How mid-century modern architecture took over the world

In a remarkable convergence of creative genius and technological advancement, some of the world’s most acclaimed works of architecture were built in a period of just 20 years. This period, from roughly the early 1950s to the early 1970s, produced what we commonly know today as mid-century modernism. [Photo: courtesy Phaidon] It’s a blanket term, but one that encompasses a distinct movement in architectural design emerging from post-World War II (and, later, postcolonial) optimism, advances in structural engineering, and a broad embrace of the avant-garde. From the curvaceous to the adventurous to the sleek, mid-century modernist architecture quickly spread around the globe. A new book from publisher Phaidon gives this period a definitive visual guide. Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces is a richly illustrated survey of 450 of the movement’s most notable buildings. Compiled and written by journalist Dominic Bradbury, the atlas covers mostly nonresidential projects from around the world, including iconic buildings like the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the New National Gallery in Berlin, and the National Congress in Brasília. The Gateway Arch, Eero Saarinen, St. Louis, 1968 [Photo: Library of Congress/courtesy Phaidon] It’s a snapshot of a moment in time that continues to shape the modern city. Bradbury calls this one of the richest and most dynamic eras in the history of architecture and design. The projects included in the atlas show how historical and technological circumstances combined to create the conditions for architecture to evolve in wildly inventive ways. “It was a period when mid-century architects and designers were able to build on the lessons of the early modernist pioneers while making use of modern engineering, fresh materials and ways of making, while—increasingly—adding layers of texture, patina, color, and form-giving to their work,” Bradbury explains over email. “The result is a period of design that is seductively optimistic, hopeful, and innovative, but is also highly expressive, sculptural, and engaging.” Laboratories for the faculty of mechanical engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Zvi Hecker and Alfred Neumann, Haifa, Israel, 1966 [Photo: © Zvi Hecker/courtesy Phaidon] Narrowing this era into a single list was a challenge, Bradbury says, and the initial long list included nearly 800 buildings. That’s without even including the many notable single-family homes that exemplify the mid-century modern style. One of Bradbury’s previous books, Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Houses, includes many of those culled from this new list. Even so, bringing the total down to the 450 published in the book “was a really hard task,” he says. North Christian Church, Eero Saarinen, Columbus, Indiana, 1964 [Photo: Library of Congress/courtesy Phaidon] Part of the selection effort involved making sure the most well-known architects didn’t overshadow the breadth of designers who created exceptional work during this period. The atlas, of course, has all the names commonly associated with mid-century modernism, including Arne Jacobsen, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Eero Saarinen, Alvar Aalto, Marcel Breuer, Welton Becket, and Oscar Niemeyer. It also includes projects by architects who may not have such global name recognition, like Montenegrin architect Svetlana Kana Radević, designer of a concrete and stone hotel in Podgorica, and Indian architect Raj Rewal, designer of a futuristic exhibition complex in New Delhi. American Embassy, Eero Saarinen, Grosvenor Square, London, 1960. [Photo: Balthazar Korab Collection/courtesy Phaidon] “There was a desire to balance really well-known buildings—such as Eero Saarinen’s TWA Terminal at JFK Airport or Gio Ponti’s Pirelli Tower in Milan—with projects that might not be so well known today,” Bradbury says. Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Jørgen Bo and Vilhelm Wohlert, Humlebaek, Fredensborg, Denmark, 1958 [Photo: Carmen García Sánchez/courtesy Phaidon] The global nature of the Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces means that many of the projects may be completely new to readers, which resulted in some interesting surprises. “As well as focusing on known mid-century hot spots such as America, Italy, and Brazil, we really wanted to explore some previously underrepresented regions,” Bradbury says. “Some parts of Africa, for example, were a revelation, including Ethiopia, where Arturo Mezzedimi’s City Hall in Addis Ababa is one of many standout buildings.” Venezuela and Mexico were also rich sources of material, Bradbury says. City Hall, Arturo Mezzedimi, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1965 [Photo: ETH/courtesy Phaidon] The long tail of this global design phenomenon can still be seen today, both in the historic buildings from this atlas and in new construction. Major elements of midcentury modern architecture, such as nonstructural exterior curtain walls, glass facades on skyscrapers, an