24/7 Wall St. Insights
- There are over 900 buildings and sites classified as Modern Movement architecture in the National Register of Historic Places.
- Many of the Modern Movement capitals are in the West with cities like Tucson, Phoenix, and Los Angeles home to the highest concentrations of NRHP-listed buildings in the style.
- New Canaan, Connecticut also stands out as a haven of Modern architecture, home to iconic structures like the Philip Johnson Glass House, the Noyes House, and the Landis Gores House.
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Following from the principle “form follows function,” Modern architecture emerged in America in the early 20th century, breaking from traditional architectural forms to emphasize clean lines, open floor plans, and lack of ornamentation. New materials like steel, glass, and concrete allowed for bold innovation in design, yielding stylistic hallmarks like flat roofs and large, curved windows.
While the Modern Movement continues to influence architecture in the fields of sustainable design and green building today, there are over 900 buildings and sites classified as Modern Movement in the National Register of Historic Places.
Many of the Modern architecture capitals are in the Southwest. In Tucson, buildings like the original American Automobile Association office along Miracle Mile, the former Sambo’s Pancake House on Sunshine Mile, and the Kelly Building memorialize the area’s Modern legacy. On the East Coast, the small town of New Canaan in Connecticut stands out as a one of the highest concentrations of Modern buildings nationwide. A one-time residence to each member of the Harvard Five — the collection of Modern architects that included John M. Johansen, Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, Philip Johnson and Eliot Noyes — New Canaan is home to iconic NRHP-listed Modern Movement buildings such as the Landis Gores House, the Richard and Geraldine Hodgson House, the Philip Johnson Glass House, and the Noyes House.
To determine the best cities for Modern Movement architecture, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on historic properties from the National Register of Historic Places of the U.S. National Park Service. Cities, towns, and villages were ranked based on the number of listings in the NRHP that are designated as Modern Movement architecture style as of October 2024. Supplemental data on median home age is from the 2022 American Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau.
25. St. Louis, MO
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 5 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 74 properties
- Median home age: 85 years
- City incorporated: 1809
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Plaza Square Apartments Historic District, Bel Air Motel, S. Pfeiffer Manufacturing Company Headquarters, Thurman Station, Sancta Maria in Ripa
24. Minneapolis, MN
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 5 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 152 properties
- Median home age: 74 years
- City incorporated: 1866
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Frieda and Henry J. Neils House, Cedar Square West, Abbott Hospital, Peavey Plaza, Northstar Center
23. Chicago, IL
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 5 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 411 properties
- Median home age: 72 years
- City incorporated: 1835
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Bryn Mawr Avenue Historic District, Raymond M. Hilliard Center Historic District, West Argyle Street Historic District, Central Manufacturing District-Pershing Road Development Historic District, Central Manufacturing District-Original East Historic Distr
22. New York, NY
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 5 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 809 properties
- Median home age: 73 years
- City incorporated: 1652
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Central Park West Historic District, R.C. Williams Warehouse, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Bayard Rustin Residence, Manhattanville Houses
21. Alexandria, LA
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 41 properties
- Median home age: 54 years
- City incorporated: 1818
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Rugg Elementary School, Guaranty Bank, Park Avenue Branch, Alexandria Post-War Suburbs Historic District, Gemiluth Chassodim Synagogue, First United Methodist Church
20. Hartford, CT
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 150 properties
- Median home age: 72 years
- City incorporated: 1784
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Cedar Hill Cemetery, Phoenix Life Insurance Company Building, Hotel America, Hartford National Bank and Trust, Aetna Diner
19. Durham, NC
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 75 properties
- Median home age: 31 years
- City incorporated: 1866
- Notable Modern Movement listings: John C. Carr and Binford House, Scott and Roberts Dry Cleaning Plant, Wright’s Automatic Machinery Company, Mary Duke Biddle Estate, Foster and West Geer Streets Historic District
18. Omaha, NE
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 187 properties
- Median home age: 52 years
- City incorporated: 1857
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Federal Office Building, Northwestern Bell Telephone Company Regional Headquarters, Twin Towers, St. Richard’s Catholic School and Rectory, Danish Brotherhood in America National Headquarters Building
17. Buffalo, NY
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 7 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 193 properties
- Median home age: 85 years
- City incorporated: 1813
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Robert T. Coles House and Studio, Buffalo Meter Company Building, Buffalo Club, Buffalo Public School #32-PS 32, Buffalo Public School #92-PS 92
16. New Orleans, LA
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 7 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 204 properties
- Median home age: 66 years
- City incorporated: 1805
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Plaza Tower, Building at 225 Baronne Street, U.S. Naval Station Algiers Historic District, Nathaniel C. Curtis Jr. & Frances House, The Rault Center
15. Tempe, AZ
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 8 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 51 properties
- Median home age: 41 years
- City incorporated: 1894
- Notable Modern Movement listings: C.P. Mullen House, Harrington-Birchett House, Selleh House, University Park Historic District, Roosevelt Addition Historic District
14. Glendale, AZ
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 8 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 23 properties
- Median home age: 39 years
- City incorporated: 1910
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Glendale Townsite-Catlin Court Historic District, Glendale Tract Historic District, Glendale High School Auditorium, Northfield Historic District, Thunderbird Estates and The McDonald Addition Historic District
13. Wichita, KS
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 8 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 136 properties
- Median home age: 51 years
- City incorporated: 1871
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Nokomis and Navarre Apartment Buildings, Ellis-Singleton Building, Elizabeth McLean House, Woodburn House, J. Arch Butts Packard Building
12. Raleigh, NC
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 8 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 142 properties
- Median home age: 29 years
- City incorporated: 1792
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Fadum House, Paul and Ellen Welles House, Harwell Hamilton and Jean Bangs Harris House and Office, Battery Heights Historic District, Capitol Heights Historic District
11. Detroit, MI
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 8 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 291 properties
- Median home age: 77 years
- City incorporated: 1802
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Women’s City Club, Griswold Building, Detroit-Columbia Central Office Building, Garden Bowl, First Federal Building
10. Midland, MI
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 9 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 24 properties
- Median home age: 53 years
- City incorporated: 1869
- Notable Modern Movement listings: F.W. Lewis House, Parents’ and Children’s Schoolhouse, Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Reinke House, Charles and Mary Kempf Penhaligen House, Donald and Louise Clark Irish House
9. Pasadena, CA
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 10 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 130 properties
- Median home age: 64 years
- City incorporated: 1886
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Stuart Company Plant and Office Building, John Norton House, Robert and Barbara Pike House, Clarence and Mary Mello House, Richard and Mary Alice Frank House
8. Denver, CO
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 12 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 321 properties
- Median home age: 52 years
- City incorporated: 1861
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Cole Neighborhood Historic District, Capitol Life Insurance Building, Helene Apartment Building, Motor Coach Division Building-Denver Tramway Company, Temple Emanuel
7. New Canaan, CT
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 14 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 25 properties
- Median home age: 57 years
- City incorporated: 1801
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Philip Johnson Glass House, Durisol House, Beaven W. Mills House, Isaac Davis and Marion Dalton Hall, James Swallen House
6. Palm Springs, CA
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 14 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 33 properties
- Median home age: 47 years
- City incorporated: 1938
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Sieroty House, Frey House II, Fire Station No. 1, Carey House, Tramway Gas Station
5. Washington, D.C.
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 15 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 663 properties
- Median home age: 68 years
- City incorporated: N/A
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District, Lisner Auditorium, Fourteenth Street Historic District, Watergate, Uline Ice Company Plant and Arena Complex
4. Kansas City, MO
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 18 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 361 properties
- Median home age: 56 years
- City incorporated: 1850
- Notable Modern Movement listings: R.O. Stenzel and Company Warehouse, TWA Administrative Offices Building, Armour Boulevard Post-World War II Apartment Building Historic District, Dierks Building, Mercantile Bank & Trust Building
3. Los Angeles, CA
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 20 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 252 properties
- Median home age: 60 years
- City incorporated: 1850
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Storer House, Samuel Freeman House, Ennis House, Alvarado Terrace Historic District, Angelus Temple
2. Phoenix, AZ
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 21 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 245 properties
- Median home age: 40 years
- City incorporated: 1881
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Encanto-Palmcroft Historic District, Country Club Park Historic Subdivision, North Encanto Historic District, Phoenix Towers, L. Ron Hubbard House
1. Tucson, AZ
- NRHP listings in Modern Movement style: 26 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 189 properties
- Median home age: 45 years
- City incorporated: 1877
- Notable Modern Movement listings: Binghampton Rural Historic Landscape, Ramada House, Catalina American Baptist Church, Aldea Linda Residential Historic District, Gist Residence
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