Modern Phoenix Week, a ten-day-long event highlighting mid-century architecture in Phoenix, begins this Friday.
From Friday, March 24, until Sunday, April 2, the 13th annual event will contain 10 days of talks, mixers, 31 dynamic speakers and various tours around the city exploring Phoenix architecture.
Modern Phoenix Week will encourage people to explore the entire city of Phoenix having buildings and tours spanning from uptown to midtown to downtown, said Alison King, founder of the event.
“It’s all about having a fun time and learning something new at the same time,” King said. “And taking a break from your everyday world and entering this kind of glamorous, sleek, clean, modern world for a week.”
The annual event has grown over the past 13 years, expanding support and partnerships including cultural institutions and commercial spaces, according to King.
“People are now starting to perceive mid-century design as historic and as significant,” King said. “So I think there has been a general change in attitude on the public’s behalf and certainly a market for that as well.”
This year the event will be hosting the Docomomo US National Symposium on Modernism and Climate, a nonprofit organization that educates the public about the beauty of modern mid-century architecture.
Mid-century architecture is the design that represents the mid-20th century developments. Docomomo US and passionate citizens of Phoenix take pride in this type of architecture and try their best to preserve it, King said.
“It’s how we live,” Liz Waytkus, executive director of Docomomo US, said of the importance of architecture. “It’s where we rest our head at night. It’s where we work. It’s where we go to school.”
There are multiple buildings in downtown Phoenix that embrace modern mid-century architecture, such as the First National Bank Plaza (Wells Fargo), Hanny’s, and the Valley Center (Chase Tower).
There will be multiple events embracing the historic buildings of Phoenix, including the unveiling of the interpretative plaque that represents the Executive Towers’ presence on the National Register of Historic Places. The towers are located in the Encanto neighborhood and the status is something citizens have been waiting a long time for, said Roger Brevoort, who wrote the nomination for the building to be added to the list.
“We’re known as a mid-century city, and the executive towers are known as a very strong representation of that,” Brevoort said.
Docomomo US has a large membership and follower base, allowing for lots of attention for modern buildings that are being threatened.
“I want them [event-goers] to be inspired, I really do,” King said. “I want them to feel refreshed and ready to tackle their own projects and to have new ideas and new insights and to possibly even be more sensitive of their treatment to mid-century architecture.”
Friday:
- “Modernique” book signing with Julia Buckingham 6-8 p.m. at Jonathan Adler Store at Biltmore Fashion Park
Saturday:
- Research Your Midcentury Home Workshop 10 a.m- 1 p.m. at Burton Barr Central Library
- Ultimate Tour of the Valley Ho 1 p.m. at the Valley Ho Lobby
- Paolo Soleri’s Cosanti 9a.m. at Cosanti, Paradise Valley
Sunday:
- Executive Towers National Register Dedication 4 p.m at Executive Towers, Midtown Phoenix
Monday:
- Repositioning Modernism Through Sustainability and High Design 6 p.m. at TBA
Tuesday:
- What is Desert Appropriate Architecture? One Point of View 6 p.m. at Copenhagen, Phoenix
Wednesday:
- Welcome Docomomo US Evening Reception 5-6:30 p.m. at Shepley Bulfinch at Phoenix Financial Center Rotunda
Thursday:
- Docomomo US Symposium 10 a.m.–4 p.m. at Bulpitt Auditorium at Phoenix College
- Superlite Block Factory Tour 12:30-2:30 p.m., bus leaves from Phoenix College
- Taliesin West Tour and sunset reception 4-7:30pm at Taliesin West in Scottsdale
- Desert Modernism Lecture Series 6-8 p.m. at Design Within Reach at Scottsdale Quarter
Friday:
- Docomomo US Symposium 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. at Arcosanti
- Mesa’s Neon by Night Bus Tour 6-9 p.m. at Park and Ride: Price Freeway at Apache Boulevard
Saturday:
- Midcentury Midtown Bike Tour 8-10 a.m. at GRID bikeshare rack at the Clarendon Hotel
- Soleri’s Cosanti and Dome House bus tour 10 a.m. at Cosanti, Paradise Valley
- Midcentury Banks bus tour 10 a.m.-2 p.m., tour starts at Federal Pizza
- Founding Fathers of Modern Phoenix Tour 10 a.m.-2 p.m., tour starts at Copenhagen
- Holy Houses! Bus Tour with Doug Sydnor 2-4 p.m., tour starts at Federal Pizza
- Best of the Beadle Boxes tour 2-6 p.m., tour starts at Federal Pizza
Sunday:
- Modern Phoenix Home Tour 1-6 p.m., check-in location to be announced near 32nd Street and Shea Boulevard
