Modernist Monuments: Minneapolis Post-War Places of Worship. First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis. Monday, October 27, 2025; 6:30pm

Join Docomomo US/MN and Preserve Minneapolis for a lecture by Bobak Ha'Eri, "Modernist Monuments: Minneapolis Post-War Places of Worship." 

Minneapolis became a hotbed of modernist religious architecture in the years after World War II. This talk explains the rise of modernism and its arrival in Minnesota, and how it expressed itself through places of worship across the city with illustrated slides and energetic conversation. 

Bobak Ha'Eri is a board member of Docomomo US/MN where he created and researches the award-winning Minnesota Modern Registry and is an expert on the history of Modernism in Minnesota.  

This event is part of a month-long series of events dedicated to the 2025 Docomomo US Advocacy Theme, Places of Worship.  ​

Date: Monday, October 27, 2025
Time: 6:30pm

Location: First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis
900 Mt Curve Ave 
Minneapolis, MN 55403


About Preserve Minneapolis –
​Preserve Minneapolis is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and celebrating the city’s historic architectural and cultural heritage. Through walking tours, public programs, digital storytelling, and advocacy efforts, the group connects people with the places that shape Minneapolis’ identity. From humble beginnings to a vibrant community-driven movement, Preserve Minneapolis continues to educate, inspire, and preserve the city’s unique built environment for generations to come.
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Additional Places of Worship Events Throughout October, Presented by Docomomo US/MN:


​About Docomomo US National Tour Day:
The only national program of its kind, Tour Day is devoted to the appreciation of modern architecture in the United States. Tours and events focused on architecture and design of the Modern Movement are hosted, coast-to-coast, by Docomomo US chapters, partners, and leading voices in preservation. 
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Exceptional and inspirational places of worship built in the mid-twentieth century exist in nearly every corner of the country. They often serve as community anchors – “third places” – where people come together to pray, to celebrate, and to support one another in times of need.  
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For many, including preservationists, historians, and architecture lovers, these sites uplift and inspire regardless of religious affiliation or denomination. And yet for every soaring ceiling, contemplative ray of light, moving element of art, and stained-glass adoration, places of worship and their congregations often struggle with maintenance, reuse, and continued relevancy in an ever-changing world. 

Our thematic focus for 2025 is on the multitude of religious, spiritual and faith-based sites across the country – illuminating their distinct styles, development, and community impact. A deeper examination of this common typology furthers our understanding of Modern architecture and design in the United States.   

The creation of these uplifting structures, interiors, and landscapes often included a complex design fabric related to means of worship, rituals, and embedded iconography integral to specific denominations and storytelling. Spatial volumes, materials, light, sculpture, furniture, landscape, and decoration were intentionally designed to foster celebration and meditation.  

Today some of these sites are under threat because of underuse and surrounding development pressures. Deterioration of large structures that are overwhelming to small congregations, deferred maintenance and financial challenges are significant issues facing many historic sites. Due to the sheer number of this resource type, another challenge is documentation. 

We hope this theme encourages members of the public to seek out the midcentury churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other places of worship in their neighborhood or across the country.