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.
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.
The Northern California (NOCA) Chapter of Docomomo US is pleased to announce Luke Leuschner as the recipient of the 2025 Docomomo US/NOCA Symposium Travel Grant.
On November 8th, we were graced with beautiful East Bay sun during a perfect Bay Area autumn. The tour was led by Camila Baum board member of the Northern California chapter. There were five stops on this walking tour, we learned about Roger's early life, family life, career; and intersections of racial segregation and municipal zoning within the city of Berkeley. Thank you to all who attended, we loved sharing the life and legacy of Roger Lee, FAIA.
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.
Let’s toast to a wonderful year of preservation and design!
We are so excited to invite you to our annual Holiday Party to celebrate the season and say a massive "thank you" for your incredible support throughout 2025.
This year, we are heading to a true hidden gem. Join us as we explore a fascinating, lesser-known modernist enclave in Point Richmond. We will be gathering inside the 403 Golden Gate Avenue Residence (1980), designed by architect John Nance.
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.