USModernist Radio
 

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.

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.

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Upcoming Episodes

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. Joining us are today are well-known California architects Leo Marmol, Wally Cunningham, Monika Hafelfinger, and Drew Pedrick.

Jul 15 #361/New Modernism in Palm Springs: Architects Michael Kiner + Mark Daniels 

We’ve had many shows on the great midcentury architects of Palm Springs, people like Chambers, Clark, Cody, Frey, Krisel, Sackley, Wexler, White, Wiliams, and the last man standing, Hugh Kaptur.  But that was the 20^th century, and we’re in the 21^st.  In fact, we’re pretty near mid-century in the 21^st, so today, you’ll hear from two of today’s Palm Springs architects, Michael Kiner and Mark Daniels.  They create houses that Modernist fans will be fondly touring and doing podcasts about - 30 years from now. 

Jul 8 #360/ Michael Kimmelman of the New York Times + Musical Guest Monika Ryan

Michael Kimmelman is the architecture critic for the New York Times. He writes on design, housing and homelessness, neighborhood development, cities, the environment,  and civil society. Then it's a delightful visit with returning musical guest Monika Ryan.

Jul 1 #359/Kirsten Roech on The Glass House + Marina Coates on TV Houses + Musical Guest Andrea Carter 

Kirsten Roech is the new executive director of Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. Then, take a ride down memory lane with Marina Coates, creator of the YouTube series Behind the Scenes, featuring tours of your favorite TV and movie houses.  Later on, musical guest Andrea Carter.