There will be an Architecture lecture series, “Mid-Century Modern on Martha’s Vineyard,” in three parts, at the Chilmark library on the following Wednesdays: April 12, April 26, and May 10, from 5 pm to 6:30 pm.
According to a press release, starting in the late 1930s, the Cape and Islands attracted some of the prime movers of modern architecture, including Bauhaus luminaries as well as self-taught American designers and builders. Some of these modern thinkers found their way to the woods of Chilmark. These thoughtful designers made homes for themselves in the splendid isolation of the area, and helped establish a vibrant creative community. This lecture series will introduce this classic style of architecture, and reconstruct the down-to-earth lifestyle it fostered.
Frederick Noyes, FAIA, leads the first talk on Wednesday, April 12, “A Transition: Martha’s Vineyard and Mid-Century Modern Architecture.” Mr. Noyes has been a Vineyard summer resident since 1954. In that year, his father, renowned architect Eliot Noyes, became enchanted with the Vineyard, and built the first of four modern summer houses on the Island. Frederick Noyes, a Harvard-trained architect himself, grew up under the influence of his father’s architect and design contemporaries, the so-called “Harvard Five.” He has worked on more than 20 Vineyard projects. He will look back at the Vineyard of the mid-1950s and show how his father’s houses, now classics, reflect the Island’s transition during that time.
David Fixler, FAIA, leads the second talk on Wednesday, April 26, “Building the Future — Modern Architecture in New England and America.” Mr. Fixler‘s architecture firm, EYP, where he is a principal, specializes in the rehabilitation of 20th century architecture. A frequent teacher, writer, and speaker, Mr. Fixler’s work has been published internationally. He is co-founder and president of DOCOMOMO — US/New England, which documents and conserves buildings, sites, and neighborhoods of the modern movement. Mr. Fixler is an expert on the history and impact of modernism in this region.
Peter McMahon will lead the third talk on Wednesday, May 10, “Modern Architecture on the Cape and Islands — and Some Case Studies in Preservation.” Mr. McMahon is the founding director of the Cape Cod Modern House Trust, which archives, restores, and celebrates the Outer Cape’s outstanding mid-century modern architecture and the creative culture that surrounded it.
He is co-author of “Cape Cod Modern: Mid-Century Architecture and Community on the Outer Cape,” winner of the Historic New England Book Prize in 2015. Mr. McMahon’s design practice in South Wellfleet focuses on sustainable, modern architecture and restoration of mid–20th century buildings. His summer house in Wellfleet has been featured in House Beautiful and Outside Architecture.
Refreshments will be served. Admission is free. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Chilmark Public Library. Call 508-645-3360 for more information.