Modernism Week is a

501(c)(3) organization A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

based in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

that provides public education programming fostering knowledge and appreciation of

modern architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...

, the

mid-century modern Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

and

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

movement, the Palm Springs School of Architecture, as well as contemporary considerations surrounding

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK) is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...

adaptive reuse Adaptive reuse is the reuse of an existing building for a purpose other than that for which it was originally built or designed. It is also known as recycling and conversion. The adaptive reuse of buildings can be a viable alternative to new con ...

, and

sustainable architecture Sustainable architecture is architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings through improved efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, development space and the ecosystem at large. Sometimes, su ...

. Modernism Week provides annual scholarships to local students pursuing college educations in the fields of architecture and design and supports local and state organizations' efforts to preserve and promote the region's modern architecture. The organization is centered in the

Coachella Valley The Coachella Valley ( ) is an arid rift valley in the Colorado Desert of Southern California in Riverside County. The valley has been referred to as Greater Palm Springs and occasionally the Palm Springs Area due to the historic promine ...

, which is home to a significant collection of extant residential and commercial buildings designed in the mid-century modern vernacular. Modernism Week Double-decker Bus Tour

Description

The primary event for the organization is an annual, eleven-day, region-wide advocacy and educational festival called "Modernism Week" which is held each February. Events are produced by Modernism Week and partner organizations and include symposia, films, lectures, tours, and a variety of opportunities to access architecturally significant buildings not otherwise available to the public. Educational programs explore the

era as it applies to architecture, design, landscape, preservation, and culture. In addition to the primary event held each February, Modernism Week offers Modernism Week-October (previously called the "Fall Preview"), a four-day event held each October. This "mini-Modernism Week" was developed to provide additional educational opportunities to seasonal visitors. Mid-century modern house in Palm Springs

Mid-century modern house in Palm Springs

History

Modernism Week began in 2006 as an adjunct to two existing programs exploring mid-century architecture and design: the Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale and the annual Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture & Design Council Symposium. The

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

named Palm Springs, California to its 2006 list of America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual list highlighting cultural tourism destinations for architecture. In 2009, Palm Springs was included on the List of Preserve America Communities and was welcomed to the program in a letter by then-First Lady Michelle Obama. In 2009, Modernism Week became a California

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

non-profit organization. In 2015, a physical headquarters for the event was launched enabling visitors to gather at a central location throughout the festival. Dubbed, CAMP (Community And Meeting Place), this festival hub provides services and programs throughout the festival including serving as a depot for bus tours, educational programming, ticket sales, demonstrations, social events, and the distribution of general information.

Attendance

From 2012 to 2018, annual attendance increased from 12,000 to 125,000. The number of programmed events in 2018 was 350 with attendees representing the 50 United States and 19 countries. In 2019, attendance increased 20% over 2018 to an estimated 152,000 participating in over 370 events resulting in an estimated economic impact for the

of $57 million. International visitors from 25 countries participated alongside attendees from all 50 United States. California residents accounted for the majority of attendees (54 percent) representing 445 of 482 cities in California. In February 2020, attendance was estimated at 162,000 across 375 events resulting in an estimated economic impact of $61 million. Attendees represented all 50 United States and 25 countries.
In response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

2021 and 2022 programming shifted to virtual and later, reduced in-person programming achieving a local economic impact of $50 million in 2022 as state restrictions associated with the pandemic lifted.
In 2023, the 11-day February festival attracted an estimated 105,477 attendees who participated in more than 350 events generating a local economic impact of $55 million. Attendees represented all 50 states and 25 countries. In February 2024, the 11-day festival attracted more than 130,000 attendees representing all fifty US states and twenty-four countries including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, and France. Attendees came from 440 of 482 cities in California, or 91% of all California cities. The festival generated an estimated economic impact of $68 million for Coachella Valley-area hotels, shops, restaurants, and other businesses.

Notable speakers

* Todd Oldham in 2015 and 2020 and 2025 * Martyn Lawrence Bullard in 2018 *

Moshe Safdie Moshe Safdie (; born July 14, 1938) is an architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author. He is well known for incorporating principles of socially responsible design throughout his six-decade career. His projects include cultural, ed ...

in 2019 *

Daniel Libeskind Daniel Libeskind (born May 12, 1946) is a Polish–American architect, artist, professor and set designer. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect. He is known for the design a ...

in 2020 * Barbara Bestor in 2022 * Jeanne Gang in 2022 *

Thom Mayne Thom Mayne (born January 19, 1944) is an American architect. He is based in Los Angeles. In 1972, Mayne helped found the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), where he is a trustee and the coordinator of the Design of Cities po ...

in 2023 * Barry Bergdoll in 2024 * Dr. Raymond Neutra in 2025

Notable Palm Springs-region architects, designers, and developers of the era

* Barry Berkus * Buff, Smith and Hensman * Richard Lee Dorman *

Richard Neutra Richard Joseph Neutra ( ; 8 April 1892 – 16 April 1970) was an Austrian-American architect. Living and building for most of his career in Southern California, he came to be considered a prominent and important modernist architect. His most ...

* John Lautner * Donald Wexler * Albert Frey * William Krisel * Paul Trousdale * William Francis Cody * John Porter Clark * Howard Lapham *

Raymond Loewy Raymond Loewy ( , ; November 5, 1893 – July 14, 1986) was a French-born American industrial designer who achieved fame for the magnitude of his design efforts across a variety of industries. He was recognized for this by ''Time'' magazi ...

* Wallace Neff *

Alexander Construction Company Alexander Construction Company was a Palm Springs, California, residential development company that built over 2,200 houses in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California, between 1955 and 1965.here for Table of Contents The construction ...

* E. Stewart Williams * Lloyd Wright * A. Quincy Jones * William Haines *

Arthur Elrod Arthur Dea Elrod, Jr. (August 8, 1924 – February 18, 1974) was an American interior designer, perhaps best known for the Elrod House his home in Palm Springs, California, which he designed in collaboration with architect John Lautner in 1968. ...

* Rudolph Schindler * Paul Revere Williams * Hugh M. Kaptur * John Carl Warnecke * Erle Webster and Adrian Wilson * Walter S. White * John Elgin Woolf *

William Pereira William Leonard Pereira (April 25, 1909 – November 13, 1985) was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois, who was noted for his Futurist architecture#Post-modern futurism, futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamer ...

* Victor Gruen * Craig Ellwood

Gallery

File:Mid-century modern home built by the Alexander Construction Company, Palm Springs, California LCCN2010630222.tif, Mid-century modern home built by the Alexander Construction Company, Palm Springs, California File:Coachella Valley Savings No. 2.jpg, Coachella Valley Savings, Palm Springs, 1960 by E. Stewart Williams File:Frank Sinatra's Twin Palms Estate, a spectacular example of mid-century architecture in the heart of Palm Springs, California LCCN2013635061.tif, Frank Sinatra's Twin Palms Estate, Palm Springs, 1947 by E. Stewart Williams File:Elvis Presley honeymoon house, Palm Springs, California LCCN2010630384.tif, Interior of Elvis Presley honeymoon house, Palm Springs File:Palm Springs Visitor Center Sideview-(revised)2.jpg, Albert Frey's Tramway Gas Station, 1965, now the Palm Springs Visitor Center File:2019 City Hall Palm Springs 2240.jpg, Palm Springs City Hall, 1952 by Albert Frey File:Built in 1959 for City National Bank, the Bank of America Building became a favorite stop on modern-architecture tours Palm Springs, California LCCN2013631314.tif, Palm Springs mid-century bank building, 1959, by Rudi Baumfeld

External links

Official website

References

{{reflist Architecture festivals Annual events in Riverside County, California Buildings and structures in Palm Springs, California Modernism 2006 establishments in California