CONTEMPORARY & MID-CENTURY MODERN While Contemporary Modern describes architecture being created in the present, Mid-Century Modern refers to an architectural – as well as design and furniture – style prevalent from ca. 1940 to 1970. It can be observed in commercial buildings, but is more common in residential structures. In form language related to Googie and Space Age, its roots are found in the German Bauhaus, the International and the Scandinavian styles. Mid-Century and also Contemporary Modern architecture is typified by clean lines clutter-free open and flexible spaces the reduction of building elements to a specific function without ornamentation the quest for elegant simplicity a connection between inside and outside spaces (see also Modern Elements) Some of the best-known examples of Mid-Century Modern architecture are the famous Case Study Houses, which were built in the US between 1948 and 1966. Arts & Architecture magazine (1938 - 1967) had commissioned eight significant architects to design inexpensive model homes, aimed at the post-WW II housing boom in the US. These houses were mostly built in the Los Angeles area, with some also located in San Francisco and Phoenix. Today, Mid-Century Modern exists mostly in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Seattle, Chicago, New Jersey, as well as in South Florida: in Sarasota, greater Miami and greater Fort Lauderdale .

MODERNISM IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA Different than Contemporary, Mid-Century Modern architecture often slumbers unrecognized, but it can found throughout Broward and Miami-Dade counties (though better known for it’s Art Deco style), and to a much lesser extent also in Palm Beach county.   Thankfully, the current taste in Southeast Florida is moving away from faux Mediterranean palazzo to modern architecture. This change can be observed in the renewed interest in saving existing modernist structures, and also in new home construction and some new townhouse developments throughout the region. Nevertheless, many original Mid-Century Modern structures in Southeast Florida are threatened by ignorance, neglect and demolition, and many have already been lost. Photos: top: case study house #22 by Pierre Koenig for Stahl, Los Angeles, CA, ©Julius Shulman. Bottom: case study house #9 by Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames for Entenza, Pacific Palisades, CA, ©Julius Shulman Cover: Arts & Architecure January 1943, designed by Ray Eames (née Ray Kaiser!) Source: Library of Congress