A WORLD of ART, RESEARCH, CONSERVATION, and PHILANTHROPY | Spring 2015 Centennial Hall, Interior, Contem- Porary Photograph, 2013

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A WORLD OF ART, RESEARCH, CONSERVATION, AND PHILANTHROPY | Spring 2015 Centennial Hall, interior, contem- porary photograph, 2013. Photo: Miroslaw Lanowiecki (Museum of Architecture in Wrocław)

Oppsite: Sydney Opera House. Photo: © andresr

Today twentieth-century architec- Modern form a roster of striking mod- Conserving Modern Architecture tural heritage is at considerable risk. ern architecture spread across several Initiative (CMAI), which works to The cutting-edge building materials continents (see following pages for full advance the practice of conserving and structural systems that defined descriptions). Following a rigorous peer twentieth-century heritage; two of the the Modern Movement were often review process by experts in the history first ten Keeping It Modern grants are untested and have not always per- and conservation of modern architec- related to CMAI projects (the Eames formed well over time. Even seasoned ture, the initial round of grants was House and the Salk Institute). The Getty professionals do not always have chosen for the buildings’ architectural Research Institute holds extensive and enough information about the nature significance and the promise of the growing special collections about the and behavior of these materials and projects to advance conservation prac- work of twentieth-century architects. systems to develop models and stan- tices for Modern Movement heritage. In 2013 the Foundation supported a dards of practice for conservation Grants focus on the comprehensive smaller initiative, Pacific Standard treatment. planning, testing, and analysis of mod- Time Presents: Modern Architecture In an effort to address these chal- ern materials, as well as the creation of in LA, that included museum exhibi- lenges, the Getty Foundation recently conservation management plans that tions and programs centered on Los KEEPING IT MODERN launched Keeping It Modern—a major guide long-term maintenance and con- Angeles’s modern heritage. With these philanthropic initiative focused on servation policies. and other programs, the Getty is sig- the conservation of twentieth-century “Now that Modern Movement build- nificantly advancing the understanding FOUNDATION AWARDS GRANTS TO CONSERVE architecture around the world. Grants ings are really beginning to show their and preservation of twentieth-century concentrate predominantly on com- age, heritage professionals face increas- architecture. ICONIC MODERN ARCHITECTURE AROUND THE GLOBE prehensive research and planning, with ing challenges to protect the experi- The next round of Keeping It implementation support available for mental materials and techniques that Modern grants will be awarded later exceptional projects. distinguished this era,” says Gustavo this year through an open, juried com- “Keeping It Modern builds on our Araoz, president of the International petition. More information about this long and successful track record of Council of Monuments and Sites initiative and the grant guidelines may support for the conservation of his- (ICOMOS). “From a global perspective, be found on the Foundation's website at owering glass-walled skyscrapers, sculptural profiles, innovative building toric buildings around the world,” said the international conservation com- getty.edu/foundation. materials—modern architecture is one of the defining artistic expressions Deborah Marrow, director of the Getty munity stands to benefit greatly from Tof the twentieth century. Set free from traditional structural requirements, Foundation. “This new initiative con- the results of the Keeping It Modern architects and engineers used new materials and construction techniques to cre- tinues the Foundation’s commitment, projects.” ate inventive forms and advance new philosophical approaches to architecture. The but now brings into sharp focus the Keeping It Modern is part of the crowning achievements of modern architecture, from Walter Gropius’s Bauhaus complex conservation issues that are Getty’s strong overall commitment to buildings to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building and Lucio Costa and Oscar specific to modern buildings.” modern architecture. The Foundation Niemeyer’s Brasilia have come to symbolize that “less is more,” as well as broader The first ten projects selected to created the initiative to complement twentieth-century ideals of progress, technology, and openness. receive support under Keeping It the Getty Conservation Institute’s

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PROJECTS Luce Memorial Chapel, Taichung, Centennial Hall, Wrocław, Poland Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago, Taiwan (see image on page 7) Illinois At the center of Tunghai University’s A tour de force of structural engineer- Designed and built between 1908 and campus stands the Luce Memorial ing, Centennial Hall was designed by 1910, the Robie House is a National Chapel. Designed in 1962 by Pritzker German architect Max Berg in 1911 Historic Landmark and a definitive Prize–winner I.M. Pei and completed to celebrate the 100th anniversary example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie by architect and artist C.K. Chen in of Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle style architecture. Developed as an 1963, the chapel is a powerful example of Leipzig. When the building was alternative to confined Victorian-era of early modernism that retains a nod completed in 1913, it was the biggest homes, this fresh approach emphasized to traditional Chinese temple design reinforced concrete structure in the low, horizontal lines and open interior with its sweeping roofline. The chapel world and featured the largest free- spaces. With its projecting cantilevered was constructed using innovative in situ standing dome ever built. The hall’s vast roof eaves and continuous bands of art- cast concrete, and the exterior surface circular central space can accommodate glass windows, the Robie House won is covered with yellow-glazed, diamond- up to six thousand people. The build- international acclaim as a turning point shaped tiles that are inserted into the ing was developed as the centerpiece of in modern domestic architecture. concrete, providing a striking contrast a larger complex to host tournaments, Grant funds are supporting the against the blue sky. festivals, public assemblies, and exhibi- development of a long-term conserva- Getty support is creating a com- tions, and it was listed as a UNESCO tion management plan by the Frank prehensive conservation plan for the World Heritage Site in 2006. Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, which chapel, the first ever for a Modern Grant funds are being used to create is simultaneously overseeing a full Movement building in the region. The a comprehensive conservation manage- conservation of the building. This com- project will include in-depth research ment plan to guide future interventions prehensive plan, the first for a Wright into the history of the building's con- and long-term care, including the use of property, will develop guidelines for struction, materials, and past conser- 3-D laser scanning and computer mod- routine maintenance and conserva- vation efforts, as well as analysis and eling to provide valuable insight into the tion treatment, and has the potential testing to provide weather proofing and building’s structural condition. to serve as a model for numerous other climate control in this typhoon-prone buildings designed by the architect. environment.

Luce Memorial Chapel. Courtesy of Tunghai University

The first round of grants awarded as part of Keeping It Modern focus on research and planning related to emblematic Modern Movement buildings around the world. While the projects are as unique as the architects whose work they address, they do share common concerns. One example is the need for rigorous scientific analysis and testing of experimental materials, especially concrete. Concrete is one of the most widely used building materials of the twentieth century, but it is prone to surface flaking and structural degradation and current repair practices often lead to results that can differ significantly from the original aesthetics of the building. Another shared concern is the absence of comprehensive conservation management plans for modern heritage. Conservation management plans are guiding documents that bring together historical records on a building, existing analysis of the historic fabric, and knowledge of the building’s performance over time. They are vital and neces- sary tools for creating a long-term strategy for decision makers and contractors to schedule and track routine maintenance, as well as more complex conservation interventions. The projects detailed here address these concerns through an impressive stylistic array of highly significant twentieth-century buildings. Frederick C. Robie House, south eleva- tion. Tim Long, courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust

Above: Le Corbusier et Pierre Jeanneret, Below: Livinghouse Idelson Street Le Corbusier’s Apartment and Studio, Immeuble Molitor, 24 rue Nungesser et 29, Tel Aviv, Max Liebling, Architect Max Liebling House, Tel Aviv, Israel The Eames House, Pacific Palisades, California Paris, France Coli, appartement de Le Corbusier, Paris, Dov Karmi, 1935–36 . Photo: The White City of Tel Aviv is a UNESCO World Built in 1949 by renowned husband and wife 1931–34. Photo: Olivier Martin-Gambier G. Lindlar Famed modernist Le Corbusier designed the 2005. ©FLC/ARS, 2014 Heritage Site comprised of nearly four thousand designers Charles and Ray Eames, the Eames Molitor building at the edge of Paris’s sixteenth Bauhaus-style structures, the largest concen- House epitomizes the couple’s embrace of livable arrondissement in collaboration with his cousin tration of Modern Movement buildings in the modernism with its brightly painted outdoor sur- Pierre Jeanneret, and he occupied the top two world. The Max Liebling House (1936), designed faces and intricate indoor spaces. This National floors as his apartment and studio until his death by Iraeli architect Dov Karmi, sits in the heart of Historic Landmark was conceived as part of Arts in 1965. Constructed between 1931 and 1934, the this historic zone. With this building he updated and Architecture magazine’s Case Study House building reflects the architect’s signature style of Bauhaus principles with technical innovations, Program, a project that introduced Modern carefully planned spaces and proportions, simple such as elongated recessed balconies to prevent Movement ideas for affordable and efficient hous- but elegant materials and forms, ample natural interior overheating, that influenced an entire ing after World War II. The Eameses carefully light, and a white interior scheme balanced with generation of postwar architects in the country. considered every detail of the site while living there wall-sections painted in primary colors. Grant funds are supporting a conservation (1949–88) and modified it over the years, making A Getty grant is allowing the Fondation Le plan for the building, which is in the process of the house a fascinating illustration of their evolving Corbusier to examine the physical fabric and becoming a conservation heritage center oper- aesthetic values and taste. condition of the residence in detail and correlate ated by the city of Tel Aviv. The municipality is The Getty grant is bringing together a team the results with a recently completed archival committed to finding the most appropriate ways of specialists to investigate the house’s exterior study. The result will be a comprehensive plan for to adapt the building for this new purpose while and interior materials, colors, and finishes using the home’s restoration that can be applicable to maintaining its historic integrity. The planning advanced analytical techniques. The results of this other Le Corbusier properties. process includes the identification of character- study will inform future conservation of the build- defining features, as well as research on past ing, as well as a conservation management plan interventions and physical testing of the build- being prepared by the Getty Conservation Institute. ing’s materials and energy efficiency.

10 11 Miami Marine Stadium, Miami, Florida Designed in 1962 by Cuban American architect Hilario Candela, Miami Marine Stadium is a showcase for the innovative use of poured concrete with its dramatically cantilevered sculptural roofline. It was the nation’s premier venue for boat racing, as well as for concerts, religious services, and politi- cal rallies until its closure in 1992 after the devastation of Hurricane Andrew. After years of disuse, the building faces two interrelated conservation challenges: surface and structural damage of the concrete, as well as extensive graffiti. Interestingly, some of the paintings have been created by well- known graffiti artists and are now much appreciated, particu- larly by younger audiences. Experts are using Getty support to complete scientific research and testing in order to develop a comprehensive conservation strategy that is sensitive to both the concrete and the graffiti. This includes testing the most effective and least invasive graffiti-removal techniques and protective coatings for graffiti that might be preserved for its artistic value.

Salk Institute for Biological Studies courtyard. Image courtesy of Joe Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Belcovson for the Salk Institute of La Jolla, California Australia (see image on page 6) Biological Studies The Salk Institute for Biological Studies Designed by Danish architect Jørn Opposite (top image): Miami Marine was established in the 1960s by Dr. Utzon and built from 1959–73, the Stadium. Photo: Ken Hayden Jonas Salk, the famed developer of Sydney Opera House is a UNESCO Opposite (bottom image): Paimio the Polio vaccine. Renowned architect World Heritage Site and a transcendent Sanatorium, Finland, Alvar Aalto Paimio Sanatorium, Paimio, Finland 1928-32, Patient's wing and solarium Louis Kahn worked with Salk to build an cultural symbol of Australia’s most Located in an idyllic pine forest, the terraces. Photo: Maija Holma, Alvar institute that would bring a community populous city. Over eight million tourists Paimio Sanatorium (1930–33) is a clas- Aalto Museum of scientists together, while also offering and patrons visit this jewel in the city’s sic example of Alvar Aalto’s early mod- a place for individual contemplation, on harbor each year. With its iconic, nested ern functionalist style. Aalto designed a serene and isolated coastal bluff. One sculptural forms, the building is remark- the sleek, concrete building with its of the architecture’s most unique char- able for its innovative use of exposed large windows and open balconies to acteristics is its texturally rich palette of steel reinforced concrete. Despite suc- function as a ‘medical instrument’ for modern materials: pozzolanic concrete, cessful conservation efforts over the the treatment of tuberculosis. The unfinished teak, lead, glass, Cor-Ten years, there is still insufficient knowl- building was repurposed as a general steel left to weather and rust, and stain- edge about the condition of the concrete hospital in 1971 but has since closed as less steel/nickel alloy framing the labo- in several critical locations, including the a health care facility. Finding a suitable ratory window walls. building’s characteristic roof shells. new use for the sanatorium is a neces- The Salk Institute is using Getty The Getty’s support is allowing the sity, but difficult given its scale, remote funds to create a comprehensive conser- building’s custodians to complete a location, and protected heritage status. vation management plan to preserve the comprehensive study of the concrete A Getty grant will support the devel- buildings’ defining features. The grant elements and develop effective, long- opment of a conservation management complements a current project of the term conservation protocols. The plan to address these challenges and Getty Conservation Institute in part- results will be integrated into Sydney prepare long-term conservation policies nership with the Salk that addresses the Opera House’s conservation manage- for the sanatorium to ensure that its his- aging and long-term care of the build- ment plan and will be easily accessible toric features remain preserved in any ings’ teak wall assemblies. to building managers and maintenance adaptive reuse. staff, setting a new standard that will be shared with the field.

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