Join Docomomo For “The Future Of Mid-Century” Day

This weekend is a big one for Mid-Century Modern enthusiasts.  It is Docomomo US’ eighth year of celebrating 20^th century building design with a national tour day.  With tours taking place in 37 cities across the U.S., the annual Docomomo event is one of the United States’ largest modern architectural and design happenings.

Here in California we’ll be living it up, Mid-Century style, in a big way.  Always larger than life, Palm Springs will kick off the party in typical style with their Modernism Week Fall Preview, which will run October 10-13, 2014.  On the actual tour day (October 11, 2014) the Los Angeles Conservancy is offering a twilight Modern by Moonlight walking tour of Los Angeles’ skyscraper filled Bunker Hill area.  Register now to avoid disappointment.  Also in SoCal, Claremont Heritage is offering a guided architectural walking tour showcasing the architecture on the campus of The Claremont Colleges as part of their Home Tour Weekend.  (The tour begins in front of a bookstore designed by two names very familiar to Eichler lovers – A. Quincy Jones and Frederick E. Emmons.)

A little closer to home (at least for those of us who live in the San Francisco Bay Area) Docomomo will be celebrating the “Little Boxes” of Malvina Reynolds fame by hosting a driving tour of Daly City, including Henry Doelger’s Westlake development.  The tour begins with a short lecture at the Doelger senior Center and ends in Pacifica with an optional group lunch (and maybe bowling?) at Sea Bowl.  Vintage cars are welcome!

Oh, yes.  In case you were wondering, Docomomo is an international organization committed to the notion that modern design merits attention and preservation.  Docomomo stands for documentation and conservation of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods of the modern movement.  I particularly love their statement, “Before there was Mad Men, Design Within Reach, or Dwell there was Docomomo.”