Modernist Archive Inc.
Architecture You Love
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
America’s brilliant mid-century Modernist houses are “livable works of art” torn down in record numbers – largely because buyers, sellers, and realtors don’t realize the importance of what they have – or how to preserve, repair, and protect them. USModernist is part of the 501C3 nonprofit Modernist Archive Inc., recognized for leadership in historic preservation with 16 local, state, and national awards. With three major sections, USModernist is America’s largest open digital archive of residential Modernist houses and architects.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
George Matsumoto Prize
NCModernist created the Matsumoto Prize in 2012 honor of George Matsumoto, one of the founding faculty members of North Carolina State University's College of Design. Matsumoto created some of North Carolina's most well-known and well-loved Modernist houses. The Matsumoto Prize encourages young architects, designers, and prospective clients to continue the Modernist movement in houses so important to North Carolina's design heritage. The Prize meaningfully and powerfully engages the public with the architecture they love and showcases exceptional Modernist architects and designers in North Carolina.
Project Bauhow
High school drafting students are the future of architecture; yet in many rural North Carolina counties, there are few resources for drafting students or their teachers. There is a marked disparity between the 8 wealthiest counties in North Carolina (Wake, Durham, Orange, Forsyth, Buncombe, Guilford, Mecklenburg, and New Hanover) and the remaining 92. Our rural high school systems are woefully underfunded compared to national averages. We are in the bottom 10% of the country along with Mississippi, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. Project Bauhow brings hundreds of students from underserved rural NC counties to visit NC State University's College of Design to gain an understanding of career and education in architecture, landscape architecture, graphic design, industrial design, and interior design.
Legal Defense Fund
The NCModernist Legal Defense Fund (LDF) provides technical assistance, funding for legal representation, and other support services. From preserving historically significant Modernist houses to standing for due process, the LDF actively advocates for the legacy of Modernist residential architecture.
NC Modernist Architect and Designer Archives
Most people don’t know North Carolina is the 3rd largest concentration of mid-century Modernist houses in America. North Carolina’s brilliant mid-century Modernist houses are “livable works of art” torn down in record numbers – largely because buyers, sellers, and realtors don’t realize the importance of what they have – or how to preserve, repair, and protect them. You can't save something if you don't know where it is or why it is important. NCModernist.org is North Carolina's largest open digital archive of residential Modernist houses and architects, with documentation on over 2,400 houses and over 300 architects and designers, built and unbuilt.
US Modernist Masters Gallery
America’s brilliant mid-century Modernist houses are “livable works of art” torn down in record numbers – largely because buyers, sellers, and realtors don’t realize the importance of what they have – or how to preserve, repair, and protect them. You can't save something if you don't know where it is or why it is important.
The USModernist Masters Gallery covers nearly every house, built and unbuilt, by Frank Lloyd Wright (Sr. and Jr.), Neutra, Lautner, Saarinen, Schindler, Williams (Paul and E. Stewart), Ain, Jones, Gwathmey and 60 other major 20th century Modernist architects. The award-winning archive documents over 7,000 Modernist houses, built and unbuilt.
US Modernist Architecture Magazine Library
America’s brilliant mid-century Modernist houses are “livable works of art” torn down in record numbers – largely because buyers, sellers, and realtors don’t realize the importance of what they have – or how to preserve, repair, and protect them.
To provide research tools to document and preserve these houses, the USModernist Library is home to 2.6 million pages (6,000+ issues) of nearly every major US architecture and design magazine since 1891, full editions all downloadable, searchable, and free to access. The extensive library includes Architectural Record, Progressive Architecture, Residential Architect, Architectural Forum, House+Home, AIA New York Oculus, and the Architectural Index, among many others.
The USModernist Radio Podcast
The USModernist Radio podcast, started in 2015, makes architecture accessible and entertaining through engaging conversations with fascinating people who own, sell, create, love, and hate Modernist architecture, the most controversial buildings in the world. Featured guests include Moshe Safdie, Josh Ramus, Tom Kundig, Marlon Blackwell, Frank Harmon, Paul Goldberger, Eric Lloyd Wright, Debbie Millman, Larry Scarpa, Kelly Lynch, Eames Demetrios, Raymond and Dion Neutra, Susan and Eric Saarinen, Alexandra Lange, Nathanial Kahn, Kate Wagner, Sarah Susanka, and many more. In 2019, DWELL magazine named USModernist Radio #2 in their Top Nine design podcasts.
Where we work
External reviews
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Documenting America's mid-century Modernist houses and architects; preserving them through keeping them occupied and standing; promoting new Modernist houses in the next generation of architects and clients.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The USModernist Masters Gallery covers nearly every house, built and unbuilt, by Frank Lloyd Wright (Sr. and Jr.), Neutra, Lautner, Saarinen, Schindler, Williams (Paul and E. Stewart), Ain, Jones, Gwathmey and 60 other major 20th century Modernist architects.
The USModernist Radio podcast, now in it's 8th year, makes architecture accessible and entertaining through engaging conversations with fascinating people who own, sell, create, love, and hate Modernist architecture, the most controversial buildings in the world. Featured guests include Moshe Safdie, Josh Ramus, Tom Kundig, Marlon Blackwell, Frank Harmon, Paul Goldberger, Eric Lloyd Wright, Debbie Millman, Larry Scarpa, Kelly Lynch, Eames Demetrios, Raymond and Dion Neutra, Susan and Eric Saarinen, Alexandra Lange, Nathanial Kahn, Kate Wagner, Sarah Susanka, and many more.
The USModernist Library is home to 4 million pages of nearly every major US architecture and design magazine since 1891, full editions all downloadable, searchable, and free to access. The extensive library includes Architectural Record, Progressive Architecture, Residential Architect, Architectural Forum, House+Home, AIA New York Oculus, the Architectural Index, among many others.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The USModernist Masters Gallery is built from our extensive network of volunteer and staff researchers.
The USModernist Radio podcast is built from notable national and international guests who support our work.
The USModernist Library has become the largest online archive in the world for design magazines through the support of Atomic Ranch, AIA New York, AIA Virginia, AIA Chicago, AIA North Carolina, AIA National, the Savannah College of Art and Design, Robert Keil, Julie Taylor, Michael Raso, the Palm Springs Museum of Art, Cranbrook, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Ben Taylor, Smith Sinnett, Christine Madrid French, the Smithsonian Institution, and Clark Nexsen.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Eventually, we plan to build an iconic house that will serve as a meeting venue for the design community.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Modernist Archive Inc.
Board of directorsas of 04/28/2022
Mr. George Smart
USModernist
Term: 2009 -
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
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