One of the problems with preserving futuristic-looking Modernist buildings is that they just don’t look that old. They aren’t universally loved, in fact some of them weren’t that popular when they were built. The World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private nonprofit organization to decelerate the destruction of important artistic treasures throughout the world. You might have heard of the Leaning Tower of Pisa? They helped fix it. Well, they helped stop the extra leaning. We'll talk with Joshua David, President and CEO of the WMF about the fund's latest focus on Modernist buildings around the world.
Filmmaker and high school teacher Matthew Silva produced the acclaimed documentary “Modern Ruin” about one highly endangered Modernist site, the New York State Pavilion in Queens New York, or if you’re under 40, the Men In Black headquarters. As a kid. Matthew would ride past the ruined, hulking New York State Pavilion, built for the 1964 World’s Fair, and wonder what it was. Years later while studying architecture, he could not believe such a visible building by Philip Johnson could be left to ruin. His film charted the up and down history of the complex and has led to new public funding for its preservation.
