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Recent Past Project |
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"There is no art as impermanent as
architecture … The monuments of
our time stand, usually, on negotiable real estate; their value goes
down as land
value goes up.” Ada Louise Huxtable
“Each
generation writes its biography in the buildings it creates.”
Lewis Mumford |
What is the
“recent past?
The
term “recent past” refers to buildings and sites that are less than 50
years old and, therefore. ineligible for protection or historic
designation unless they are of exceptional aesthetic and/or historical
significance.
Buildings of the recent past have reached
that “awkward middle age” -- too old to be considered daring or
innovative and too young to be venerated as landmarks. Even if they
make it through that awkward phase, they still face an uphill struggle
to outwit the wrecker’s ball and survive the miraculous transformation
from “ugly old building” to “cherished historic landmark.”
Communities throughout the country are
rising to the challenge of preserving their modernist heritage without
the usual protection of historic district designation. The foundation
of this enterprise is the identification, documentation, and analysis of
modern buildings and sites.
What is
“Rockville’s Recent Past?”
Rockville’s Recent Past is a windshield
survey conducted by Peerless Rockville to create a database of
information on buildings and sites constructed within Rockville’s
geographic limits between 1914 and 1984, with particular emphasis on the
post war decades, 1950s through mid-1970s. The purpose of the survey is
to produce a study of properties that exemplify Rockville’s
transformation from a small town to a modern suburban city. The
Geographic Information Survey [GIS] database is being used for storage,
management, and information retrieval. The survey provides a reference
for further study, analysis, planning, and understanding of a critical
period in local, regional, and state history.
This
comprehensive survey includes all building types and a diversity of
architectural styles and construction methods. Thus far, approximately
240 properties have been surveyed, photographed, and entered into the
GIS database. Supplemental research includes interviews and oral
histories, government records, newspaper articles, secondary resources,
and the Peerless Rockville collection of maps, vertical files, and
photography archives. Additional projects include an inventory of
mid-century commercial and office buildings and a database of
architects, builders, developers, landscape architects, and artists.
For additional information, contact Teresa B. Lachin, Ph.D.,
programs@peerlessrockville.org.
Check the
Calendar for upcoming Recent Past events.
Read about
significant examples of Recent Past architecture in Rockville.
IBM Building/50 Monroe Place
Houses of Worship in the Recent Past
Suburban Trust Building
Twinbrook
Farewell to IBM Building/50 Monroe
Place
Next to go? The Suburban Trust Building aka Rockville's Pink Bank
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