2023 Events
Tour Day 2023: Modernism and Saint Paul's Urban Renewal –Saturday October 28, 2023; 1pm-3pm.
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Join Docomomo US/MN in Downtown Saint Paul for a guided walking tour, as we explore modernist buildings that were developed as part of urban renewal efforts in the capital city. Saturday, October 28, 2023; 1pm – 3pm. This walking tour will explore highlights of modernism, including the 1966 gleaming aluminum and glass Ecolab building by Bergstedt, Wahlberg and Wold (1968), the Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance Building by Ellerbe Associates (1955), and the Northwestern National Bank Building by Grover Diamond Associates (1971). This tour is presented by Todd Grover FAIA. A longtime Saint Paul resident and Docomomo US/MN board member, Todd is a partner at MacDonald & Mack Architects in Minneapolis. He also serves as the national VP of Advocacy for Docomomo US. This event is part of Docomomo US Tour Day 2023. |
Open House: Frank Lloyd Wright's Willey House in Minneapolis. Sunday October 22, 2023; 11am-4pm
Photo By Steve Sikora
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Docomomo US/MN is excited to announce an Open House at the Nancy and Malcolm Willey House in Minneapolis. 255 Bedford St SE, Minneapolis Sunday, October 22, 11AM – 4PM $10 per person, cash only. Completed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1934, the Willey House is widely considered to be the prototype for dozens of high-style, low cost Usonian homes that would be designed at Taliesin throughout the 1940s and 1950s. The house has been completely restored by its current owners, and is a recipient of numerous awards, including the 2012 Wright Spirit Award from The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. |
MNSHA Fall Tour 2023: Modernist Gems on Lexington Parkway – Saturday October 21, 2023; 9:30am
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The Minnesota Society of Architectural Historians (MNSAH) fall tour will feature two modernist homes perched on a dramatic hillside on St. Paul’s Lexington Parkway. The adjacent houses were designed just over 20 years apart for the same client. Saturday, October 21, 2023; 9:30am. In 1956, architect Elizabeth Scheu Close designed a house at 641 Lexington Parkway South for landscape architect Marion Fry and her husband Robert. Referred to as Fry I, the house is built into a steep, heavily wooded site that rises 36 feet from front to back. An open staircase provides access from the ground-floor level entry to the kitchen, dining, and living areas on the second floor. Generous expanses of windows provide an abundance of light and impressive views. Featuring concrete block and redwood siding, the house connects to the landscape via terraces and a deck that wraps around the upper level. In 1979, Marion Fry subdivided her property and commissioned a second house on land immediately to the north of her original home. Her motivation was to move to a more practical house in which she could age. For this house, Fry chose architect Jeri Zuber, who incorporated an elevator in the design for the house. The three-level Fry II house embraces the site in an even more dramatic fashion than the first. But like the first house, Fry’s second home includes expanses of windows that flood the house with light as well as decks and terraces designed for outdoor living. The tour will be led by architectural historian Jane King Hession, who wrote the award-winning book Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture, and architect Jeri Zuber. Our hosts at the Fry I house are Paul Metzger and Lisa Hamlin and our hosts at the Fry II house are Paul Olson and Kelly Johnson. |
Party in Mitchell Park: An Advocacy Event for the Domes –Milwaulkee, WI. Sunday, October 8, 2023.
Presented by Docomomo US/Wisconsin!
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Join Docomomo US/Wisconsin for a party in Mitchell Park to celebrate The Domes and enjoy fun for the whole family, including kids activities, food trucks, raffle prizes, and a lot of Love for the Domes! Sunday, October 8, 2023; 1:30-4pm Mitchell Park 524 S Layton Blvd Milwaukee, WI 53215 The Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, known as "The Domes," was designed in 1959 and constructed over the next eight years. Architect Donald L. Grieb's proposal for the cone-shaped domes was selected following a national competition. Its patented design has never been replicated, making the Domes unique in the world. The Domes have been a focus of intense local advocacy efforts since 2016 when it was announced they would close and potentially be demolished. Today the Domes are still open, but also still threatened. They are in need of repair and the County is still deciding what the future of this unique site will be. Free and open to the public. Registration encouraged but not required. This event is part of Docomomo US Tour Day 2023. |
Colleagues & Clients: Women’s Roles in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Architecture – Minneapolis, MN.
September 27 - October 1, 2023
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Annual Conference presented by The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, a national non-profit that advocates for the preservation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s built works, will hold its 2023 annual conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from September 27 through October 1. Tours will present a rare opportunity for architecture aficionados to savor six Wright-designed buildings, several by Prairie School architects Purcell & Elmslie and Wright apprentice John Howe, and other notable landmarks of the Twin Cities. Many of these private homes are seldom open to the public. Talks will focus on the theme of Colleagues & Clients: Women’s Roles in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Architecture. Speakers will explore the significant but little-examined role women played in the creation of Wright’s work throughout his 70 year-career. Special events will bring together members of the Wright community, including homeowners & building stewards, preservation advocates, scholars, and enthusiasts. A gala evening, featuring an online silent auction, will celebrate the recipients of the Conservancy’s annual Wright Spirit Awards, which honor individuals and organizations who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to preserving Wright’s legacy. More details, including schedule, speakers, and tour sites, are available at savewright.org/conference |
Mid-Century Fall Home Tour – Saturday September 16, 2023. 11am-2pm; Reception 3pm-4:30pm.
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Docomomo US/MN is excited to present the Mid-Century Fall Home Tour! September 16, 2023; 11am – 2pm; Reception 3pm-4:30pm. Join Docomomo US/MN as we explore mid-century homes in the Prospect Park neighborhood; featuring houses designed by renowned MN architects: Carl Graffunder, Elizabeth Scheu, Win Close, Frank Kerr, Harlan McClure and more! Following the tour in Prospect Park, we will wander west to Wayzata for a tour and reception at the recently restored Novella Design House. |
Pop-Up Tour: St. John the Evangelist Church, Presented by Docomomo US/MN and MNSAH. August 9; 5pm.
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MNSAH and Docomomo US/MN invite their members to a Pop-Up Tour of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church Designed by architect George Rafferty, St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church was completed in 1967 at the height of momentous liturgical evolution. Its design heralded the notion of a community of worshippers – supplanting the 19th Century notion of worshippers as passive observers. The size and scale of the church relate to the compact, residential neighborhood within which it is set. Inside, a sense of reverence and drama is created by deeply recessed skylights that provide natural illumination. |
Docomomo US National Symposium: Complexities of the Modern American City – New Haven, CT.
June 21-25, 2023.
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Join Docomomo US in New Haven, Connecticut and experience one of the country’s most densely woven collections of mid-century art, design, and architecture. As we take in this cultural epicenter, we will consider the triumphs and complexities surrounding the design and building of the Modern city and the impacts on our collective communities. |
Member Road Trip to the Bunker House – Fountain City, WI. Sunday, April 23, 2023; 1:30-3:30pm.
MNSAH 2023 Annual Meeting. Wednesday, April 19, 2023; 6-9pm. Minnesota Humanities Center.
Elizabeth Scheu Close in her Minneapolis office, c. 1940. Roy M. Close Family Papers
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This year’s annual meeting for the Minnesota Society of Architectural Historians features a presentation by Jane King Hession, who will speak about her Gebhard Award-winning book Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture. Date and Place: Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 6:00-9:00 p.m. Minnesota Humanities Center 987 Ivy Avenue East Saint Paul, MN 55106 6:00 p.m. Reception 6:30 p.m. Dinner 7:30 p.m. Annual Meeting 8:00 p.m. Keynote Presentation 9:00 p.m. Adjourn Cost: $45.00 for MNSAH members $55.00 for nonmembers Registration Deadline: Thursday, April 13, 2023 |
Professor Jim Dennis, UW-Madison, Retired, to Present Free Lecture on Modern Architecture
Saturday, April 15; 12:15-2:00 pm. Nokomis Library.
Jacobs House I. Photo courtesy: James Steakley, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Professor Jim Dennis, retired art history professor, UW-Madison, will present a lecture on modern architecture. The lecture is titled: "Post Prairie-style Modernism as initiated by Wright; converted to Bauhaus extremism by Gropius; relocated to Chicago by Mies van der Rohe; and culminated in two Art Museums: the Guggenheim in New York City and the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin" Professor Dennis not only has extensive academic knowledge of the field but has owned a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for over 40 years, the Jacobs House in Madison, which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The event is free and open to the public. When: Saturday, April 15; 12:15-2:00 pm Where: Nokomis Library: 5100 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis. Hope to see you there! |
Golden Valley Historical Society Presents Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture
Wednesday, March 8, 2023; 7pm
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The Golden Valley Historical Society (GVHS), partnering with Brookview Golden Valley, is presenting a talk, exhibit premiere, and book signing event on Elizabeth “Lisl” Scheu Close (1912-2011), Minnesota’s first modern architect. Jane King Hession, author of the award-winning Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture, will bring Lisl’s life and career – including her work in Golden Valley – to light. Wednesday, March 8; 7 pm. Bassett Creek Room at Brookview Golden Valley: 316 Brookview Pkwy S, Golden Valley. The event is free and open to the public. |
