Christine Madrid French
Christine Madrid French, Director, Modernism + Recent Past
Christine Madrid French joined the National Trust in 2009 as the Director of the Modernism + Recent Past Program. Before joining the Trust, Chris was the president and co-founder of the Recent Past Preservation Network, a national, grass-roots, non-profit organization dedicated to the study of and advocacy for buildings and landscapes constructed within the last fifty years.
An architectural historian by training, Chris graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. in Architectural Studies and earned a Masters in Architectural History from the University of Virginia. Her professional experience includes work with the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER), the National Capital Region of the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., and the Papers of George Washington.
Chris's work with HABS/HAER and the NPS included visits to the western national parks of Utah, Arizona, and Colorado where the Modern vernacular park visitor centers, built between 1956 and 1966 as part of the billion-dollar Mission 66 improvement project, caught her eye and remain the focus of her scholarly studies. Chris began her study of American Modern buildings in the early 1990s. She is a frequent speaker at conferences nationwide and has published a number of articles in architecture and regional magazines, including Modernism and Virginia Living. Her photographs of buildings have appeared in U.S. News and World Report and Architectural Record as well.
Chris also maintains an active role in preservation efforts for modern resources worldwide, and serves as an Expert Member for the 20th-Century Heritage Scientific Committee for the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).
