NCMH Founder George Smart To Join Modernism At Risk Panel

The event kicks off Historic Charlotte’s May Preservation Month  celebration.

April 11, 2011 (Charlotte, NC) – George Smart, founder and director of North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH), will join other modernist architecture experts when Historic Charlotte, Inc. presents its Modernism At Risk panel discussion on April 19, 2011, at the Wells Fargo Auditorium in Charlotte.

The panel discussion will kick off Historic Charlotte’s month-long “Mad About Modern” preservation celebration in May.

North Carolina Modernist Houses is an award-winning, non-profit organization that has been archiving, preserving, and promoting modernist residential design from the 1950s to today since Smart founded it in 2007. Today, NCMH’s website, www.ncmodernist.org, is the single largest archive of modernist houses, and those who design them, in the nation.

The Modernism At Risk panel will discuss best practices across the country with respect to mid-century modern architecture, and the fate of Charlotte’s mid-century architectural resources.

“Right now, we’re working with Modern Charlotte Realty to help find a buyer for the oldest existing modernist house in Charlotte, the Lassiter house designed by A.G. Odell, so that it won’t be destroyed,” said Smart. “The panel’s subject couldn’t be more timely.”

NCMH maintains a free listing on its website of modernist houses for sale across the state because, as Smart says, “Modernist gems like the Lassiter are disappearing at an alarming rate.”

Moderated by Historic Charlotte Executive Director Diane Althouse, the panel will also include Bob Ciucevich, principal and founder of Quatrefoil Consulting, Savannah, GA; and Peter Wong, Associate Professor of Architecture, UNC-Charlotte School of Architecture.

Registration for the event is from 5:30-6 pm on April 19. The panel discussion will take place from 6-7:15, followed by a reception from 7:15-8.

The Modernism At Risk panel discussion is free and open to the public (including children over 12). Space should be reserved early, however, since seating is limited. To reserve a seat, email leah@historiccharlotte.org or call 704-375-2425.

For information on all of Historic Charlotte’s Mad About Modern celebration in May, visit www.historiccharlotte.org.

For more information on George Smart and NCMH, visit www.ncmodernist.org.

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