Docomomo DC Event on Metro’s Modernism – April 3

Docomomo DC is hosting a lecture Tuesday, April 3, by Dr. Zachary Schrag entiled An Example for the Nation’: Modernism and Classicism in the Washington Metro. Schrag is a professor of history at George Mason University and the author of The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006). The event, which will be held 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the new West End Library by TEN Arquitectos and local firm WDG Architecture, is free. RSVP here.
In 2014, the American Institute of Architects bestowed its Twenty-Five Year Award on the stations of the Washington Metro, noting that the “original Metro stations have become icons of Washington architecture,” and that “they are quintessentially modern while maintaining a certain grandeur befitting the nation’s capital.”
Harry Weese’s Vision for Metro
In his lecture, Schrag will explore how architect Harry Weese; his client, the National Capital Transportation Agency; and the Commission of Fine Arts integrated modernist values and Washington’s classical traditions to create a design that won admiration at the time and remains inspiring half a century later.
Introducing Mr. Schrag will be William B. Gallagher, Jr., who is a founding principal of KGP Design Studio, and whose first job out of architecture school was an eight-year stint working with Harry Weese & Associates on the D.C. Metro. His firm’s portfolio includes extensive interaction with Metro, including renovations to the Union Station concourse as well as entrances and canopies for several existing Read More >

Save the Date: Docomomo DC Tour Day

Save the date of Oct. 7, 2017, for Docomomo DC‘s annual fall Tour Day. This year’s lecture and tour, Rediscovering Brutalism: Understanding DC’s Concrete Architecture, will focus on Washington’s brutalist architecture, including Harry Weese’s design for Metro, which will be used as part of the tour. Registration and more information will be available in early September. Docomomo US is a 27-year old non-profit organization dedicated to the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the modern movement.

RSVP Today: Watergate Tour & Reception – Oct. 24

The Watergate is marking its 50 anniversary. Photo by Thomas Jester.
Docomomo DC’s Annual Tour Day on Oct. 24, 2015, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Watergate complex and provide participants with rare access in the landmark space. The event, hosted by Docomomo DC–the local chapter of an international and national preservationist organization–and the DC Preservation League, will kick off with a lecture by McGill University Professor Adrian Sheppard. Prof. Sheppard was a member of the design team for the Watergate while working in the office of noted Italian architect Luigi Moretti, who designed the modernist complex. After the introductory discussion by Sheppard, participants will have an opportunity to go on guided tours of a number of the residential units and outdoor spaces. The event will conclude with a reception at Zeitoun, a Mediterranean restaurant located in the heart of the Watergate complex.
Please register here. The event will run from 1 to 5:30 pm. (Full Disclosure: I am a board member of Docomomo DC.)

Designed by Moretti and constructed between 1964 and 1971, the Watergate is comprised of three luxury residential cooperatives, two office buildings and a hotel. Registered as a National Historic Landmark in 2005 and composed of more than 600 residences, the Watergatecomplex is situated on the Potomac River.Landscape architect Boris Timchenko carried Moretti’s vision outdoors with more than 150 modernist planters, fountains tiered like waterfalls, a seven-acre park with outdoor swimming pools, and landscaped roof gardens that offer Read More >

Docomomo Meeting Thursday @ the Capitol Skyline

Come check out the Morris Lapidus-designed Capitol Skyline Hotel, have a drink, meet other modernists and discuss local preservation efforts at the next meeting of Docomomo DC. The meeting is this Thursday, July 24, from 6 to 8 pm in the hotel’s District Lounge next to the pool. The hotel is located at 10 I (eye) Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024. Lapidus, who designed the Fontainbleu Hotel, Eden Roc and other landmarks in Miami, also designed a cluster of townhomes in Southwest and the Washington Plaza Hotel (originally the International Inn) on Thomas Circle.
Make sure to follow Docomomo DC on Facebook and twitter.

It’s Official: Docomomo DC Recognized; Meeting This Thursday

Philip Johnson’s 1958 University of St. Thomas in Houston. Photo by Tom Jester.
After several years of discussions and planning efforts, Docomomo DC has been recognized as an official chapter of Docomomo US. The application for formal chapter status was approved by Docomomo US’s Board at the group’s recent national symposium in Houston. (The symposium was held at the University of St. Thomas, pictured above, which was designed by Philip Johnson in 1958.) The DC chapter becomes the 17th U.S. chapter of the preservation organization. You can join Docomomo US and the DC chapter here. Stay tuned for more as the chapter gets up and running.
The chapter’s logo created by local graphic designer Joshua Gomby.
If you want to be a part of this effort, the next chapter meeting will be held this Thursday, March 27, at 6:00 pm. The meeting will be held at Quinn Evans Architects, 2121 Ward Place, NW, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20037. The group will need as many voices as possible as the areas mid-century modern resources face increasing threats. An example: The Montgomery County Council last night voted to knock down the Arthur Keyes-designed Wheaton Youth Center.

Next Docomomo DC Chapter Meeting Feb. 20

This year is an important one for our efforts to finally establish a DC chapter of Docomomo US. As the DC chapter formally gets off the ground, we will need your help to make it a success. Now is the perfect time to get involved and help spread the word about the the importance of modern architecture that is increasingly threatened here in the DC area, such as Marcel Breuer’s American Press Institute in Reston. The next chapter meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 6 pm at the office of Quinn Evans Architects, 2121 Ward Place, NW, 4th Floor. The meeting will focus on:

the status of the chapter’s application for formal recognition
development of the 2014 work plan
assignment of members to various committees, including Documentation, Communications, Programs and Advocacy

Hope to see many of you there to contribute to this effort.

Reminder: Docomomo Chapter Meeting Thursday Night

I wanted to remind everyone that a meeting to form a local chapter of Docomomo will be held on Thursday (Nov. 21) in the boardroom of the headquarters of the American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C., from 6-8 p.m. (The AIA is located at 1735 New York Avenue, NW.)
All those interested are encouraged to attend and actively participate in the formation of the metro DC chapter of the preservation group. There have been several earlier planning meetings this year but much more help is needed to ensure this effort is a success. Docomomo is a 25-year old non-profit organization dedicated to the documentation and conservation of buildings (like the endangered GEICO building above), sites and neighborhoods of the modern movement.
Please RSVP to Thomas C. Jester, AIA, at tjester@quinnevans.com. Hope to see many of you at the meeting.
If you are interested in joining Docomomo, click here.

Help Establish a DC Docomomo Chapter; Meeting Nov. 21

Are you interested in learning more about modern architecture in the DC area and working to help preserve these structures? If so, please attend a planning meeting aimed at establishing a local chapter of Docomomo, a 25-year old non-profit organization dedicated to the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the modern movement.

The meeting will be held on Nov. 21 in the boardroom of the headquarters of the American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C., from 6-8 p.m. (The AIA is located at 1735 New York Avenue, NW.) All those interested are encouraged to attend and actively participate in the formation of the metro DC chapter of the preservation group. There have been several earlier planning meetings this year to get the ball rolling but much more help is needed to ensure this effort is a success.
Please RSVP to Thomas C. Jester, AIA, at tjester@quinnevans.com. Hope to see many of you at the meeting.
If you are interested in joining Docomomo, click here.