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National Advocacy Themes

2015 National Symposium Archive

Docomomo US Advocacy Theme 2021: Travel and Leisure

If there is one industry that defines the mid-century, it’s Travel and Leisure.
​Whether hitting the road by car or jetting off to exotic locations, modern ideals and aesthetics can be found just about everywhere you look. As we begin 2021 with some cautious optimism, Docomomo US is excited to explore what we have been missing in 2020. With the travel industry heavily impacted because of the pandemic, this is also an opportunity to help a stuggling sector of the economy while delving into some of the great architecture, landscapes, sites, and stories of our modern travel heritage. 

The Travel and Leisure theme can be approached in a number of different ways and highlighted through a vast number of topics intertwined with this theme:

  • Motels to Hotels (this article about hotel atriums is a great place to start)
  • The diverse array of travel amenities from diners to roadside attractions
  • Theaters
  • Local, State, and National Parks
  • Resources from the 1970s (keeping last year’s theme alive!)
  • Travel stories
  • Travel movies
  • Travel resources, including the Green Book
  • Restaurants – see this recent article from the New York Times on reclaiming the Tiki Bar
- Docomomo US

Fall Tour Day 2021: Cabin Culture! – A Virtual Road Trip

For the past one hundred years, “cabin culture” has become a dominant trait of Minnesotan identity. For many people growing up in Minnesota, remembering a childhood “up north” conjures pleasant images of pine-ringed lakes and a cozy cabin. The phenomenon of owning or visiting a cabin in the upper Midwest is widespread and did not happen by accident. Cabin culture is the byproduct of industrial pursuits, the goal of postwar regional boosters, and, every so often, the precise conditions for exceptional modern architecture.

This study highlights modernist projects that represent different ideas in cabin culture. The modernist cabin provides access to nature, and, through historic context, demonstrates ideas about gathering and the environment. This study traces modernism through cabin architecture to highlight locations from the Docomomo US/MN Minnesota Modern Registry.​ - Mary Dahlman Begley

How can you participate?

  • Our Minnesota chapter will be planning virtual events for the spring and summer and Tour Day events for the fall around the annual theme. 
  • Submit a site related to the Travel & Leisure theme for inclusion on the Explore Modern Register.
  • If you've written on this topic or have an idea for an article, we welcome submissions for publication on our website and in our newsletter. 
  • And make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter to read these articles! Two special edition summer newsletters will explore the theme more in depth.
  • We are all jonesing to get back on the road, but until then we will settle for seeing your photos on social media! Tag us @docomomous and use the hashtag #midcenturytravel