Announcing 2025 Docomomo US/NOCA Symposium Travel Grant Recipient: Luke Leuschner
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.
Luke Leuschner (b. 2002) is a California-based historian focused on the state’s architecture, urbanism, and identity. Born and raised in Palm Desert, CA, he developed an affinity for the city’s forgotten and undocumented modern architecture. Since then, he has worked and consulted on numerous architectural history and archive projects in Southern and Northern California. In 2023, he was the lead researcher for the Palm Springs Art Museum’s exhibition Albert Frey, Inventive Modernist, and contributed a chapter and project catalog to the adjoining publication. Other projects include surveys of the work of architects Harold J. Bissner and John Porter Clark, multiple landmark and district nominations, and the recent Berkeley Modernism series in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association.
His current project is a book on the work of the modernist architect Rudolph Schindler in the California desert, which seeks to present a cultural history of the California desert. Apart from his research, he sits on the City of Berkeley’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (since 2021). Leuschner holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley entitled “Adaptive Reuse and the American City,” and is currently a candidate for an M.S. in Architecture (History, Theory, and Society), also at U.C. Berkeley. His ongoing thesis project examines the travels of European modernists in the American Southwest as part of the culture of Amerikanismus.
As the 2025 Docomomo US/NOCA Symposium Grant recipient, Luke will receive a $2,500 grant to participate in the 19th International Docomomo Conference in Los Angeles, California. The grant will cover related expenses, including registration fees, travel, and lodging expenses during the conference. Congratulations, Luke!