US Modernist Radio

Joining us today is architectural historian Sian Winship; Minnesota’s MVP for midcentury modern, Bobak Ha’Eri; Spencer Luckey on his playgrounds, and music by jazz pianist Lenore Raphael.  

From poolside at the swanky USModernist compound during Modernism Week, we’re all about two architects: Chicago’s Mies van der Rohe with guests Iveta Cerna, director of the Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic; and Mies’s grandson, architect Dirk Lohan. Later on, we’ll hear from Max Strang, archivist of Gene Leedy and his impressive Florida architecture. 

This week is the close of a wildly popular exhibition at the National Building Museum in Washington DC called Capitol Brutalism, the history of DC’s best Modernist buildings.  With us is Executive Director Aileen Fuchs and head curator Angela Person.  Heading to California, we’ll hear what happened to a couple who went all-in on prefab, which is great, but then their prefab company went belly up, which is not.  Later on, special musical guest Madeleine Peyroux dances us to the end of love. 

From poolside in Palm Springs during Modernism Week 2025, today’s guests are authors Chris Rawlins on Fire Island’s Horace Gifford, Donald Luxton on Vancouver’s Arthur Erickson, and recorded at the PRP4 DOCOMOMO conference in Boston, David Fixler. 

When you hear about architect Mies van der Rohe and his famous Farnsworth House in Plano Illinois, little is said of the client.  Today you’ll learn the real story of Dr. Edith Farnsworth from author Nora Wendl, we talk with Todd Gannon about architect Frank Israel, plus authors Kevin Murphy and Mary Anne Hunting on women architects in the early days of Modernism. Later on, tacos with musical guest Gabrielle Stravelli. 

From poolside at the swanky USModernist compound in Palm Springs, today’s guests are the three distinguished men about town. Need a midcentury sofa in green tomorrow?  How about a tour for 25?  Or a private cocktail party at the Dinah Shore house?  Who are you gonna call?  As the expression goes, we got a guy, actually three guys, who make these wonderful kinds of things happen. 

From watches to undersea lodges to 21st century architecture, we’ll step outside the box a bit today to talk exquisite timepieces with  Ben Rousseau, underwater house pioneer Ian Koblick, and architect John Jennifer Marx.  

From poolside at Modernism Week 2025, we’ll talk with Colin Flavin, Halsey Smith, and Tim Techler on the architecture of Walter Gropius in Massachusetts and William Krisel in Palm Springs. Back in the studio, San Diego’s top Modernist realtor and ardent preservationist Keith York has a new book on Craig Ellwood -- and Alexandra Bregman hunts for a Philip Johnson house.

Today on the show number 404, architects Celeste Robbins, Grant Kirkpatrick, and Duan Tran, and podcast host Lisa Gralnek. Plus the wit and wisdom of Modernist homeowner, Burt Reynolds!

From poolside at the swanky USModernist compound in Palm Springs during Modernism Week 2025, we will meet Steve Treinen, with a new book on the Indian Canyons area in Palm Springs, plus Palm Springs architect James Cioffi, who sheds light on a pervasive myth.  Back in the studio, we’ll hear from author Helen Thompson on Aspen plus lovely tunes from musical guest Champian Fulton. 

Today we’ll visit with the CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Carol Quillen; the 2025 President of the AIA, Evelyn Lee; the founder of Tucson Modern, Demion Clinco, and the co-host of HGTV’s Who's Afraid of a Cheap Old House, Elizabeth Finkelstein.  

From poolside at the swanky USModernist compound in Palm Springs during Modernism Week 2025, we’ll talk to Liz Waytkus, Executive Director of DOCOMOMO-US and photographer-on-a-quest Andrew Pielage.  Back in the studio, we’ll hear from LA’s architect to the stars, Paul McClean and musical guest Laura Anglade.  

Since launching the podcast ten years ago in 2015, hosts George Smart and Tom Guild have had fascinating conversations with over 700 guests, including architects, owners, media, critics, authors, actors, and jazz performers.  USModernist Radio is one of America’s top-rated architecture and jazz podcasts, ranked in the past as #1 by Atomic Ranch and #2 by Dwell.  The 400th episode features interviews with actress and Modernist preservationist Kelly Lynch and architecture critic Kate Wagner; the return of comedian Frank King; and special musical guest, Heather Rigdon. It will also include highlights from past episodes, including interviews with Bjarke Ingels; the last living Frank Lloyd Wright client, Roland Reisley; Moshe Safdie, Eric Lloyd Wright, Suzanne Somers, Youtube star Stewart Hicks, Hugh Kaptur; author Chris Rawlins; Daniel Libeskind; Harriet Pattison on Lou Kahn; Harry Bates; Myron Goldfinger; Raleigh’s Brian Shawcroft and Lewis Clarke; Mary Schindler; and Modernism opponents David Brussat, Professor J. S. Curl, and classical scholar Catesby Leigh.

From poolside at the swanky USModernist compound in Palm Springs, three stars of the Modernist movement, Alan Hess + Janice Lyle + Sidney Williams, discussing what’s become known as the Palm Springs School of Modernism and an accompanying new book.  From the studio, Russell Brown and Tom Lazarus on their recent stage play called LISTING, plus returning musical guest Colleen Duffy of Devil Doll. 

Modernist architecture makes special use of light and color, and with us today, architect Wid Chapman, color expert Sara McLean, and musical guest and expert skater, Laura Pursell. 

Today from Palm Springs during Modernism Week we explore architect Richard Neutra with guests Raymond Neutra of the Neutra Institute and Catherine Meyler, owner of a celebrated Neutra house. Back in the studio, we’ll hear about Neutra’s VDL house in Los Angeles from Executive Director Noam Saragosti; Neutra’s sadly destroyed Maslon House from filmmaker Scott Goldstein; and special musical guests Louis Prima Jr. and the Witnesses. 

You’ll hear from with the principal architects of Architecture Research Office (ARO), Adam Yarinsky, Stephen Cassell, and Kim Yao. We’ll explore a 12,000 sf Modernist house in Dallas with architect Kevin Alter, and wrapping up, musical guest Carrie Marshall.

With so many good architecture books coming out, we can barely keep up.  Today we’ll explore Architectural Pottery with Dan Chavkin, Jeffrey Head, and Jo Lauria;  sustainable houses with Penny Craswell, and the Queen of architecture interviews, journalist and historian Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, who has a new book out on New York.

We visit with Ward Miller of Preservation Chicago; design critic and New York Magazine writer Justin Davidson; and musical guest Eddie Mugavero of the beloved Nashville swing band Bada Bing Bada Boom.   

Following up on last week, three more authors with exciting books on architecture and design.  DJ Waldie is the bard of Lakewood California with a new book, Becoming Los Angeles. Past podcast guest, the prolific Dominic Bradbury, has a new Atlas of modernist icons.  And returning podcast guest Pierluigi Serraino shares in the new book Modern Garden how often-underappreciated landscape design was the secret sauce for midcentury modern.