Would you like to learn more about modern architecture here—and perhaps even participate in its preservation? If so, then steer your spaceship, your steed, or just your trusty sedan to Atomic Cowboy this Thursday, November 18, from 5 to 8 p.m. for the public debut of Modern StL.
That local nonprofit organization convened for the first time in June and incorporated in August. In general, “many of the buildings that went up in place of older ones demolished for urban renewal” in the city and “the ranch-home subdivisions built to house the baby boom” in the county form its focus, Toby Weiss informed AT HOME by email.
Ms. Weiss—who created the indispensable blog B.E.L.T. (Built Environment in Layman’s Terms) and who contributed to our sister publication’s visionary September cover feature, “What’s the Big Idea?”—serves as the group’s secretary.
“Postwar midcentury modern architecture was the reflection of a nation at its most powerful, progressive, and optimistic,” she continued with characteristic eloquence and enthusiasm. “For those reasons alone, the best examples need to remain: tangible proof of Camelot. It was also the last truly unique architectural expression that satisfied commercial and residential needs on a practical and symbolic level. Come the start of the 1970s, busted idealism and inflationary prices changed mind-sets and design, and so much since has been a stylistic rehash built for short-term goals.”
Thursday’s meet-and-greet event at Atomic Cowboy (4140 Manchester, 314-775-0775, atomiccowboystl.com) will allow attendees to discover more about Modern StL’s mission over cocktails and, perhaps, to join the group. Annual membership costs only $20 for individuals and $30 for families, and the first 25 new members Thursday evening will score a gift bag of midcentury modern goodies selected by Modern StL’s board of directors.
“After much effort, St. Louis learned to value its turn–of–the–20th-century architectural heritage,” Ms. Weiss concluded her reply to AT HOME. “We just need to crank up that historical mind-set by several more decades and protect the later chapters of the story of a great city.”
