George Smart

America's mid-century Modernist architects and their original clients are almost all dead; their houses have been sold several times; and the local real estate community would just as soon tear down the properties as find new, caring owners.

Despite many Modernist houses aging over the 50-year mark, city councils and preservation groups have a hard time considering Modernist houses to be historic - because 50 years later many still look like the future. With bulldozers continuing to destroy mid-century Modernist houses (like Marcel Breuer’s Geller House in 2022), these livable works of art continue to be threatened by rising land prices and disinterested heirs. Preservation is more important than ever, but you can’t save something if you don’t know where it is and why it is important. If you’re a Modernist fan in many towns and smaller cities, you may have asked: hasn't somebody documented the Modernist houses? Surely some architect or preservation society or library has a list? Likely, no.

George shares the story of how an energetic and dedicated team of volunteers documented thousands of Modernist houses across America. Audiences learn basic principles of Modernist design, why preservation is important to our communities, and how easy it is to start a documentation and preservation effort of their own - with nothing more than a car, a cell phone, and a laptop.

For anyone who loves good design, this is an informative and fun conversation. George delivers keynotes, and is also available for panels as participant or moderator.

Participants will:

• learn how thousands of significant Modernist houses were documented and made available to the public online, many for the first time.
• identify the beginnings of residential Modernist design as part of a national movement.
• learn key differences between Modernist and contemporary architecture.
• learn the key architects and influencers in national Modernism.
• learn marketing methods to preserve mid-century Modernist houses through preservation, occupancy, and sustainable development strategies.
• discover how documenting, preserving, and promoting residential Modernist design benefits the architecture and construction industries.
• learn key differences between selling a traditional house and selling a Modernist house.
• gain access to a digital archive of over 30,000 photos of over 20,000 Modernist houses, along with profiles on 400+ architects.
• learn how USModernist became the country's largest open digital archive for Modernist houses and a recognized leader in Modernist preservation with 18 local, state, and national awards.