Modernism + the Recent Past Preservation Stories
Neutra's Modern Icon Lifted from Decay
Not so long ago, an exceptional modern house in Texas designed by world-famous architect Richard Neutra came dangerously close to ruination.Then, in 2004, the National Trust put the George Kraigher House on the list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. That recognition, along with efforts of the National Trust's Southwest Regional Office, helped to attract the attention and care this residence in Brownsville, Texas, so desperately deserved.
Built in 1937 for airline pilot George Kraigher, the stucco-and-wood home is considered a gem of the Modernist International Style. With its Corbusien roof terrace and wrap-around windows, it stands as one of only a few Neutra homes outside of California. But after Kraigher left Brownsville in the early 1940s, the house remained empty, overlooked for decades and scarred by vandalism and water damage.
The City of Brownsville purchased the house in 1999 but did not have the financial wherewithal for the extensive restoration needed. A federal grant several years later initiated the process. Today, the city leases the property to the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, whose students work on it as part of their studies. The National Trust's Southwest Regional Office worked long and hard with the city and the educational institutions to find a way to preserve this iconic modern place. Plans call for the Kraigher House to be open to the public in 2008.
Doo Wop Motels
The Lollipop Motel in Wildwood, NJ, is one of the Doo Wop Motels listed on the 11 Most Endangered List in 2006.
Credit: Adrian Scott Fine
Families have been vacationing at the Jersey Shore for more than 100 years, and the Wildwood Doo Wop motels have been a major beach destination since they were constructed from 1956 to 1970. The Doo Wop district offered families an affordable vacation that seemed exotic because of the motels' far-out design and faraway-sounding names such as Tahiti, Caribbean and Starluxe. The demand for resorts that offer modern amenities means that motels in the Doo Wop district, which encompasses the cities of Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood, are ripe for development. Nearly 100 Doo Wop motels have been demolished in recent years, usually for the construction of market-rate condominiums. While the architectural and historic significance of the motels has been widely recognized, local governments have not reached agreement on how - or whether - to regulate new development.
Update
Though vacationers still flock to the Wildwoods today, more than 100 of the Doo Wop motels have fallen to the wrecking ball - two dozen in the last two years alone - because of increased speculation in condo construction and rising property values. A group of concerned business owners, local residents and preservation advocates has formed the Doo Wop Preservation League and is working diligently to secure increased protection for these icons of the recent past. Presently a study in underway to assess the economic feasibility of retrofitting and retaining motels, including design guidelines for compatible adding floors or additions. With multiple municipalities and the lack of a unified vision or protection for the area, more and more motels are likely to be lost and replaced by larger, generic condominium buildings. There’s a glimmer of hope though with the recent plan to demolish the Ocean View Motel and unprecedented denial of a permit by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Through the Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA), the DEP denied an application to demolish the Ocean View Motel and construct a six-story, 69-unit condominium structure in its place. Now headed to court, the National Trust is monitoring this closely and will participate in support of the State’s actions as the outcome could determine the fate for the remaining historic mid-century motels and distinctive character of Wildwood.
TWA Terminal at JFK International Airport
Eero Saarinen’s TWA Terminal at JFK Airport in New York.
Credit: National Trust for Historic Preservation
Since its completion in 1962, Eero Saarinen’s curvilinear TWA Terminal at New York’s JFK International Airport has been hailed as an icon of modern design. There’s no other building like it: Its soaring, graceful form was meant to evoke the romance and excitement of flight, and even the smallest interior details -- ticket counters, chairs, signs, and telephone booths-- were designed to complement the gull-winged shell. But now, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey wants to demolish portions of the terminal and construct a hulking new terminal behind it. The proposed light rail system and the new structure will block the TWA Terminal’s view of the tarmac and leave Saarinen’s terminal isolated and functionally useless.
Update
Excellent strides have been made in the effort to secure the preservation of Eero Saarinen's TWA Terminal. A coalition of preservation organizations have worked with the Port Authority of NY and NJ and JetBlue Airlines to develop a plan that preserves the main terminal building and allows for a new JetBlue terminal to be constructed at the rear. The TWA terminal building will be restored and redeveloped for new uses. The new building, currently under construction, will be connected to the former TWA Terminal via the original building’s tube-shaped passages. An observation lobby that extended off the back of the Saarinen building to provide views of the airfield was in the path of the new terminal, but a solution was found for that problem as well: the trumpet-shaped concrete structure has been cut away from the rest of the original building, and will soon be moved and connected to the airside of the new terminal.
