The Garage – Modernist Architecture – Mayberry Moderns Comes to W-S

By Staff

At 5:30pm on May 1, Winston-Salem’s architecture geeks and folks who appreciate Modernist architecture will have the opportunity to find out firsthand exactly why North Carolina has the third most Modernist houses than any other state. North Carolina’s George Smart will be bringing his “Mayberry Modernism” lecture to the unique confines of The Garage.

George Smart grew up in Triangle architecture. His dad was a Raleigh architect for over 40 years who, like many in his generation, was inspired by the exciting designs of Frank Lloyd Wright and others in the Modernist movement. George’s mother, Ann Seltman Smart, was a radio personality on WPTF and she made a documentary on architecture in the 1960’s (see below).

As a management consultant and executive coach, George showed no interest whatsoever in architecture until 2007. “I was Googling for modern houses one night and it was like that scene from Alien,” says Smart. “Something very powerful exploded from my DNA! One search led to another, then to a list, then to a website, then to tours, then trips, then dinners, then movies, then happy hours. NCMH is largest online open archive in America for residential Modernist architecture.”

George Smart’s discovery of the Triangle’s large number of “livable works of art” in 2007 led him to start North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH), the largest open digital archive of Modernist residential architecture and architects in the nation.

During “Mayberry Modernism,” you’ll visually explore some of the state’s Modernist gems, many still glorious, some endangered and some destroyed forever.

• Participants learn how thousands of significant Modernist houses were documented and made available to the public online.
• Participants will be able to identify the beginnings of North Carolina residential Modernist design as part of the larger national movement.
• Participants learn key differences between Modernist and contemporary architecture.
• Participants learn why North Carolina is the third largest concentration of Modernist houses in the country.
• Participants learn the key architects and influencers in North Carolina Modernism.
• Participants gain knowledge of 60 years of North Carolina award-winning residences and assess their own preferences against precedent.
• Participants learn marketing methods to preserve mid-century Modernist houses through preservation, occupancy, and sustainable development strategies.
• Participants discover how documenting, preserving and promoting residential Modernist design benefits the architecture and construction industries.
• Participants learn key differences between selling a traditional house and selling a Modernist house.
• Participant gain free access to a digital archive of more than 15,000 photos of more than 4,100 Modernist houses, along with profiles on more than 250 architects.
• Participants learn how NCMH became the country’s largest open digital archive for Modernist houses and a leader in saving mid-century Modernist houses from destruction.

This presentation is being brought to Winston-Salem with support from Leonard Ryden Burr Real Estate and Stitch Design and Development.

You can see more modernist houses from Winston-Salem and around NC HERE.