Modern American Architecture

Mid-20th-century American architects reshaped urban life by redefining modern design through new forms, materials, and structural experimentation. Art historian Jennie Hirsh highlights both iconic and overlooked projects—from homes and offices to civic and campus buildings—showing how figures like Louis Kahn, Philip Johnson, Denise Scott Brown, I.M. Pei, and Eero Saarinen forged a distinct architectural vocabulary. Through examples in major cities, she traces how these practitioners balanced function, elegance, and human scale, leaving a lasting influence on the built environment. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)