Architecture: Modernism Gets Old

Americans prefer traditional architecture. Is Modernism dead?

1 minute read

March 26, 2007, 10:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"The American Institute of Architects recently asked a national sample to judge American buildings, monuments and other structures...not a single Modernist building made it to the top 10...The surveys underscore a deep divide between most Americans, with their attachment to the traditional, and architects and critics, with their preference for the modern, the new and the striking...Modernism's goal was to create architecture for the people, not princes...The most powerful and effective attack on the Modernist doctrine was launched by Jane Jacobs in her "Death and Life of Great American Cities" in 1961. Her book's relevance and influence has grown steadily in the years since."

"Nearly all our suburbs - tracts of Georgian revivals, Cape Cod bungalows, faux adobes - evoke the past rather than the Modernists' future...architects don't even think anymore, as they once did, of how to build a better city. Nor does anyone subscribe to the idea that a collection of buildings by superstar architects would do so."

Saturday, March 24, 2007 in The Los Angeles Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Historic homes in St. Augustine, Florida.

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs

Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

March 18, 2025 - Newsweek

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands

The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.

March 17, 2025 - The Wall Street Journal

Close-up of traffic congestion from behind cars on a freeway in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Conservatives’ Decongestion Pricing Flip-Flop

When it comes to solving traffic problems, the current federal administration is on track for failure, waste, and hypocrisy.

March 17, 2025 - Todd Litman

Close-up of seedling sprouting from ground with blurred people gardening in background.

Oak Park Plans Earth Month Events

Join Oak Park, Illinois, for a series of Earth Month events highlighting the importance of community engagement and education, integrating sustainability into local plans, and planning for the most vulnerable, such as birds, bees and butterflies.

30 minutes ago - Local Government Commission

Close-up on pedestrian crosswalk light in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin with historic building with steeple visible in background.

Milwaukee Announces 60 Traffic Calming Projects for 2025

The city has successfully reduced traffic deaths and aims to eliminate them completely within the next decade.

2 hours ago - Urban Milwaukee

White bike symbol painted on green bike lane.

OKC Approves 7.2 Miles of New Bike Lanes

The city council is implementing its BikeWalkOKC plan, which recommends new bike lanes on key east-west corridors.

March 21 - Oklahoma City Free Press