Hardcover and paperback books documenting County’s mid-20th-century landmarks and neighborhoods can be purchased online
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, hosted a launch party for the new book, Montgomery Modern: Modern Architecture in Montgomery County, Maryland, 1930-1979, on Friday, October 30 at The Writer’s Center (4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD). The 250-page, well-illustrated book is written by Clare Lise Kelly, a preservation planner and an architectural historian with the Planning Department’s Historic Preservation Office.
“Montgomery Modern reflects Clare’s commitment and passion for preserving the recent past. The book features significant landmarks from the period – with plenty of photos – as well as biographies of the architects responsible for them,” said Planning Director Gwen Wright. “We are dedicated to raising awareness about this era in our County’s history and in historic preservation.”
About 100 people attended the book launch event, which was sponsored by the Planning Department’s Historic Preservation Office. Kelly spoke about her research and writing about the County’s midcentury modern architecture and signed copies of the book.
A video recap of the event is posted online.
“I’ve been researching historic sites for 25 years now and advocating for their preservation, and Montgomery County has one of the strongest preservation programs in the country,” said author Kelly. “The post-war era is a time period that has been little understood and we are raising awareness about the value of buildings in this time period.”
Copies of the book can also be purchased online: a hard cover copy costs $65 and a paperback costs $55.
About Montgomery Modern
The publication of Montgomery Modern: Modern Architecture in Montgomery County, Maryland, 1930-1979 and the book signing event are part of the Historic Preservation Office’s award-winning Montgomery Modern initiative to educate the public about the architectural heritage of Montgomery County. This preservation program has included a bus tour, bike tour and other outreach events dedicated to the wealth of mid-century modern architecture in the County. Learn more about the Historic Preservation Office’s Montgomery Modern initiative.
Montgomery Modern: Modern Architecture in Montgomery County, Maryland, 1930-1979, written by M-NCPPC senior architectural historian Clare Lise Kelly, provides the historic context for modern architecture in Montgomery County, Maryland, from its first appearance in the 1930s through the 1970s. Richly illustrated with images by DC photographer Carol Highsmith, period photographs and architectural renderings, the book is organized by building types set within four main time periods.
Biographical sketches of practitioners (architects, landscape architects, developers, planners) are included, as well as an inventory of key projects, including buildings and subdivisions. Montgomery Modern is intended to raise awareness about the significance of modern architecture and the fragile nature of the built environment from the recent past.