a closing speaker I am extremely excited about (to be announced in a few days), who will send us off inspired and energized;
• Countless additional events – parties, receptions, screenings, exhibitions, gatherings, and more – across the city that will bring us together in our shared love of modern architecture and design.

 

There are many ways to join in the fun of the conference, so head to the website now, and we’ll see you in Los Angeles in March!

 

Finally, we at Docomomo US join friends and colleagues in reflection on the incredible life and career of Frank Gehry, who we lost on December 5.  Gehry changed the way the world thought about architects and architecture. When it opened in 1997, his Bilbao Museum illustrated how architecture can transform, inspire, reverberate, and – importantly – spark economic growth. This work initiated what journalist Carolina Miranda has called a “starchitectural arms race,” in which cities fought to replicate the attention garnered by Bilbao’s architectural jewel. On a more local scale, Gehry’s experimental works in the 1960s and 70s challenged the Los Angeles tradition of modernism. With early stints in the Los Angeles studios of Victor Gruen and Periera & Luckman, Gehry’s trajectory was formed by a footing in corporate mid-20th century modernism and quickly diverged into a new way of thinking about form, space, and material, inspired by his own artistic training and his relationship with artists working in Los Angeles at the time. The impact of Gehry on architecture is impossible to quantify, although the lineage of architects who started as model builders in his studio and went on to develop their own transformative practices is emblematic. In Los Angeles, we are fortunate to have been Gehry’s chosen home, and we look forward to sharing this legacy with all of you in March when we convene for the IDC.

 

With this, I sign off on my last president’s column with gratitude for the support and friendship you all have shown me and Docomomo US in my two years as president. Although I will pass the baton to our next board president in January, I look forward to seeing you all in Los Angeles and at the many Docomomo happenings yet to come. In the meantime, wishing you all a restful, restorative holiday season.

  

Sincerely,