Interpreting 1950s America

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is exploring ways to preserve and interpret Modernism and the Recent Past, an effort that has grown in interest as many of the buildings and places from this period are increasingly threatened with demolition and approaching the magical “fifty year” mark (by the way, the fifty-year threshold primarily applies to the National Register of Historic Places; landmarking programs at the state and local level commonly have no age threshold). As the National Trust continues to solidify this work through its historic sites and regional offices, you’ll see many more formal programs, publications, Web sites, and workshops appear in the next few years—including a symposium on 1950s America.

This symposium will to bring together academic scholars and historic site professionals to share the latest scholarship and strategies for interpreting the 1950s (although I’ll probably lap over as early as 1945 to as late as 1964). I am currently planning a two-day conference in late 2009 or 2010 with the intent to share the proceedings through publication online or in print. And if you’re wondering if sufficient historic sites interpret the 1950s, a preliminary search by my intern Stephen Neuhauser discovered nearly two dozen sites already open to the public. Here’s our current list and if you know of others, add it as a comment below. If you’d like to be kept informed of the symposium, contact me at max_vanbalgooy@nthp.org so I can add you to the mailing list.

Site	Type	Location	Description
All Electric House	Residence	Shawnee, KS	A showcase of 1950s domestic technology.
Eisenhower Home	Residence, Library	Abilene, KS	Home and Presidential library of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Eisenhower NHS	Residence	Gettysburg, PA	Home and ranch of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Farnsworth House	Residence	Plano, IL	Residence designed by architect Mies van der Rohe.
George W. Bush Home	Residence	Midland, TX	Boyhood home of President George W. Bush.
Glass House	Residence	New Canaan, CT	Residence designed by architect Philip Johnson.
Graceland	Residence	Memphis, TN	Home of musician Elvis Presley.
Harry S. Truman NHS	Residence	Independence, MO	Home of President Harry S. Truman.
Louis Armstrong House	Residence	Corona, NY	Home and studio of musician Louis Armstrong.
Malabar Farm State Park	Residence, Ranch	Lucas, OH	Home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Louis Bromfield.
Manitoga	Residence	Garrison, NY	Home of designer Russel Wright.
McCormick House	Residence	Wheaton, IL	Home of Chicago Tribune magnate Robert R. McCormick.
McCormick House	Residence	Elmhurst, IL	Residence designed by architect Mies van der Rohe.
Park Forest House Museum	Residence	Park Forest, IL	Typical 1950s home.
Pearl S. Buck House (Green Hills Farm)	Residence	Dublin, PA	Home of Nobel laureate Pearl S. Buck.
Plum Grove/ Poor Farm	Social Service	Coralville, IA	Social rehabilitation center.
Pollock Krasner House	Residence, Studio	East Hampton, NY	Home and studio of artists Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner.
Pope-Leighey House	Residence	Alexandria, VA	Residence designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
SF-88 Nike Missile Site	Military	San Francisco, CA	Cold War era missile defense battery.
Shelburne Museum 1950 House	Residence	Shelburne, VT	Typical 1950s home.