4.2 | The Preservation and Promotion of Modernism

After World War II, architects were concerned that architecture would regress out of modernism and into historic styles. Therefore, climate became a means of giving modernism a function which justified its aesthetic. These initiatives were not intended to be designer, however, and climate also provided a means of bringing the qualities of modern architecture to a wider audience and broader clientele. Historical styles of architecture did provide clues for designing appropriately for specific climates, however, these styles were also being used inappropriately and in the wrong climates. In an effort to set American architecture apart from its European counterparts, climate also provided a means of establishing a unique American modernism which was different than the International Style.


This spread from one of House Beautiful's early Climate Control issues depicts the climate-sensitive design of these historic houses. With James Marston Fitch as the magazine's architectural editor, modernism and issues of preservation at times contradicted one another. Photograph of spread from House Beautiful by author.