2015 Modernism in America Awards winners distinguished for preservation work + advocacy

A new set of winners were revealed for the 2015 Modernism in America Awards. The national awards program highlights the preservation and the advocacy efforts for preserving modern buildings, structures, and landscapes in the U.S. or U.S. territories. The awards program also raises awareness of the economic and cultural value of modern architecture and design, and new methods of its preservation.

This year, 11 projects including those originally designed by Eero Saarinen, Richard Neutra, and Minoru Yamasaki scooped up awards. The winners will be presented with their awards during the Docomomo US National Symposium at the IDS Building in Minneapolis on Friday, June 5.

Check them out below.

Design Award of Excellence Winners:

TWA Flight Center at JFK International Airport
Award: Design Award of Excellence (Commercial)
Location: Queens, NY
Original Architect: Eero Saarinen and Associates
Restoration Team: Beyer Blinder Belle (Architect)
Client: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Project Manager/Property Owner)

Jury chair, architect Michael Mills noted: "'This is a masterful restoration and reuse of an architectural landmark that had been in danger of demolition. Everything about this important Eero Saarinen design was respected and preserved.' At its opening in 1962, the TWA Terminal 'was celebrated as a major achievement in modern architecture and quickly became a symbol for the 'golden age' of commercial aviation.'  After being listed as a New York City Landmark in 1995 and the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, the sensitive work done by the New York City firm Beyer Blinder Belle restored significant details and defining features such as the failing curtain wall, the 'penny-tile' finish, and removed inappropriate exterior additions. Most importantly, tours and events held at the restored terminal have inspired a resurgence in interest of Saarinen’s building by the general public."

Olan G. & Aida T. Hafley House Restoration
Award: Design Award of Excellence (Residential)
Location: Long Beach, CA
Original Architects: Richard Neutra
Restoration Team:  Kelly Sutherlin McLeod Architecture, Inc. (Architect) Griswold Conservation Associates (Project Conservator) Structural Focus (Structural Engineer) and Frank Clark (Contractor)
Client: Hindry House, LLC

"The Residential Design Award of Excellence is given for the restoration of the Olan G. and Aida T. Hafley House. In selecting the project, the jury noted the design and intent spoke to the house's conservation and commented that, 'The project was a careful renewal of a beautiful domestic design by an important architect. The conservation based philosophy and construction techniques were very clearly articulated.' Designed and built in 1953, the firm Kelly Sutherlin McLeod Architecture sought 'to restore this mid-century landmark with a value-based approach, honoring the original design intent and aesthetic, while respecting authenticity.' Neutra's son, Raymond Richard Neutra, MD noted, '[The restoration architect] and contractor […] have been successful in returning the house to my father's original intention…have lovingly brought back to life a house that has a special place in the work of the Neutra office.'"

Ingalls Hockey Rink Restoration and Expansion, Yale University
Award: Design Award of Excellence (Civic/Institutional)
Location:New Haven, CT
Original Architect: Eero Saarinen and Associates
Restoration Team: Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates (Architect)
Client: Yale University

"In selecting the project, the jury noted the exemplary attention to detail in the preservation and seamless expansion of the site. 'The restoration showed a clear understanding of the project, and the addition stood on its own yet was not overbearing next to the original design. This project answers the question: How does one add to an icon? It involved the careful preservation of this iconic building and its materials, as well as the design of an appropriate and sensitively sited new addition. It was a complex project guided by a strong conservation philosophy.' Completed in 1958, Saarinen himself said, 'I believe it is the best building we have done.' As the successor to the Saarinen practice, Yale sought Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates on the 50th anniversary of the project to direct the restoration and expansion of the building to address the present and future needs of the Yale Hockey Program. This included repairs of the exterior concrete shell, system upgrades, and a 12,700 square foot addition that allowed for state of the art lockers and training facilities for both the women and men's hockey programs. The addition was masterfully integrated into the surrounding landscape and as a piece of architecture, stood on its own yet was subordinate to its historic context. Impressively, the entire project was accomplished without interrupting the Yale hockey season."

Palm Springs Art Museum - Edwards Harris Pavilion
Award: Design Award of Excellence (Civic/Institutional)
Location: Palm Springs, CA
Original Architects: E. Stewart Williams
Restoration Team: Marmol Radziner (Architect) D.W. Johnson Construction (Contractor)
Client: Palm Springs Art Museum

"A Civic/Institutional Design Award of Excellence is given for the recently completed restoration of the Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center, Edward Harris Pavilion formerly known as the Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan bank building. Restoration of the structure by Marmol Radziner has recaptured its forward-looking spirit, transforming the glass-and-steel building into a leading example of innovative design that respects the past and embraces current technology. Speaking on behalf of the jury architect Michael Mills said, 'The treatment of the building shows the keen appreciation of the design team for the form and materials of this architectural gem. They faithfully restored the building and its spaces for the new use.' The building was designed in 1960 by noted architect E. Stewart Williams who considered it to be one of his finest projects. Williams stated that one of his goals for the project was 'to achieve, if possible, a quality within the space enclosed that elevates the human spirit above the level of mere daily existence.' As home to the Architecture and Design Center of the Palm Springs Art Museum, the building is continuing to fulfill Williams' original intent."

Save the Dome: Public Education Effort for the Harris County Domed Stadium (the Astrodome)
Award: Advocacy Award of Excellence
Location: Houston, TX
Original Designers: Wilson, Morris, Crain & Anderson; Lloyd, Morgan & Jones
Advocacy Team: Preservation Houston, Houston Mod, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, AIA Houston, and Houston Arts & Media

"The Advocacy Award of Excellence is given to the coordinated efforts to save the Harris County Domed Stadium, known as the Astrodome. The campaign began as a response to a 2013 referendum seeking to demolish the dome and redevelop the site and included a multi-faceted approach that utilized social media, engaged the community, and sought to educate the public about the Astrodome’s significance as the world’s first enclosed stadium. Social media activities reached more than 70,000 people and encouraged cross-platform online community participation around the hashtag #SavetheDome. Astrodome supporters used the hashtag to contribute nostalgic photos and videos, share their memories of the stadium and post 'Dome selfies' — photos of themselves at or near the building, which drew the attention of local and national media. The Docomomo US Board of Directors recognizes the tremendous efforts to save a typology whose outcome will affect the future preservation of domes and stadiums like it. The Save the Dome coalition continues to work with Harris County officials to repurpose and revitalize Houston’s most iconic structure and recently partnered with the county to open the stadium to more than twenty-five thousand people who came out to celebrate the Astrodome’s 50th birthday."

Survey of Modern Architecture in New Haven: Phase II & III
Award: Survey Award of Excellence
Location: New Haven, CT
Team: The New Haven Preservation Trust (survey), BlenderBox (website design) 

"The Survey Award of Excellence is given for the Survey of Modern Architecture in New Haven Website (http://newhavenmodern.org <http://newhavenmodern.org>). In selecting the project, the jury noted the very considerable amount of thoughtful work that went into the handsome design, organization and public accessibility of the website. Speaking for the jury Michael Mills stated, 'The New Haven survey is an important effort in a city known for its collection of great modern architecture. The community engagement component of the project was very effective and is a model for other efforts of this kind.' The survey documented 124 examples of Modernist buildings built between 1930-1980. These buildings were then added to New Haven’s Historic Resources Survey that already included 6,000 historic structures. The New Haven Preservation Trust’s intent for completing and making this survey publicly accessible was to 'invigorate the community of New Haven’s understanding and appreciation of the rich concentration of 20th-century Modernist architecture' and lay the groundwork for the preservation of 'one of the country’s most aggressive modern building programs of the post-World War II era.'"

Citations of Merit Winners

Opa -- Locka Airport Hanger 102
Award: Design Citation of Merit (Civic/Institutional)
Location: Miami, FL
Restoration team: Shulman + Associates (Restoration Architect), RLC Architects (Architect on Record)
Client: AA Acquisitions LLC 

"The jury awards a Citation of Merit for the restoration of the Opa – Locka Airport Hanger 102 and notes the impressive effort to preserve it as a hanger and continue the history of this typology. Opa-Locka was founded by aviation pioneer Glen Curtiss and is famous for being the airport that Amelia Earhart departed from on her quest to circumnavigate the globe that ended in her mysterious disappearance. As a survivor from the days of the dirigible, the jury was pleased Shulman + Associates chose to restore the hanger so carefully in order to continue using it for its original function."

McGregor Reflecting Pool
Award: Design Citation of Merit (Civic/Institutional)
Location: Detroit, MI
Restoration team: Quinn Evans Architects (Restoration Architects), McCarthy & Smith (Contractor), Beckett & Raeder (Landscape Architect)
Client: Wayne State University

"The jury awards a Citation of Merit for the restoration of the Wayne State University’s McGregor Reflecting Pool designed by Minoru Yamasaki. The jury notes though the project was relatively simple in its goals it did an elegant job of enhancing the character of the original design. Jury member architect Jack Pyburn noted, 'The values of modernism embraced the importance of the total environment and the linkage of the interior with the exterior environment. Recognizing this landscape project is in that spirit.'"

Irwin Conference Center & Office Building
Award: Design Citation of Merit (Commercial)
Location: Columbus, IN
Restoration team: Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates (Architectural Consultant) Todd Williams and Associates (Architect) Art Strategies (Fine Art Consulting) AXIS Architecture + Interiors (Furnishings) Blakley Corporation (General Contractor) Blue Marble Design (Historical Planting Design) Curtain Wall Design Consulting (Consultant) Electronic Evolutions (AV Systems) F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co. (General Contractor) McComas Engineering (Structural Engineering) Mussett Nicholas & Associates (MEP Engineering) TLF Engineering (Structural Engineering) Wright Consulting Associates (Acoustics) Xibitz (Exhibition Design)
Client: Cummins Inc.

"The jury awards a Citation of Merit for the restoration of the Cummins Irwin Conference Center & Office Building. The jury notes that the design team showed great care in the project’s intervention in both the Eero Saarinen and Kevin Roche building, and the philosophy of the project was well articulated and executed. The jury also noted this project will aid the future preservation efforts of Columbus’ modern heritage as the community continues to recognize the value in the preservation of modern buildings."

Lewis and Clark Branch Library
Award: Advocacy Citation of Merit
Location: St. Louis, MO
Advocacy team: Modern STL Board, Members, and Partners

"The Docomomo US Board of Directors awards a Citation of Merit to Modern STL for its advocacy efforts to save the Lewis and Clark Branch Library in St. Louis, Missouri. The Board of Directors notes the project addresses a typology is often threatened and bridges two things: innovative, passionate campaign with threatened iconic building typology."

National Gallery of Art East Building Exterior Stone Repair
Award: Design Citation of Merit in Technical Achievement (Civic/Institutional)
Location: Washington, D.C.
Restoration team: Silman (Design Lead/Structural Engineer) Facade Forensics (Stone Specialists) Modillion Consulting (Project Management) Daedalus Cost Consultants (Cost Estimators)
Client: National Gallery of Art, Office of Architecture and Engineering

"The jury awards a special Citation of Merit in technical achievement for the sensitive restoration of the National Gallery of Art’s East Building. Speaking on behalf of the jury architect Michael Mills notes, 'This project resolved great technical challenges and saved the original materials of the I.M. Pei building envelope by means of an innovative structural design.' Silman’s careful consideration of I.M. Pei’s original design intent resulted in the development of new custom hardware that allowed the reinstallation of the stone to achieve the original tolerances without the uses of shims and grout."