Mapping The ‘70s Turn 50
Can you believe it—the 1970s are now 50 years old! In an effort to celebrate and better understand the 1970s, we have embarked on a project to map the buildings, sites, and landscapes of the era in Northern California. Some buildings on the map are hands-down some of the best and most iconic examples of Modernism in the region, while others are more controversial or diverge from Modernism in style.
Beyond the disco balls, shag carpet, and avocado-colored kitchen appliances, the 1970s were a decade filled with both experimentation and anxiety within the field of architecture. The sociopolitical turmoil of the 1960s, which saw numerous political assassinations and the being of the Civil Rights Movement, continued into the 1970s with protests against the Vietnam War and rising concerns about the environment. Meanwhile the economy struggled through a recession and inflation amidst the oil crises. Architecture critic Charles Jencks had declared in 1977 that Modernism had died in 1972 with the demolition of the Pruitt-Igoe housing complex (Minoru Yamasaki, 1955) in St. Louis, Missouri—but had Modernism died? The architecture of the 1970s includes many diverging forms of Modernism, as well as the emergence of an architecture and polemic against Modernism. In Northern California, examples of Brutalism, New Formalism, and Corporate and Late Modernism continue to proliferate in downtown areas and in suburban office parks, but the softer, more organic and vernacular influences of Sea Ranch and the Third Bay Tradition are strongly felt in residential projects. And on the other hand, we start to see the beginnings of Postmodernism and historicist influences particularly in the later 70s.
Want to help in our efforts to bring attention to 1970s Northern California architecture? Tag #70sTurn50 on social media and share the details of your favorite 70s buildings in the form below!
Note: This map is a volunteer effort on behalf of the Northern California Chapter of Docomomo US. This map should not be considered as a comprehensive source for architectural resources from the 1970s in Northern California, nor should it be seen as Docomomo US/NOCA’s endorsement for a specific building, landscape or home in this map to be an eligible historic resource. Many buildings were nominated by board members based on personal tastes and interests.
Select buildings, sites, and landscapes that have been nominated to the Docomomo US Register, which is a "comprehensive catalogue of our nation’s historic modern sites layering scholarly research with user-sourced information, maps and plans as well as historic and user-submitted photos" can be found here.
Submit a site
Use this form to submit a site you’d like to see included on this map, or to correct errors you see on the map.
We have been able to photograph many of the properties on the map, but could use your help! Send us an email if you would be interested in taking some photographs. It’s a fun (and safe socially-distanced) way to get outside and explore!