Founded in 1996, Docomomo US/Northern California is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to documenting and conserving the Modern Movement's buildings, sites, and neighborhoods.
Founded in 1996, Docomomo US/Northern California is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to documenting and conserving the Modern Movement's buildings, sites, and neighborhoods.
This two-hour tour transforms Montgomery Street and Telegraph Hill into a hands-on exploration of how the conditions of modernity have shaped San Francisco since the late nineteenth century. These conditions include finance, mass media, real estate speculation, surveillance, automobiles, and all types of risk, from financial to natural. We will see how artistic and architectural expressions responded to the conditions of modernity. ON SALE NOW!
Explore how architects Hertzka & Knowles transformed San Francisco’s downtown in the mid‑20th century, introducing modernist office towers, sleek commercial blocks, and integrated urban design that reshaped the skyline and streetscape into a new, distinctly modern core. MEMBER TICKETS ON SALE JULY 22.
Modernism: Born in California features works made throughout the long careers of architects Ernest and Esther Born, from their time as architecture students at UC Berkeley in the 1920s through the days of urban renewal in the 1960s.
September marks the 50th anniversary of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Running Fence project. The installation stretched 24.5 miles across 59 properties in Sonoma and Marin Counties, before descending to the Pacific Ocean. To celebrate the anniversary, the Museum of Sonoma County will host an exhibition, Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Running Fence at 50 Years, on view from June 27 through Nov. 8, 2026.
Ernest and Esther Born helped shape San Francisco modernism through architecture, photography, graphic design, and planning. UC Berkeley’s exhibition Modernism: Born in California, on view through September 30, 2026, traces their Bay Area legacy from the 1920s to the 1960s at Bauer Wurster Hall’s Environmental Design Library.
Docomomo US/Northern California honors the life and legacy of Donlyn Lyndon, FAIA, who was an architect, teacher, writer, and a key figure in Northern California modernism. He passed away on April 5, 2026, at The Sea Ranch at the age of 90. As a founding partner of Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull and Whitaker, Lyndon played a major role in shaping The Sea Ranch in the early 1960s. He described it as a coastal community built on a “limited partnership” between buildings and the land, reflecting values of stewardship, collaboration, and care.
The 19th International Docomomo Conference in Los Angeles explored how modernism is anything but a placeless “white box,” foregrounding climate-responsive design, regional identity, and the conservation of experimental modern architecture. Through panels on “Modernism in the Sun,” case studies like Marcel Breuer’s precast facades and Sim Van der Ryn’s Gregory Bateson Building, and tours of works by Paul R. Williams, Charles Moore, and other California innovators, the conference highlighted “Multiple Moderns” shaped by local histories, materials, and communities—and the complex challenges of preserving them for the future.
Discover how Docomomo US/NOCA made 2025 a landmark year for modern architecture advocacy in Northern California, from defending Vaillancourt Fountain and shaping preservation policy to hosting tours, talks, and grants that engaged new audiences in the legacy of modernism.
Tour Day is the only national program of its kind, devoted to the appreciation of modern architecture in the United States. Tours and events focused on Modern Movement buildings and landscapes are hosted throughout October by Docomomo US chapters, partners, and local preservation advocates across the country.
![Thoroughly Modern Montgomery [Walking Tour]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c806e5734c4e2faa1db54c9/c7d6aa05-a86a-485b-93ce-786d01f4ec5d/Montgomery+Street+from+Green+Street+Stairs.png)
![How Downtown Became Modern - The Work of Hertzka & Knowles [Walking Tour]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c806e5734c4e2faa1db54c9/6583ea05-4db5-4c1f-a5ec-c1d4de7c30da/docomomo-HK-invite-01.png)
Docomomo US Summer 2026 Reads spotlights new and classic books on modern architecture and design, including Northern California’s experimental and environmental modernism. The curated titles connect Bay Area projects like The Sea Ranch and back‑to‑the‑land architecture to a broader global story of place, justice, and identity.