News
Stand Up for San Francisco’s Modernist Icons: Join the July 8 Community Meeting!
Advocate for the preservation of San Francisco’s historic Embarcadero Plaza and the iconic Vaillancourt Fountain at the critical July 8 community meeting. Learn how you can help protect these Modernist landmarks—integral to the city’s identity—and ensure their legacy for future generations. RSVP now to make your voice heard and support real preservation efforts in downtown San Francisco.
Plaza Picnic Celebrates Vaillancourt Fountain and Community Spirit
On Friday, May 23, Embarcadero Plaza hosted community members, art enthusiasts, and supporters of modern architecture for a Plaza Picnic, an event organized by Docomomo US/NOCA. The occasion marked a special welcome for the Vaillancourt family, who traveled from Québec and honored the enduring legacy of the Vaillancourt Fountain—a beloved yet endangered landmark in San Francisco. In addition to the Vaillancourt family, Lawrence Halprin's daughter Rana, activist, and Alcatraz occupier Robert Free, SFRPD project manager Eoanna Harrison Goodwin, Supervisor District 1's chief of staff, friends from SF Heritage, and The Cultural Landscape Foundation, as well as artists, skateboarders, and people who shared personal stories of the plaza and fountain over the past 50 years.
Docomomo Joins SF Heritage in Conversation
Docomomo Northern California was thrilled to join the conversation about some of the best of Downtown San Francisco’s Modernist skyscrapers with Heritage’s Woody LaBounty and our own Board President Barrett Reiter and Board Member Ted Barrow!
Embarcadero Plaza and Vaillancourt Fountain: Place-keeping while Place-making
Join the effort to preserve San Francisco's iconic Embarcadero Plaza and Vaillancourt Fountain, a Modernist landmark of art, architecture, and free speech. Learn about its history, threats, and how you can advocate for its future
Beverley D Thorne Archive Now Available
Explore the newly launched Beverley D Thorne archive on Docomomo Northern California’s website. Discover the life and works of this pioneering ‘Man of Steel,’ including his famous Dave Brubeck House, Case Study House #26, and innovative steel-framed designs. Dive into California Modernism’s rich history through this comprehensive collection.
2024 Docomomo US/NOCA Symposium Travel Grant Recipient: Jingyi Luo
The Northern California (NOCA) Chapter of Docomomo US is pleased to announce Jingyi Luo as the recipient of the 2024 Docomomo US/NOCA Symposium Travel Grant.
Skate-Modernism
Discover the unexpected intersection of skateboarding and Late Modernist architecture in Theodore Barrow’s reflection on the Docomomo US National Symposium. Explore how skateboarders interact with iconic Modernist spaces, challenging preservation norms and offering new perspectives on architectural history. Barrow examines the paradoxical appeal of these structures and their potential for adaptive reuse in urban environments
Docomomo US/NOCA Symposium Grant Recipient: Ted Barrow
The Northern California (NOCA) Chapter of Docomomo US is pleased to announce Ted Barrow as the recipient of the 2023 Docomomo US/NOCA Symposium Grant.
Self-Guided Walking Tour: Travel & Leisure on San Francisco's North Waterfront
Explore Modernist architecture and adaptive reuse by top tier Modernist architects, landscape architects, and graphic designers on San Francisco’s North Waterfront at your own pace with this self-guided tour.
Travel and Leisure: Roadside Architecture - Driving Tour
Since 2021 is all about Travel & Leisure at Docomomo, we figured we would take a closer look at some of the amazing (and less publicized) Midcentury Modern examples of architecture that involve Northern California’s favorite mode of transport: automobiles. These structures pepper the map and are often forgotten about, so if you know of any good examples please read below how you can get in touch with us so we can include them in our next feature.
Virtual Tour Recap | 70s Turn 50
Recording of our 2020 Tour Day event - 70s Turn 50 Virtual Tour of Northern California. Can you believe it—the 1970s are now 50 years old! Our team has been hard at work locating, researching, and photographing buildings, sites, and landscapes of the '70s throughout Northern California in order to understand and appreciate this strange decade in American architecture.
Launch of The ’70s Turn 50 Map
Docomomo US/Northern California is thrilled to launch The ‘70s Turn 50 Map! We have been hard at work for the last few months to identify, research, and photograph buildings, sites, and landscapes of the 70s in Northern California.
Bay Area Documentaries on Modernism
Discover the best documentaries on Bay Area Modernism, covering architecture, art, and design. From Japanese American influences to iconic ceramics and pioneering architects, these films dive into Northern California’s rich modernist heritage. Explore the works of Ruth Asawa, Heath Ceramics, Joseph Eichler, and more through these captivating visual journeys.
Moving modern forward at the 2018 National Symposium
Nicole D. Santiago, the recipient of Docomomo US Northern California (NOCA) Chapter’s 2018 Travel Grant for Students & Emerging Professionals, writes about her experience attending the 2018 National Symposium in Columbus.