Steven Cornell, AIA and John Ewanowski, AIA Publish New Book: “Salt Lake City’s Modern Architecture” architectural design owes more to Mies van der Rohe than to Richard Kletting (architect of the Utah State Capitol). It is closer to modernism.” Considering 21st-century architecture’s reliance on rectangular forms, lack of embellishment, horizontal composition, open floor plans, large glass windows and natural materials, there is an argument to be made that there has been a natural progression from Modernism to the designs we now see world-wide for commercial, institutional, industrial, hospitality and multi-unit residential projects. Cornell believes that one of the best Salt Lake City examples of the period is the First Security Bank Building at 405 South Main. “That is why it is on the cover.” First Security Bank was looking to the future and commissioned Wenceslao Sarmiento to design an office building that features a glass curtain, volumetric shapes, asymmetrical composition Steven Cornell and John Ewanowski, the co-authors of “Salt Lake City’s Modern Architecture,” call their new book a passion project. It was spawned by a presentation in 2016 at a preservation conference in Houston on modern buildings. Cornell wanted to execute a similar project here in Salt Lake and, with Ewanowski and in collaboration with Preservation Utah in 2017, launched a crowd-sourced project called “Uncommon Modern.” They put out an all-call for photos of buildings that fit into the post-war era and amassed hundreds from interested community members. Since that time, they have curated an online presence that catalogs modern architecture in the Salt Lake Valley. In 2019, Cornell and Ewanowski decided to compile a book that highlights Salt Lake City structures built from (approximately) 1945 through 1975 that were influenced by Modernism, a movement defined by an analytical and functional approach to architecture. The Salt Lake Valley population tripled during this period, and as a result, there were thousands of new buildings constructed. Cornell and Ewanowski are quick to say that this is not a comprehensive databank of Modernism’s buildings but a goodsized sampling of the significant structures and examples from the bodies of work of many of the architects practicing over the 30-plus-year period the book chronicles. “The 20th century in Salt Lake City was all about progress, creating a commercial center, advancing its status. Salt Lake’s population exploded; the city was coming of age and changing pretty rapidly. There was a theme of replacement. Planners led the way. A lot of it was inspired by AIA Utah, proactively planning cities after the war,” Ewanowski said. Mid-Century Modern Architecture is certainly not universally appreciated. Critics consider the modernist buildings cold, plain and mundane. Cornell said, “It is very functional, not constrained by the rules and regulations of classical architecture. It has to stand on its own two feet. It is laid bare.” Ewanowski said, “Modernism was an approach that was meant to be achievable and built for the masses. But making something simple is very difficult.” Architects and builders were experimenting with materials, like concrete, both in the structure and the aesthetic of the building. It takes effort to gain an appreciation for modernism as the aesthetic has a lot to do with the function. Ewanowski said, “You have to like the clean lines, the natural light, the materials speaking for themselves. It is a movement that is looking to the future — creating forms that characterize the future. The International Style has a balance to it — it is an interplay of vernacular forms. People will say it is “just so ugly,” yet current Steven Cornell, AIA John Ewanowski, AIA 18 REFLEXION
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