Reconstructing the Modern Legacy

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Reconstructing the Modern Legacy

Day Four Early Afternoon Sessions
Reconstructing the Modern Legacy

Session 1
Getting Closer Every Day: Renewing Late Modernism in the Public Realm

Session 2


Session 3

Getting Closer Every Day: Renewing Late Modernism in the Public Realm

In the early 1970s, triggered by the 1973 energy crisis, shifts in theory and a mixed public reception to the Brutalist aesthetic, architecture underwent a fundamental material and philosophical change, detaching itself from expression of structure, material and function to focus instead on representation. As structures from both sides of this divide come up for renewal, to what degree should the way in which the overlay of contemporary social and environmental concerns reflect the ethos of the original work, in the pursuit of balanced, vital renewals? This talk will introduce and illustrate this idea while providing context for the subsequent talks that address two buildings that represent rehabilitation approaches to extending these respective legacies.

David Fixler, FAIA, FAPT LEED

David Fixler is an architect in practice since 1980.Ā  A graduate of Tufts and Columbia Universities, he is an expert in working with historic buildings and precincts of the 20th century modern movement, having guided the rehabilitation of numerous landmark facilities for government, cultural and higher education clients.Ā  A frequent writer and lecturer on architecture and preservation, David has had his design and written work published in books and journals internationally, including Aalto and America, co-edited with Stanford Anderson and Gail Fenske, published by Yale U. Press in 2012. Currently a Lecturer at the Harvard GSD he has also lectured and taught at a variety of institutions and venues in 16 countries on 5 continents. Mr. Fixler is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and the Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI), Design Peer Review Architect for the United States General Services Administration, co-founder and past president of °®¶¹app/New England, past United States representative on the °®¶¹app International Specialty Committee for Registers, co-founder and former co-chair of the APTI Technical Committee on Modern Heritage, and former chair and current member of the Heritage Conservation Committee of the Society of Architectural Historians.Ā 

Ralph Rapson Renewed

The Arvonne Fraser Library renovation illustrates how Brutalist buildings can be reprogrammed, updated, sensitively modernized, and preserved successfully.  This project focuses on the importance of understanding modern materials and how conservation solutions must parallel successful reuse programing.  Of note is how methodical and careful analysis of original design, rigorous testing of the existing construction, and expertise in the stylistic form can guide and inspire the design of strategic interventions. 

The project transformed an underutilized Ralph Rapson-design into a 21st century library. Originally built in 1963 as a credit union, the building was converted into a library in 1967.  The current project began after a multi-year study proposed its demolition because condition issues, development pressures, and programming inefficiencies that pointed to technical and functional obsolescence.  However, the community was adamant that this architectural landmark, a cornerstone within the rapidly evolving neighborhood, be renovated.

Todd Grover, FAIA

Todd Grover, FAIA, is Principal at MacDonald & Mack Architects in Minneapolis. In 2011 the AIA MN gave MacDonald & Mack the Firm of the Year Award stating that they were the ā€œgold standard in historic preservationā€. Todd is influential in Modernist Preservation where he is currently a Director on the US Board of °®¶¹app, serving as Executive Committee Secretary and Chair of the Advocacy Committee. Todd is a Recognized Professional with the Association for Preservation Technology and is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota. He holds a B.A. and MArch from the University of Minnesota and a MS in Historic Preservation from the University of Oregon.

Thomas Jester, FAIA, FAPT, LEED AP

Thomas Jester, FAIA, FAPT, LEED AP, is a Principal at Quinn Evans Architects in Washington, DC. He has been involved in efforts to preserve modern architecture since the early 1990s and is the editor of Twentieth-Century Building Materials: History and Conservation, which was republished by the Getty Conservation Institute in 2014. He co-chaired the Association for Preservation Technologyā€™s Technical Committee on Modern Heritage from 2007-2012 and is a founding board member of °®¶¹app/DC. Some of his notable modern era projects at Quinn Evans include the AIA Headquarters, National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, Benjamin Franklin Museum in Philadelphia, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Arvonne Fraser Library in Minneapolis (with MacDonald and Mack).Ā He is currently working on the renovation and expansion of the Federal Reserve Building, which was designed by Paul Cret. Mr. Jester holds a B.A. from Colby College, a Masterā€™s degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Architecture from the University of Maryland.

The New Harmony Atheneum: Reversing the Incremental Degradation of an Idea

Completed in 1979, Richard Meier’s New Harmony Atheneum is recognized as a hinge between Modernism and our own era. Designed as a Visitor Center, the building acts as a ‘scientific instrument’ to reinterpret the history of New Harmony through visceral engagement. A walk is taken up, over, though, and down, via different staircase forms, while seeing a full spectrum of models, dioramas, films, and interpretive maps inside. Having just celebrated its 40 year anniversary, the building is commencing an ambitious reconsideration, both of a physical and programmatic nature. To this end, the talk dissects the slow changes made to The Atheneum over four decades, analyzing how the initial concept for the building is incrementally degrading through imperceptible changes from one year to the next.

Ben Nicholson

Ben Nicholson was educated at the Architectural Association in London, Cooper Union School of Architecture, and Cranbrook Academy of Art, and is currently Professor at SAIC, Chicago. He has been a named guest professor at the Universities of Edinburgh, London, Michigan, Houston and Cornell. Monographs include, Appliance House, Thinking the Unthinkable HouseĀ and The World: Who Wants It? He contributed to Visionary Architecture, Ineffable Architecture and Educating Architects,Ā and co-edited Utopia in the Cornfields: Architecture, Landscape & Preservation in New Harmony, for which he wrote chapters on Richard Meier and Frederick Kiesler. He guest-edited the design journal, CLOG x GUNS, on Americaā€™s firearm culture.Ā Over his career, heĀ has exhibited at Foundation Cartier, the Renaissance Society, Canadian Centre for Architecture, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Venice Biennale.Ā