Designs of Destruction: The Making of Monuments in the Twentieth Century

Designs of Destruction: The Making of Monuments in the Twentieth CenturyHow architectural monuments survived and historical preservation was reinvented during the destructions of the twentieth century. The twentieth century was highly destructive, but from its landscapes of ruins was born a new architectural type: the cultural monument. In the wake of World War I, an international movement arose which aimed to protect architectural monuments in large numbers, and regardless of style, hoping not only to keep them safe from

How architectural monuments survived and historical preservation was reinvented during the destructions of the twentieth century.

The twentieth century was highly destructive, but from its landscapes of ruins was born a new architectural type: the cultural monument. In the wake of World War I, an international movement arose which aimed to protect architectural monuments in large numbers, and regardless of style, hoping not only to keep them safe from future conflicts but also to make them worthy of protection from more quotidian forms of destruction. An evolving group--including architects, intellectuals, art historians, archaeologists, curators, and lawyers--grew out of the new diplomacy of the League of Nations. During and after World War II, it became affiliated with the Allied Military Government and was eventually absorbed by the UN as UNESCO. By the 1970s, this organization had begun granting World Heritage status to a global register of significant sites--from buildings to bridges, shrines to city centers, ruins to colossi.

Examining key episodes in the history of this preservation effort--including projects for the Parthenon, the Cathedral of St-L