DOCOMOMO Florida

The symposium and bus tour revisit an exhibit from 1958 called "50 Years of Significant Architecture in Jacksonville." That exhibit from 50 years ago paid tribute to outstanding contributions to post-1901 fire contributions to the Jacksonville’s built landscape. 

The 1958 exhibit was organized by a group which included several architects who contributed mightily to defining the city’s character. In addition to highlighting wonderful old buildings from the early 20th century, designed by architects such as Henry J. Klutho, that exhibit also spotlighted achievements of Jacksonville’s post-WW II architects.

Just as Victorian architecture in the U.S. was widely obliterated 50 years ago and Miami Beach’s Art Deco architecture was underappreciated and barely escaped obliteration 30 years ago, outstanding architecture of the 1950s through early 1970s has become increasingly imperiled by redevelopment and an appetite for newer – but not necessarily better – buildings.

Northeast Florida is home to exemplary works of modern architecture from the post-war era (sometimes referred to as "Mid-Century Modern" or the "Recent Past") by esteemed architects such as Welton Becket FAIA, Paul Rudolph FAIA, Robert Broward AIA, George Fisher AIA, William Marshall AIA, William Morgan FAIA, and Taylor Hardwick AIA.

For 150 years, AIA has been the voice of American architects. The Jacksonville chapter ( http://www.aiajacksonville.org ) has 365 members working together and with their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes.

DOCOMOMO is the international working party for the DOcumentation and COnservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the MOdern MOvement. DOCOMOMO/US is the working party of DOCOMOMO in the United States. DOCOMOMO/US Florida (http://www.docomomofl.org), a subchapter of DOCOMOMO/US, was organized in 2007 and has already sponsored numerous educational events in the State.