GROWTH, EFFICIENCY, AND MODERNISM

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GROWTH, EFFICIENCY, AND MODERNISM
Center for Historic Buildings Office of the Chief
Architect Public Buildings Service

• EVALUATING GSA BUILDINGS OF THE 1950s, 60s, 70s

IPED National Historic Tax Credit Conference
Washington, DC November 8, 2007 Presented By
Douglas Pulak
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GSA BUILDING INVENTORY BY PERIOD
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NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT

• SECTION 106 Requires federal agencies to
  consider effects of their activities on historic
  buildings
• SECTION 110 Directs federal agencies to
  identify, evaluate, use and preserve historic
  buildings

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CONTEXT STUDY of GSA BUILDINGS
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HURFF A. SAUNDERS FEDERAL BUILDING, U.S. POST
OFFICE AND COURTHOUSE JUNEAU, AK
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES for FEDERAL ARCHITECTURE

• Designs should incorporate the finest in
  contemporary architectural thought
• Development of an official style should be
  avoided
• Site choice and landscape development should be a
  priority

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FEDERAL CENTER CHICAGO, IL
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STROM THURMOND FEDERAL BUILDING AND U.S.
COURTHOUSE COLUMBIA, SC
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JOHN F. KENNEDY FEDERAL BUILDINGBOSTON, MA
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FEDERAL BUILDING AND U.S. COURTHOUSE OKLAHOMA
CITY, OK
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NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA

• CRITERIA A Associated with events that have made
  a broad contribution to history.
• CRITERIA B Associated with the lives of persons
  significant in our past.
• CRITERIA C Embody the distinctive
  characteristics of a type, period or method of
  construction.
• CRITERIA D Have yielded or will yield
  information important to prehistory or history.

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GSA ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENT TOOL
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• IS IT NOTABLE FOR ITS MODERN MATERIALS, PUBLIC
  ART, LANDSCAPING OR SITE DESIGN?

RICHARD BOLLING FEDERAL BUILDING KANSAS CITY,
MISSOURI
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• WAS IT TECHNOLOGICALLY INNOVATIVE?

U.S. TAX COURT WASHINGTON, DC
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• IS IT ASSOCIATED WITH FAMOUS INDIVIDUALS?

J.J. PICKLE FEDERAL BUILDING AUSTIN, TX
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• IS IT THE WORK OF A MASTER ARCHITECT OR LOCALLY
  PROMINENT FIRM?

CHET HOLIFIELD FEDERAL BUILDINGLAGUNA NIGUEL, CA
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• HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO THE ARCHITECTS GREATER
  BODY OF WORK?

TRANSAMERICA PYRAMIDSAN FRANCISCO, CA
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BORDER STATION PORTHILL, ID

• IS IT IMPORTANT IN ITS COMMUNITY?

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JAMES FORRESTAL FEDERAL BUILDINGWASHINGTON, DC

• IS IT AN IMPORTANT EXAMPLE OF AN ARCHITECTURAL
  STYLE OR CONSTRUCTION METHOD?

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MODERN-ERA ARCHITECTURAL STYLES

• INTERNATIONAL
• FORMALISM
• BRUTALISM
• EXPRESSIONISM

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INTERNATIONAL STYLE
INTERNATIONAL STYLE

• ABSENCE OF ORNAMENTATION
• BOX-SHAPED
• EXPANSIVE WINDOWS
• SMOOTH WALL SURFACES
• CANTILEVERED EXTENSIONS

U.S. POST OFFICE AND COURTHOUSE BURLINGTON, VT
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FORMALISM
FORMALISM

• FLAT, PROJECTING ROOFLINES
• STRICT SYMMETRY
• SMOOTH WALL SURFACES
• HIGH-QUALITY MATERIALS
• COLUMNAR SUPPORTS

DAVID J. WHEELER FEDERAL BUILDING AND U.S. POST
OFFICE BAKER CITY, OR
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BRUTALISM
BRUTALISM

• WEIGHTY MASSIVENESS
• ROUGH-SURFACED, EXPOSED CONCRETE
• BROAD, EXPANSIVE WALL SURFACES
• DEEPLY RECESSED WINDOWS

FEDERAL BUILDING, U.S. POST OFFICE AND
COURTHOUSE ROME, GA
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EXPRESSIONISM
EXPRESSIONISM

• SWEEPING, CURVED ROOFLINES AND WALL SURFACES
• NONEXISTENT OR MINIMAL USE OF SYMMETRICAL OR
  GEOMETRIC FORMS
• FACETED, CONCAVE OR CONVEX SURFACES
• ARCHED OR VAULTED
• SPACES

ROBERT WEAVER FEDERAL BUILIDING U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF HOUSING URBAN DEVELOPMENT HEADQUARTERS WASHIN
GTON, DC
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COMMON FEDERAL BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS
FEDERAL BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS

• CHARACTER Visual aspects and physical features
  of a building
• CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES Overall shape,
  materials, craftsmanship, decorative details,
  interior spaces and features, site and
  environment

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BYRON ROGERS FEDERAL BUILDING AND U.S.
COURTHOUSEDENVER, CO
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JAMES A. McCLURE FEDERAL BUILDING AND U.S.
COURTHOUSE BOISE, ID
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FEDERAL BUILDING, U.S. POST OFFICE AND
COURTHOUSERICHLAND, WA
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FEDERAL BUILDING ROSWELL, NM
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(No Transcript)
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HURFF A. SAUNDERS FEDERAL BUILDING, U.S. POST
OFFICE AND COURTHOUSE JUNEAU, AK
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E. BARRETT PRETTYMAN U.S. COURTHOUSE WASHINGTON,
DC
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FEDERAL BUILDING TUCSON, AZ
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FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK BOARD HEADQUARTERSWASHINGT
ON, DC
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STROM THURMOND FEDERAL BUILDING COLUMBIA, SC
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TRAPEZOID E FEDERAL BUILDING AND U.S.
COURTHOUSE EUGENE, OR
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LANDSCAPE OF TIME HENRY M. JACKSON FEDERAL
BUILDING SEATTLE, WA
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PRINCE JONAH KUHIO KALANIANAOLE FEDERAL
BUILDINGHONOLULU, HI
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NORRIS COTTON FEDERAL BUILDING MANCHESTER, NH
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HASTINGS KEITH FEDERAL BUILDINGNEW BEDFORD, MA
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ABRAHAM A RIBICOFF FEDERAL BUILDING AND U.S.
COURTHOUSEHARTFORD, CONNECTICUT
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JACOB K. JAVITS FEDERAL BUILDING AND JAMES L.
WATSON U.S. COURT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE NEW
YORK, NY
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MODERN-ERA BUILDING RESOURCES

• GSA ASSESSMENT TOOL
• www.gsa.gov/federalmodernism
• DOCOMOMO
• www.docomomo.org
• RECENT PAST NETWORK
• www.recentpast.org
• STATE and LOCAL SURVEYS

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CENTER FOR HISTORIC BUILDINGS OFFFICE OF THE
CHIEF ARCHITECT PUBLIC BUILDINGS SERVICE
www.gsa.gov/historicpreservation