The United States is currently experiencing a building boom that rivals that of the years following World War II. According to a 2004 study by the Brookings Institution, Toward a New Metropolis: The Opportunity to Rebuild America, by the year 2030, half of the buildings in which Americans live, work and shop will have been built after 2000. Improperly managed this building boom could result in the destruction of much of our existing built environment. The study estimates that 20.1 million units of housing will be lost to demolition and that new construction will cover an area the size of Colorado.

At the same time, a new interest in mid-20th century culture has emerged. From television programs to product design to advertising, pop culture clearly illustrates this comeback. "Retro Modernisms" was the theme of Time magazine's 2004 special style and design issue.

Many of the people attracted to the architecture and design of this era do not consider themselves to be preservationists or are unaware of the greater preservation movement. That doesn't mean they can't be converted, Jeanne Lambin writes in Preserving Resources from the Recent Past, a National Trust for Historic Preservation publication. Preservation organizations nationwide are capitalizing on this interest. They are coming up with innovative programs—or twists on old ones—to raise awareness and appreciation of the recent past, to preserve and protect resources, and to engage a new audience.

Lambin says preservation groups are forming ModComs or modern committees to organize tours of modern buildings, posting watch lists for endangered landmarks, leading workshops on preserving modernism, and hosting lecture series to broaden an appreciation for modern architecture and design. In Cleveland, efforts to preserve modernism are starting to grow, spurred on by the advocates of adaptively reusing the Ameritrust Tower, designed by Marcel Breuer.

Greening the modern preservation movement: Bauhaus at the brink

Currently we are slated to lose a large modernist building in our Northeast Ohio community, The Ameritrust Tower designed by world-renowned Bauhaus-trained architect, Marcel Breuer with Hamilton Smith in 1967, and completed in 1971 as the Cleveland Trust Co. Building. Recently, permission was granted to raze the 36-year-old, 29-story, 280,000 square foot building in downtown Cleveland.

The decision to not reuse the building has raised questions about what constitutes an historic landmark, and what environmental responsibilities we share when it comes to demolishing or reusing buildings.

Artists, architects, and the sustainability community have an opportunity to discuss and consider the intersection of landmarks and green buildings, historic preservation and modernism in architecture.

A series of educational events with opportunities for dialogue on these issues will take place here in Cleveland this fall:

1. Saturday, November 10, 2007 4 pm—The primer on Breuer and the Bauhaus:

• A slide show by Tony Hiti, Chair of the Historic Resources Committee of the AIA, Cleveland Chapter on the history of Marcel Breuer and the Cleveland Trust Building

At the Sculpture Center (free parking available)

2. Saturday, November 17, 2007 4 pm—The history of why the Bauhaus came to America:

• Bauhaus in America: a film by Judith Pearlman followed by a panel discussion with Cleveland architect, Peter Van Dijk and Associate Professor of Art History at Kent State University, Carol Salus, moderated by Christopher Diehl, Director, Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.

At the Cleveland Cinematheque. $8 general admission/$6 CIA students, staff and Cinematheque members. For more information, go here.

• What Would You Do With The Breuer Building? (from Ingenuity 2007) will be displayed in the hallway of the CIA Building for those who missed it or would like to view it again —the show features 27 entries from Australia to Italy with several local architects offering innovative thoughts.
  At the Cleveland Institute of Art

3. Wednesday, November 28 at 6 pm—Green building and modernism; are they antithetical?

• Guest lecturer, Carl Stein, FAIA, Principal of elemental architecture, llc, of New York City and his late father, Richard Stein, FAIA, have completed numerous historic rehabilitation projects based on their innovative and pioneering research in the analysis of energy use and conservation in buildings and design. Stein served his architectural internship with Marcel Breuer from 1968-1971.
  At Judson Manor. Free and open to the public. (free parking available)

Brought to you by Doty & Miller Architects, Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, D.H. Ellison Co., Peter Lawson Jones, Process Creative Studios, Inc., Recent Past Preservation Network, Richard Fleischman Architects, Robert Maschke Architects, Inc., Jim Rokakis, Schmidt Copeland Parker Stevens.

With assistance from Cleveland Cinematheque, Cleveland Institute of Art, Judson Manor, The Sculpture Center, GreenCityBlueLake.org, Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, Intermuseum Conservation Association, AIA Cleveland, Kent State University Art History, Cleveland Artists Foundation, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs.

Significant Modern buildings in Cleveland facing uncertain future

• Cleveland State University's student center (designed by Don Hisaka)
• Cleveland Institute of Art's Gund building
• Jewish Community Federation's Cleveland headquarters (designed by Edward D. Stone)

Additional Resources

• "Renovate it /raze it?" CSU Levin College Forum webcast
• FAQs on saving the Breuer Tower
• Love letters for the Breuer Tower
• Recent Past Preservation Network Breuer watch list and resources
• Historic restoration and sustainability resource page.