Preserving the Recent Past 4 (PRP4) Conference March 19一22, 2025 | Boston, Massachusetts
| The PRP4 Conference in Boston was fantastic! I went to Boston once, when I was 10 years old, and only for a day or two. This trip blew me away! What a vibrant city, with a rich history, and an impressive collection of brutalist buildings. I landed Wednesday morning, and immediately started with a walking tour. This was a great way to get my bearings and to learn about a few of the landmarks. After another tour, we capped the day off with a reception at Boston City Hall, a prominent Brutalist gem that is on its way to landmark status. Overall, the programming of the conference was excellent. Boston Architectural College was very central, and it was easy to get from session to session with ease (and time for lunch). I loved hearing about advocacy throughout the country, preservation at Case Study House #8 (Eames House) and adaptive reuse in Oak Park, Illinois, just to name a few. Connecting with people that have a passion for modernism is always such a treat, and I can honestly say I made some new friends on this trip. The highlights for me were numerous: touring MIT (and singing Ave Maria in the Saarinen Chapel @ MIT, which Todd secretly recorded) was definitely a top 3. Spending some quality time with Kim + Michelle from Docomomo US is always such a treat, and getting to tour the UMASS Dartmouth Campus on my last day was really special. 10 out of 10, and I can't wait to go back and explore what I dubbed "The Paris of the US". -Peter Barile | |
| | On April 22, 2025, I fulfilled a long-held dream by touring Walter Gropius's home in Lincoln, Massachusetts. As a college student, I had admired Gropius's work, and visiting his residence was a highlight of my PRP4 2025 trip. The tour was led by the executive director of Historic New England, adding a special touch to the experience. She provided in-depth insights into how the Gropius family used their home not just as a residence, but also as a space for client meetings, educational purposes, and entertaining guests. The house itself is a testament to Bauhaus principles, combining traditional New England materials like wood, brick, and fieldstone with innovative elements such as glass blocks and chrome banisters. Many of the fixtures were sourced from commercial catalogs, emphasizing functionality and simplicity. A particularly touching aspect of the tour was learning about Ati Gropius, Walter and Ise's daughter. She played a crucial role in transitioning the home into a museum, working closely with Historic New England to preserve its authenticity. Ati's contributions ensured that the house remains a living example of modernist design and continues to educate future generations. Visiting the Gropius House was not just a tour of a historic building; it was an immersive experience of the life and philosophy of one of modern architecture's pioneers. -Stephen Magner |
| Boston was a very appropriate setting for the fourth Preservation of the Recent Past conference. The city alone presented many opportunities to see how preservation has evolved as a profession and also in public opinion. The opening reception at Boston City Hall set the tone for the next day’s sessions of wins and losses in pursuit of preserving buildings, sites, and objects of the modern era. Having never been in the building, walking through the building during the evening with low natural light truly showcased the depth and texture of the concrete, not an always friendly material. I was equally delighted by the Boston Public Library, another great story of blending the old with the new. While many were using the library services as patrons, even more people like myself were walking the library as tourists. I enjoyed observing it this way with the droves of people quietly walking in and around study tables while taking in the views. The two eras of the library reminded me of the next era of preservation of post modernism sitting on the horizon, an issue Docomomo US is well aware of. -Amy Van Gessel | |
RSS Feed
