Save La Butte Rouge Garden City!

Docomomo International has been notified by Docomomo France about the huge danger that the Butte Rouge Garden City, in Châtenay-Malabry, is facing, threatened by the intention of the mayor of the city to accept the demolition of 15 buildings, despite the efforts undertaken, including an “appeal from architects and town planners” by April 2019 (pdf), as well as campaign by an inhabitants’ collective supported by several organizations (Docomomo, Sites & Monuments, France Nature Environnement and the Order of Architects). Therefore, Docomomo International would like to raise awareness for this case and appeal to all kinds of efforts to protect and…

Documentary about restoring the Unity Temple will soon be available for streaming

“A new feature-length documentary film profiling the meticulous, Harboe Architects-led restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, will be available to stream for a limited time on Vimeo starting October 30. This special preview screening/fundraising period will conclude on November 15 with a panel discussion hosted by filmmaker Lauren Levine discussing the documentary and the momentous effort to preserve one of Wright’s most iconic early works for future generations. Virtual tickets for the film, titled Unity Temple: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Modern Masterpiece, cost $20 and include access to the Zoom-based panel. Narrated by Brad Pitt, Unity Temple: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Modern Masterpiece dives into the rich history…

Walter Farley House listed as one of “Florida’s 11 to Save”

Docomomo International would like to draw your attention that Florida Trust for Historic Preservation listed the Venice home once owned by “The Black Stallion” author Walter Farley on “Florida’s 11 to Save” this summer at a virtual conference hosted in conjunction with Florida Main Street. Each year, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation announces its 11 to Save program as part of its Florida Preservation Conference. The program is designed to increase the public’s awareness of the urgent need to save Florida’s historic resources, and to empower local preservationists and preservation groups in their efforts to preserve Florida’s rich history. Inclusion…

Central tower of the Hospital San Juan de Dios

The City Mayor of Bogota, Colombia has decided to demolish the Central tower of the Hospital San Juan de Dios, an iconic building of the healthcare modernist architecture in Latin America. The building its part of a healthcare complex with an eclectic architecture dating from 1918, this barbaric action it is an attempt to the architecture patrimony and exemplifies the lack of understanding and respect for the modern movement architecture in Bogota, Colombia. The history of the San Juan de Dios Institution start in 1603 when by Royal order of the Spain Kingdom the “San Juan de Dios Catholic Fraternity”…

Sign the petition – Save the River Pavilion

Docomomo International is now appealing to your foremost interest and concern regarding the situation of the River Pavilion in Fairfield Park by Carter Couch. “City of Yarra is set to demolish a significant portion of the important River Pavilion to Fairfield Park to build a large storage shed. An important piece of our modern architectural heritage, carefully designed by significant local architects to support the adjacent bluestone amphitheatre while maintaining public space and views to the river, the River Pavilion has been nominated to the Victorian Heritage Register. Currently slated for demolition, the River Pavilion was originally commissioned by the…

Lower Terrace Restoration Project of the Farnsworth House

Docomomo International would like to draw your attention to the Lower Terrace Restoration Project of the Farnsworth House. The Farnsworth House, designed and built in the International Style by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for Dr. Edith Farnsworth from 1949-1951, is one of the world’s most widely recognized and studied structures constructed in the 20th century. The glass and steel house is set on a 60-acre parcel located along the Fox River and was intended as a place for Dr. Farnsworth to relax, entertain, and enjoy nature. The House stands as a metaphor for the fragile relationship between people,…

Finsbury Health Centre

Docomomo International is now appealing to your foremost interest and concern regarding the situation of the Finsbury Health Centre. The building, opened in 1938 and now listed Grade I, is recognized internationally as a beacon of social and architectural progress that anticipated the foundation of the NHS by a clear decade. The building was largely the brainchild of two immigrants, Dr. Chuni Katial (1898-1978) a local ward councillor and chairman of Finsbury Council’s Public Health Committee, and architect Berthold Lubetkin (1901-1990) who had arrived in England in 1931 after experiencing the Russian Revolution and being fired with visions of modern…

Szombierki Power Plant under threat of demolition

Docomomo International is now appealing to your foremost interest and concern regarding the situation of the Szombierki Power Plant in Bytom, established in 1920. “The ‘cathedral of industry’, designed by the Zillmann brothers (Georg and Emil), is still an impressive symbol of the Industrial Revolution. This Modernist power plant, with huge potential for reuse and locally registered as a monument, is threatened by the risk of demolition. Szombierki operated for almost 80 years and was one of the last hard-coal powered electric power plants in Europe. Over the past two decades, the building has been empty. Despite several attempts to…

2021 European Year of Rail

The European Commission has proposed declaring 2021 the European Year of Railways because next year one will celebrate a number of important anniversaries for rail: the 20th anniversary of the EU’s first railway package, the 175th anniversary of the very first rail link between two EU capitals (Paris-Brussels), as well as 40 years of TGV and 30 years of ICE. The main objective of the European Commission is to contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the European Green Deal in the field of transport. A series of events, campaigns and initiatives will promote rail as a sustainable, innovative and safe…

Demolition of the MLC Building. Sign the petition!

Docomomo International became aware by Docomomo Australia about the worrying situation of the current heritage-listed MLC Building. The MLC Building is set to be demolished under a development application for a new commercial office building submitted to North Sydney Council. The MLC Building has been an important part of the history and streetscape of North Sydney for over 60 years and remains one of the few buildings in the North Sydney CBD possessing any good civic or aesthetic qualities. The design of the MLC North Sydney building commenced early in 1954 and by mid-1955 Council approval had been obtained for…