Postwar American Architecture, 1945 19

As the United States boomed following World War II, a new style of architecture flourished that represented a forward-thinking outlook and internationally proclaimed the “the American century,” in Henry Luce’s famous formulation. Government, cultural institutions, corporations and even middle-class homebuyers all chose to “go modern,” in that period’s buoyant phrase. Through lectures, discussions, archival and site visits, and with a sustained focus on building materials, this course will consider architectural trends and highlights of postwar American modernism.