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(LottaLivin’) has been serving the MCM Mid Century Modern Historic Architecture Preservation Community since 1999. The Original Number One Online Authority on Architectural Rehabilitation and Restoration of Mid-Mod Design, Googie, Modernism and Atomic Age Living.

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Home > Learn About Mid Century Modernism > MidMod Glossary of Terms

MidMod Glossary of Terms

Glossary of MidMod Mid Century Modern Terms

adaptive re-use

method of preservation where a building retains its signature visual elements, but the structure is used for a purpose other than originally intended

Art Deco

style from the first few decades of the 20th century; styles within this period include Moderne, Streamline and Zigzag among others and was a natural predecessor to the clean Modern style

barrel vault

curved roofline

Bauhaus

progressive school of arts and architecture founded in 1919 Germany and birthplace of the European Modernist movement that emphasized bold experimental geometric visuals and typography

boomerang

popular parabolic or amoeba-shaped design motif

“building as sign”

building where the shape, size or color provides identification as much as signage does

bungalow

small house or cottage usually with a small front porch popularized in Southern California

cantilevered

structure that projects or hovers in space seemingly without support from beneath

Case Study Program

considered a high point in architectural innovation, this program developed by Arts and Architecture magazine solicited housing solutions, encouraging architects to explore new design and construction techniques, and to expand Modernist principles

clerestory

windows which are above normal ceiling height and project into roofline

De Stijl

design style that uses asymmetry and rectangles, term derived from 1930s Netherlands school of decorative arts

dingbat

term derived from typographic characters that extend beyond the normal alphabet: +@#* and used to describe buildings (usually apartments) that sport characters and symbols as decorative elements

folded plate

a back and forth folding of a surface, whether roof or walls

folk art environment

art originating among the “common man”

Garden City

Pre-War urban planning movement that promoted decentralized and collective living patterns in a green environment advocated by such Modernists as Frank Lloyd Wright and Richard Neutra

Googie

coffee shop Modern architectural style characterized by space-age graphics, widely angled lines, fanciful motifs; term derived from Googie’s coffee shop, designed by John Lautner

International

style characterized by clean, bold lines and geometric forms; lack of ornamentation or texture; and steel, glass or reinforced-concrete construction

jet-age

see space-age

kinetic

refers to signage with motion

Miesian

minimalist geometric shape, term is derived from the sparse style of architect and designer, Mies Van der Rohe

Moderne vs. Modern

Moderne refers to an Art Deco style which has a streamline look and pre-dates Modern; Modern refers to mid-century postwar style

Mondrian

broad flat areas of color reminiscent of the Modern painter, Piet Mondrian, who used color similarly

open-air plan

style that advocates space and breezeways between buildings in a complex

parabolic

curved in a way that is not symmetrical

porte cochere

covered or sheltered entryway for vehicles or pedestrians

portico

exterior building element that is supported by columns

post-and-beam

construction method that emphasizes vertical and horizontal elements

Post-Modern

style from the end of the 20th century that built upon and expanded the principles of Modernism

PostWar

historic period after the end of World Ward II in 1945, usually extended to the 1960s

programmatic

buildings which reflect the contents within: from the obvious hot dog-shaped stand that sells hot dogs to the sublime derby hat that symbolizes a “classy” place to eat
roadside structures, signage or other elements that are designed primarily to attract the passing motorist

space-age

also called jet-age, technology innovation in air travel, satellites and eventually moon travel translated into Modern motif

sputnick

popular space-age design embellishment that looks like starburst with wheel spokes and balls on the ends; associated with progress and named after the Russian satellite launched in the late 1950s

stone screen

concrete architectural element (usually a wall) that uses repeating patterns as a design motif; term derived from its originator, Edward Durell Stone

theme environment

building or complex that uses a thematic decorative approach, such as space-age, tiki, western, etc.

tiki / Polynesia

design motif first popularized by GI’s stationed in the South Seas during World War II; just before and immediately after Hawaii first became the 50th state in 1959, a Polynesian frenzy took place often reflected in postwar architecture and motif

WPA (Work Projects Administration – later Works Progress Administration)

government program designed to create jobs that often included cultural and artistic works.

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