Postmodernism – Complexity and Conservation Series

The series is comprised of three sessions:

SESSION ONE: Identification, Significance & Protection of PoMo Buildings
SESSION TWO: Maintenance & Preservation Challenges of PoMo Buildings
SESSION THREE: Challenges of Conserving Experimental PoMo Materials

All events will be hosted online by Beyer Blinder Belle.

The third session was held on
TUESDAY, MAY 4th from 12–1:30pm EST

Watch the video above and read more about the participants.

Avigail Charnov is a Historic Preservation Specialist with GSA. She serves as a subject area expert for architectural conservation and archaeology. Avi holds a master’s degree in Historic Preservation from the GSAPP program at Columbia University and is a professional associate in the American Institute for Conservation. Avi has worked on projects across the country and has a strong background in historic preservation, technical preservation issues, and project management. Prior to coming to GSA, Avi managed the Conservation Department for EverGreene Architectural Arts. She has presented at numerous conferences and workshops and has published several journal articles in the field.

Deborah Slaton is a principal with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., specializing in historic preservation and materials conservation. She has completed investigation and preservation projects for historic structures, sites, and landscapes, and has served as principal author for many technical reports, Historic Structure Reports, and other cultural resources documentation. Her work has involved numerous projects for the National Park Service nationwide. Deborah has published and lectured extensively on preservation technology, materials conservation, and architectural history, and has co-chaired several conferences on preservation issues. She is co-editor of special issues of the Journal of Architectural Conservation and the APT Bulletin, as well as several conference proceedings including the Preserving the Recent Past series on modernism. She is author of National Park Service Preservation Brief No. 43: Preparation and Use of Historic Structures Reports, and co-author of Preservation Brief No. 15: Preservation of Historic Concrete. Deborah is a Fellow of the Association for Preservation Technology International and a member of the APT Technical Committees on Modern Heritage, Materials, and Sustainable Preservation. She is also a Director of the Historic Preservation Education Foundation, and a member of the Society of Architectural Historians Heritage Conservation Committee.

Taryn Williams has over twenty years of experience in building technology and structural engineering. Clients and colleagues value Taryn's grasp of both disciplines, as well as her diverse project experience, which includes building envelope investigations, construction claim investigations, condition assessments and repair designs for historic structures, seismic evaluations of existing buildings, and probable earthquake loss evaluations. Taryn's collaborative approach to project management results in clear communication and productive meetings with clients, colleagues, and team members. Her knowledge of and enthusiasm for engineering principles make her a natural teacher, and she enjoys writing and speaking engagements aimed at educating clients, colleagues, industry professionals, and the public. Taryn is the Past President of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) and the Vice President of the Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI).

Gretchen Pfaehler is a partner and senior preservation architect at BBB with more than 27 years of experience in preservation, restoration, and renovation. Gretchen has lectured and published extensively on historic preservation and sustainability. She serves as a board member and past president of the Association for Preservation Technology International and as board member and past chair of the DC Historic Preservation Review Board. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a Certificate of Architecture from the Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris, France.

The event is registered for 1.5 AIA LU.

The second session was held on
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd from 12–1:30pm EST

Watch the video above and read more about the participants.

Jeffrey M. Chusid is an architect and planner with current research interests that include the fate of historic resources in areas of cultural exchange and conflict, the conservation of modernist architecture in India, historic cements, and sustainable development. His writings can be found in journals, museum catalogues, and an award-winning book on the conservation of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Freeman House in Los Angeles, Saving Wright. Chusid has consulted on public policy, resource conservation, and urban design for diverse communities such as Shanghai, China; Sevastopol, Ukraine; Levuka, Fiji; and Bastrop, Texas. He has also consulted on building and landscape preservation for numerous museums including the Huntington and Hearst Castle. Chusid received his A.B. in environmental design and his M.Arch. from the University of California–Berkeley in 1978 and 1982, and has taught at Harvard, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, and Cornell, where he has been the chair of the department of City and Regional Planning since 2017.

Laurence Bain is an architect in the UK. While a partner at James Stirling Michael Wilford & Associates (JSMWAL) Mr. Bain oversaw the prominent Postmodern project Number One Poultry in London. Mr. Bain is featured in Owen Hopkins' The Return of the Past: Conversations on Postmodernism. Mr. Bain consults on facility maintenance issues associated with JSMWAL projects and other Listed buildings in London.

Andrew Wolfram is a Principal at TEF Design in San Francisco. In his 30 years of practice, he has promoted the value of historically-significant sites and their role in providing cultural vitality to our cities and neighborhoods. Andrew has had a leadership role in the transformation of some of the Bay Area's most significant historic landmarks, including the Mission Armory and the San Francisco Ferry Building. He is currently working on the renewal of the iconic post-modernist Kresge College at UC Santa Cruz, originally designed by Charles Moore and MLTW. His passion and expertise around preservation—particularly mid-century modern architecture—is manifested in his post as Past President of the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission and as a founder of the Northern California Chapter of Docomomo US. He is a co-chair of the California Preservation Foundation Design Awards, a member of the Design Review Board of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and Past President of the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha International. Andrew earned his Master of Architecture, Planning and Preservation from Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Regina Nally serves as the Historic Preservation Officer in GSA's Public Buildings Service in the Great Lakes Region based in Chicago. In this role she advises agency leaders, federal tenants, project teams, and contractors on best practices for preservation projects, issues and policies affecting federally-owned and federally-leased properties. While guiding the agency through compliance with federal preservation laws and policies, she seeks to champion early planning and design solutions that incorporate the best possible preservation methodologies and reuse strategies. Ms. Nally's multi-disciplinary experience in architectural design, preservation planning and compliance, and not-for-profit preservation advocacy has aided her in seeking successful preservation solutions while collaborating with varied stakeholders. Prior to joining GSA, Ms. Nally worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Art Institute of Chicago, and for architectural firms in both Chicago and Phoenix. She has served as a Member and Interim Chair of the Historic Preservation Commission for the Village of Oak Park, Illinois and has presented on varied historic preservation topics to local, national, and international audiences. Ms. Nally holds a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Bachelor of Science in Design from Arizona State University.

Gretchen Pfaehler is a partner and senior preservation architect at BBB with more than 27 years of experience in preservation, restoration, and renovation. Gretchen has lectured and published extensively on historic preservation and sustainability. She serves as a board member and past president of the Association for Preservation Technology International and as board member and past chair of the DC Historic Preservation Review Board. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a Certificate of Architecture from the Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris, France.

The event is registered for 1.5 AIA LU.

The first session was held on
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9th from 12–1:30pm EST

What makes Postmodern architecture exemplary? Gretchen Pfaehler was our moderator for the first session and was joined by a group of UK and US Postmodern architecture experts in a thoughtful discussion on the identification and preservation of the buildings of this style often maligned as trite, superficial, and poorly constructed. When discussing representative Postmodern works, the panelists agreed that while it is relatively easy to identify PoMo icons, it is much more challenging to recognize more mundane and lesser-known examples that we may encounter on a daily basis.

The discussion explored the issues of ephemerality, allusion, and context as challenges to defining the integrity and authenticity of Postmodern architecture. Several panelists noted that a primary challenge for the recognition of Postmodern architecture is that it is a living style that is still evolving. Watch the video above and read more about the participants.

Owen Hopkins is an architectural writer, historian, and curator in the United Kingdom. He is the current Director of the Farrell Centre at Newcastle University and previously worked at Sir John Soane's Museum and the Royal Academy of Arts. Owen is the author of six books, including Postmodern Architecture: Less is a Bore, and curator of numerous exhibitions. He has lectured internationally at institutions such as the Yale School of Architecture; University of Oxford; Vizcaya Museum and Garden, Miami; and the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Joan M. Brierton is a senior historic preservation specialist with the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Center for Historic Buildings where she oversees the Section 106 regulatory review for GSA restoration, redevelopment, and new construction projects. Previously, she was detailed to the White House Millennium Council where she managed the federal Save America's Treasures program. She is the author of American Restoration Style: Victorian and served as producer for the documentary film Victor Lundy: Sculptor of Space. She holds an MSc in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.

Catherine Croft is the director of the Twentieth Century (C20) Society and editor of the C20 magazine. Previously, she worked for English Heritage as a building inspector in London and the Midlands. Catherine writes on contemporary and historic buildings, lectures to post graduate conservation students throughout the UK, and teaches a course on concrete for conservation professionals at West Dean College. She studied architecture at Cambridge University and holds an MA in Material Culture and Architectural History.

Geraint Franklin is an architectural historian with Historic England, specializing in architecture after 1945. He contributed research to Historic England's thematic designation project on post-modern architecture and is the co-author of Post-Modern Buildings in Britain (He is also the author of Howell Killick Partridge and Amis and is currently completing a study of John Outram Associates for the Twentieth Century Society's series Twentieth Century Architects.

Lisa DiChiera is the director of advocacy for Landmarks Illinois, where she is on the frontline of all calls for assistance on preservation issues and manages major advocacy initiatives in the Chicagoland area. Lisa administers the statewide Most Endangered Historic Places program and developed and oversees Landmark Illinois' Women Who Built Illinois initiative. Previously, she worked for the Detroit office of Hines Interests, the Midwest Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Architecture Department of the Chicago History Museum. She holds an MSc in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.

Gretchen Pfaehler is a partner and senior preservation architect at BBB with more than 27 years of experience in preservation, restoration, and renovation. Gretchen has lectured and published extensively on historic preservation and sustainability. She serves as a board member and past president of the Association for Preservation Technology International and as board member and past chair of the DC Historic Preservation Review Board. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a Certificate of Architecture from the Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris, France.

The event is registered for 1.5 AIA LU.