The
Cincinnati Preservation Association will be hosting Preserving Modern Architecture, a two-day symposium on April 24 and 25. The event is being held to celebrate the gift and restoration of the
Frederick and Harriet Rauh House in Woodlawn.
CPA began to restore the Rauh House in Sept. 2011 with funds provided by Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Frank and Harriet's daughter. The house, which was built in 1938, is one of the country's first examples of the International style of modern architecture.
When CPA acquired the house, it was a cinderblock shell with plants growing through it, says Paul Muller, executive director of CPA. It had been slated for demolition—twice—but CPA felt it was a building that needed to be restored rather than destroyed.
“Preservation of the recent past is an emerging issue in the world of historic preservation,” says Muller. “The public has an interest in mid-century modern and modern architecture because buildings that were built in 1964 are now eligible for the National Historic Register, and they’re not considered ‘old’ to us. But once people start looking at what motivated the architects and owners of those houses, then it’s interesting.”
The symposium features two days of papers, case studies and discussion sessions about modern architecture, plus a tour of the Rauh House and another house in the neighborhood. A lecture by
Paul Goldberger, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and architectural critic, will conclude the event.
“We hope that the event will increase people’s awareness and appreciation for the incredible modernist legacy,” says Muller. “We want people to realize that a lot of modernist buildings need to be preserved, and can add something to our culture.”
Tickets to Preserving Modern Architecture and the Goldberger lecture are $125 and $35, respectively; tickets for the Rauh House tour are available by emailing
[email protected] or by calling 513-721-4506. The event is sponsored by
Architects Plus, and the house tours are sponsored by
Kroger and
Crapsey and Gilles Contractors, Inc.
By Caitlin Koenig
Follow Caitlin on Twitter
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