USModernist Radio
USModernist® Radio is underwritten by June Goldfinger and Jeff Taylor, sponsors of Circle Square Triangle: a traveling exhibition on the Architecture of Myron Goldfinger - and by Diane Bald and The Budman Family, restoring significant architecture in Toronto, Los Angeles, Malibu and Palm Springs.
Here are all our past shows
Listen to one of America's top-rated architecture podcasts as the USModernist® Radio crew talks and laughs with fascinating people who own, create, love, and hate Modernist architecture, the most controversial houses and buildings in the world.
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Past and upcoming architecture guests include Jeanne Gang, Bjarke Ingels, Daniel Libeskind, Barbara Bestor, Moshe Safdie, Tom Kundig, Harry Bates, Peter Bohlin, Alan Hess, Peter Gluck, Robert Rubin, Blair Kamin, Barry Bergdoll, Myron Goldfinger, Kenneth Frampton, Katie Swenson, Bob Ivy, Jen Masengarb, Angie Brooks + Larry Scarpa, Gisue Hariri, Sekou Cooke, Alexandra Lange, Paul Goldberger, Inga Saffron, Jim Olson, Debbie Millman, Sarah Susanka, Helena Arahuete, Raymond and Dion Neutra, Eric and Susan Saarinen, and many more.
Past musical guests include China Forbes, Ann Hampton Callaway, Lucy Wijnands, Monika Ryan, Diane Schuur, Noel Paul Stookey, Brenda Lee, Lenore Raphael and Howard Alden, Eliane Elias, Toni Tennille, Halie Loren, Stacey Kent, Jane Monheit, Jennifer Warnes, Marilyn Scott, Cheryl Bentyne, Janis Siegel, Storm Large, Kate Earl, Nneena Freelon, Darius Brubeck, Maria Maldaur, Claire Martin, Robin McKelle, Bria Skonberg, Sophie Milman, Lucy Woodward, Heather Rigdon, Tierney Sutton, Diana Panton, Don Most, Judy Carmichael, Linda Eder, Peter Lamb and the Wolves.
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Presented By
Host and Executive Producer George Smart HAIA, one dark and stormy night in 2007, started what has become USModernist®, the largest open digital nonprofit educational archive for Modernist residential design in the world. George and his intrepid team of wildly dedicated volunteers and woefully underpaid staff have won 19 local, state, and national awards, He appears in the 2020 architecture documentary Frey II and the 2024 architecture documentary New England Modernism, both by Jake Gorst.
Announcer, co-host, and engineer Tom Guild, legendary Raleigh FM DJ, grew up in a Durham Modernist house. He was on WRDU and WQDR back when humans actually played vinyl records over the airwaves using something called radio. Over the years, Tom recorded and mixed hours of top-notch audio including Porsche By Design for the NC Museum of Art. He met Mick Jagger. He has not met Frank Gehry. The security code for the show's recording studio, SoundTrax, is 8675309.
Upcoming Episodes
Sep 30 #372/Children of Genius: Nathaniel Kahn + Eileen Dart Hanan + Musical Guest Lori Lieberman
Sep 23 #371/Conserving Black Modernism: Brent Leggs + Charles McAfee + Musical Guest Jaimee Paul
Sep 16 #370/Architecture Films: Sabine Gisger + Bea Minger + Mario Novas + Kyle Bergman + Musical Guest Lucie Arnaz
Sep 9 #369/Never Built Modernism: Sam Lubell + Greg Goldin + Musical Guest Paul Giallorenzo
For every 3 or 4 Modernist buildings out there, there is likely an amazing unbuilt building with plans sitting in a drawer or a hard drive somewhere. Exploring the wonderful world of the imagined but not realized, joining us are the authors of Never Built Los Angeles, Never Built New York, and the new book, the Atlas of Never Built Architecture, Sam Lubell and Greg Goldin. Later, music with Chicago’s Paul Giallorenzo.
Sep 2 #368/San Diego Modernism with Joan Gand + Lauren Lockhart + Keith York + Musical Guest Lisa Veronica Wood and Sidecar Social Club
Today we’re talking about San Diego and La Jolla, Modernist havens that deserve more time in the spotlight, with midcentury author and historian Keith York; plus Joan Gand and Lauren Lockhart of the La Jolla Historical Society about their upcoming Modernist tour. Later on, jazz with Lisa Veronica Wood and the Sidecar Social Club.
Aug 26 #367/Charles Phoenix + Natascha Drabbe of IconicHouses.org + Martini Whisperer Phillip Jones + Lautner Owner Andrew Vottero
It’s a sad day in the studio, because this is the last Modernism Week show of 2024. We’ve brought you 11 wonderful episodes from our annual pilgrimage to the epicenter of modernism, and today wraps up the series with four amazing guests; mid-century historian Charles Phoenix; Natascha Drabbe of iconichouses.com; traveling all the way from Canberra, Australia, Phillip Jones the Martini Whisperer; and Andrew Vottero, owner of John Lautner's Windsong.
Aug 19 #366/By Design's Chapman + IBM Archivist Jamie Martin + Musical Guest Paget Moren
Today we’re talking about an architecture TV series spanning the globe and a new design documentary. Joining us is ByDesign’s Mike Chapman and IBM archivist Jamie Martin, who is featured in the new documentary Modernism Inc. Later, musical guest Paget Moren.
Aug 12 #365/Fu Tung Cheng + Remembering Jimmy Van Heusen with Marisa Mulder + Jim Burns + Brooke Babcock
In this our next to last show from Modernism Week 2024, George talks with San Francisco concrete designer and architect Fu Tung Cheng, and later Marisa Mulder + Jim Burns + Brooke Babcock on composer and arranger Jimmy Van Huesen, who with Frank Sinatra as his muse carried the great American songbook to new heights in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Aug 5 #364/Modernist Auctions with Luke Newbold + Federal Historic Preservation with Sara Bronin + Musical Guest Roslyn Kind
When the internet came along, many industries changed forever, and one of them was the auction business. Remember how exciting eBay was when everything was up for bid? Traditional auction houses had to move quickly to adapt, and the opportunities of moving from a local to a regional or national or international market through the internet were immense. One auction firm which has made a wildly successful transition is Leland Little in Hillsborough NC, and we’ll talk inside their Modernist warehouse with Modernist director Luke Newbold. Later, it’s architect, professor, attorney, and former first lady of Hartford CT, Sara Bronin, chair of the US Advisory Council for Historic Preservation, plus musical guest Roslyn Kind.
Jul 29 #363/Architecture Documentaries: Jake Gorst + Kirk Brown + Musical Guest Laura Pursell
If there’s one thing architecture fans love as much as tours and parties, it’s architecture documentaries, and we’ve been covering dozens of those over the years. Recorded at Modernism Week 2024, George talks with author and Emmy-winning filmmaker Jake Gorst on his new film New England Modernism. Following that, a chat with Kirk Brown of DesignOnScreen, who funded many of Gorst’s films about Palm Springs, creating a visual history of Modernism. Later on, musical guest Laura Pursell skates into our hearts.
Jul 22 #362/California Modernism: Leo Marmol + Wally Cunningham + Monika Haefelfinger + Drew Pedrick
Oh California, where the sun is warm. Where the winds from Santa Ana make you feel like you belong. California, wherever you may roam. California keeps calling you home. Those words from the 1978 movie If Ever I see You Again, a tribute to California. Are you pining for the sunshine state? Joining us are today are well-known California architects Leo Marmol, Wally Cunningham, Monika Haefelfinger, and Drew Pedrick.