Retro Road Trip Archives

Beauty from Bleakness: Philip Johnson’s Glass House

August 9, 2022
Written by Kye Cardinalis and Featured image photography by Edelteil/CC-BY-SA 3.0

Learn about Philip Johnson’s Glass House at https://www.atomic-ranch.com/.

While in New Canaan, Connecticut, you have the opportunity to tour the Glass House, also called the “Johnson House,” the most celebrated structure designed by Philip Johnson. Standing on the…

View Post

View Post

Unexpected Modern in Apple Valley

July 17, 2022
Written and photographed by Dana Mauer

With such a rich Western history, Modernism might seem out of place in the remote desert. The Hollywood attention in the area brought some of the big-city trends with the…

View Post

Learn about the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building at https://www.atomic-ranch.com/.

View Post

The Robert C. Weaver Federal Building: Letting in the Light

July 10, 2022
Written by Kye Cardinalis and Featured image photography by Carol M. Highsmith/Public Domain

While visiting Washington DC, consider driving by 451 7th Street SW, better known as the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building. You can’t miss it—this massive X-shaped structure commands attention. It…

View Post

facade of the University Unitarian Church in Seattle

View Post

Retro Road Trip

5 Beautiful Mid Century Modern Churches in the Pacific Northwest

May 22, 2022
Written by Kye Cardinalis

Discover 5 stunning examples of Mid Century Modern churches in Oregon and Washington by architects like Thiry and Belluschi.

View Post

View Post

Isamu Noguchi’s “News,” A Free Press Frieze

May 12, 2022
Written by Ian McMaster and Photography by Underwood Archives via Getty Images

In 1938, Isamu Noguchi submitted a proposal for a 22-foot-tall, stainless steel bas-relief sculpture entitled "News."

View Post

front facade of the Joel M. Pritchard Building

View Post

Paul Thiry: The Father of Pacific Northwest Modernism

April 28, 2022
Written by Kye Cardinalis and Featured image photography by Joe Mabel/CC-BY-SA 4.0

If you are visiting downtown Seattle, you will no doubt gravitate toward the iconic Space Needle at Seattle Center. Another prominent building nearby that will catch your eye is the…

View Post

Exterior of a home at the Thunderbird Country Club

View Post

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Thunderbird Country Club

April 3, 2022
Written by Anna Marcum and Photography courtesy of Getty Research Institute

Paul R. Williams’ approach to desert Modernism connected Ball and Arnaz, the stars of "I Love Lucy," to the surrounding desert community.

View Post

exterior shot of the UW Nuclear Reactor Building

View Post

Retro Road Trip

The Nuclear Reactor Building at UW: A Building Lost, a Battle Won

March 20, 2022
Written by Kye Cardinalis and Featured image photography by Washington Trust/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The University of Washington (UW) in Seattle is a veritable treasure trove of Brutalist architecture, home to the spectacular Red Square and structures like Kane Hall and Odegaard Undergraduate Library.…

View Post

View Post

Retro Road Trip

On Top of the World at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

January 29, 2022
Written by Lindsay Jarvis and Images courtesy of Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

It’s quite a remarkable experience to travel from the hot and sun-soaked Palm Springs Valley up to the cool alpine climate of the San Jacinto mountains by way of a…

View Post