Founded in 1996, Docomomo Northern California is a chapter of Docomomo US—a non-profit organization dedicated to documenting and conserving the Modern Movement's buildings, sites, and neighborhoods.
Docomomo US/NOCA is proud to announce the 2026 Symposium Travel Grant. This grant provides financial support for one student or emerging professional to participate in the 19th International Docomomo Conference, "Multiple Moderns: Climate, Community, Creativity," from March 17–22, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. The deadline for applications is Sunday, October 19, 2025.
Docomomo US announces 18 recipients of the 2025 Modernism in America Awards. Now in its 12th year, the Awards celebrate the documentation, preservation and reuse of Modern buildings, structures and landscapes built in the United States or on U.S. territory and recognize building owners, design teams, individuals, and preservation organizations that have made significant efforts to retain, restore, and advocate for the aesthetic and cultural value of such places.
As part of our ongoing advocacy efforts to retain and rehabilitate Embarcadero Plaza and the Vaillancourt Fountain, we requested important information from multiple San Francisco policy bodies to facilitate the full and transparent participation of interested parties in this civic process.
Docomomo US/Northern California has launched a new online resource highlighting the life and work of Roger Y. Lee, AIA (1920–1981), one of the most prolific yet underrecognized figures of Bay Area Modernism. A Chinese-American architect who overcame systemic racial barriers of his time, Lee created more than 100 residences and a wide range of civic, commercial, and religious projects across the West Coast.
On June 16, 2025, board members of Docomomo US/Northern California (NOCA) attended a key stakeholder meeting with staff of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department (SFRPD) and a representative from BXP to discuss the Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park Renovation Project. The meeting discussed the project’s goals, timeline, and challenges, with a particular focus on the future of the Vaillancourt Fountain and Embarcadero Plaza.
In a much anticipated decision, the San Francisco Planning Department reviewed the independently produced Historic Resource Review (HRR) of the Vaillancourt Fountain and concurred that the Fountain is a historic resource.
"Planning staff concurs that the Vaillancourt [Fountain] retains integrity and is a historic resource individually eligible for the National Register and CRHR [California Register] under Criterion 1 [Events] and 3 [Architecture], and as a contributing landscape feature of the Better Market Street Cultural District."
The fountain’s eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) triggers a mandatory review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a state law designed to protect historic and environmental treasures from destruction without public input and consideration of alternatives.