Week 12- Modernism in America Part 1

 In Week 12 of class, we talked about key people for modernism in America and how modernism came to America.

The modernism movement occurred after World War II and started in Germany and France. Shortly after modernism started expanding across the world. Things such as journals, travel, books, and exhibitions were key to spreading modernism around the world.  Another key factor on why modernism spread pretty fast and left the European countries, was because of the World Wars. Due to these wars the founders of the movement came to America or Britain. Also the closing of the Bauhaus caused many to head over to America. Some famous modernists that impacted modernism in America include Frank Lloyd Wright, Rudolph Schindler, Richard Neutra, William Lescaze, Philip Goodwin, Edward Stone, Water Gropius, Marcel Breuer, Mies van der Rohe, Philip Johnson, SOM, and Euro Saarinen.

Frank Lloyd Wright 1920s-1930s

Wright's work was excluded from The International Style exhibition because it no longer aligned with the prevailing concept of modernism. By the time of the exhibition, his earlier influential work was already considered historical. He returned from Japan in 1922 and produced relatively little between then and 1930 compared to his earlier output. Wright was involved in the making of the Hollyhock House, The Millard House (La Miniatura), Taliesin, and The Falling Water House.

           HollyHock House                                                             Taliesin

Rudolph Schindler

An Austrian-born architect educated at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts in Architecture, he later moved to the United States. He initially had a collaborative relationship with Frank Lloyd Wright, which eventually ended in a bitter conflict. Establishing his own practice in California, he designed notable works including a beach house for the Lovell family in Newport Beach and the famous Schindler House. Schindler's design style was a prototype of the modern residential home, with each house serving as a unique spatial exploration. His approach, known as "Space Architecture," emphasized that the architecture itself should shape the structure, space, and interior design. For high-end homes, he used materials like concrete, redwood, and glass, while more affordable versions were constructed with plaster and stucco over wood framing.

                          Schindler House

Richard Neutra

Neutra studied at the Vienna University of Technology alongside Adolf Loos and Otto Wagner. After moving to the U.S. in 1921, he worked with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. Then established his own practice in Los Angeles in 1926. Emphasized understanding each client's unique needs and focused on the art, architecture, and landscape in his designs. Some of his most famous designs include the Kaufman House and the Lovell House.

 Lovell House- First steel framed house in America                                             Kaufmann House

William Lescaze

Lescaze (1896–1969) was a Swiss-born architect who studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and studied under renowned architect Karl Moser in Geneva. He brought European modernist ideas to the United States in 1920 and became a pioneering figure in introducing modern architecture to American commercial building design. He was the lead designer in the building of the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, which was the first American skyscraper.

PSFS Building

Modern Skyscraper

CenterPoint Energy Plaza

Houston, Texas

Philip Goodwin & Edward Stone

Goodwin and Stone helped design New York's Museum of Modern Art. This made modernism visible to the New York public.

                                                                            MOMA

Water Gropius and Marcel Breuer

Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer were invited to Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1937, where Gropius became head of the Graduate School of Design. Gropius designed his own home in Lincoln, Massachusetts, showcasing the clean lines and functionality typical of the International Style. He later founded the architectural firm The Architects’ Collaborative (TAC). One of his notable contributions was the Harvard Graduate Center, the first modernist buildings on the university’s campus.

Mies van der Rohe

Mies van der Rohe was the Director of Architecture at the Armour Institute (now the Illinois Institute of Technology), where he planned a new campus that incorporated his minimalist architectural ideals. His first American project was the Metallurgical Research Building (1943). He also designed the Lake Shore Drive Apartments (1948–51) in Chicago, known for their glass skyscraper design, which Mies had previously studied and developed before leaving Germany.

                                                                    Lake Shore Drive Apartments

Philip Johnson

Philip Johnson studied at the Harvard Graduate School of Design under Walter Gropius. He played a key role in shaping modern architecture in America by founding the School of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Johnson was instrumental in bringing influential European architects like Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, and Marcel Breuer to the U.S. His career and influence in architecture spanned several decades, leaving a lasting impact on modern design. One of his most famous buildings is the Glass House.

     Glass House                                                          Modern Glass House

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is a major architectural and engineering firm founded in 1936, known for its collaborative structure with multiple partners. The firm became a leader in designing glass-box skyscrapers and handled large-scale corporate, institutional, and governmental projects. Notable works include the Terrace Plaza Hotel (Cincinnati, 1945), Lever House—the first truly modern tall building in New York City—and iconic Chicago landmarks like the John Hancock Center and Willis Tower.

Eero Saarinen

Eero Saarinen was a Finnish architect and industrial designer educated at the Yale School of Architecture. He partnered with his father, Eliel Saarinen, in Cranbrook, Michigan, where they helped establish the Cranbrook Academy of Art. In addition to his architectural achievements, Eero gained widespread recognition for his innovative furniture designs for the Knoll Furniture Company, including the Tulip Chair, Grasshopper Lounge Chair, and Womb Chair, which became icons of modern design. Kleinhans Music Hall was the first 20th-century American concert hall to achieve acoustic excellence. In 1942, Eero and Eliel Saarinen, in partnership with Perkins and Will, designed the First Christian Church (formerly Tabernacle Church) in Columbus, Indiana—a landmark of modern religious architecture. The team also led the design of the Crow Island School in 1939, a groundbreaking model for modern American public school architecture.

Crow Island School                                           Modern School (Shadow Creek High School Pearland, Tx)

Grasshopper Chair

Modern Grasshopper chair

One Step Further

For my one step further I chose to talk about architect Frank Gehry. Frank Gehry is a Canadian-American architect renowned for his strong, deconstructivist style and sculptural approach to architecture. His work often involves unusual forms, sweeping curves, and innovative use of materials such as metal and glass. Gehry gained to international recognition with his design of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, which became a symbol of contemporary architecture. Other popular projects include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Prague's Dancing House. Gehry's designs defy traditional architectural rules, making him one of the most important and well-known architects of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century.

Walt Disney Concert Hall