In an interview for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Albert Ledner, a 2009 AIA Medal of Honor winner, discusses his fascination with Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, the influence of nature on his designs, and the approach of blending Organic design with Modern architecture. Ledner said, “If people can understand the principles and relate that to architectural design, maybe it will begin to open some doors to them appreciating these designs.” Opening doors for people so they can understand and appreciate the architecture of the recent past is exactly what we are trying to do with our Montgomery Modern initiative.
3 Responses to “Albert Ledner and Organic Modern”
Sign up for our newsletter
The contact information you provide may be subject to release under the Maryland Public Information Act.
Thayer-D
It’s ironic that the Office of Preservation is investing time and energy in preserving the very buildings that provoked the birth of the preservation movement in the 1960’s. We let the last remnants of old Bethesda and Silver Spring disapear while talking about sterile boxes becasue it’s fashionable to do so. Even the architect you reference says that “Traditional design is more attractive to the eye.” What a shame that an organization that should be at the center of our shared culture promptes a fashion driven agenda that will only promote it’s irrelevance in the public’s eye.
Scott Whipple
The preservation movement that came out of the 1960s gave birth to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register has a general rule of thumb that most buildings should be 50 years old before their architectural and historical significance is evaluated. A huge percentage of Montgomery County’s buildings were constructed between 1940 and 1961. These buildings and communities are at the center of our shared culture. Now 50 years old, and more, they merit our study. In some cases they will merit protection, as with some of the ones that preceded them. We aren’t following fashion, we are preparing for the evaluation of the group of buildings that make up a great share of Montgomery County’s building stock. Not all buildings of an era merit designation, but those do which best represent the culture and architecture of their time. As has been the case with our 18th, 19th, and first half of the 20th century resources, we believe that some in the community will be interested in coming along with us as we learn about our mid-century modern resources. Oh… we haven’t given up on those earlier buildings, either.
Thayer-D
You’re right that some in our community will be interested in coming along with your interest in mid-century modernist recources, but you’ll be wrong to think it’ll be anymore than a small and very educated minority. I know you don’t run a popularity contest, but that is exactly why the preservaiotn movement arose, becasue of the popularity of traditional buildings in the face of a hostile architectural community that promoted the destruction of our historic fabric. To not acknowledge this fact is disengenuous at best and belies the claim that this is about educating the public about our shared history.