▲ 美国芝加哥联邦中心
United States Chicago Federal Center by Mies van der Rohe

世纪中期与中西部： 追溯美国工业走廊的现代主义运动
Mid-Century & Mid-Western: Tracing the Modernist Movement in America’s Industrial Corridor

由专筑网Zia，小R编译

世纪中期现代主义运动不仅仅是美国设计美学或材料的转变，更是对瞬息万变的世界的回应。这场建筑革命兴起于第二次世界大战之后，它摒弃了过去华丽的传统风格，转而采用简洁的线条、功能性设计以及钢材、玻璃和混凝土等华而不实的材料。现代主义打破了传统，转而注重简洁、高效和对未来的憧憬。它反映了一个国家重建的乐观精神，表达了技术和创新对于城市景观以及郊区住宅的塑造。

开放式平面布局、大窗户、平屋顶以及室内外空间的融合是美国世纪中期现代主义的特点。建筑物的设计以功能性为中心，摒弃了不必要的装饰，以适应战后现代社会的需求。这些空间往往模糊了建筑与景观之间的界限，追求与周围环境的和谐。从芝加哥的玻璃钢塔楼到加利福尼亚的简约牧场式住宅，这场运动重新定义了现代生活的含义。

尽管纽约和洛杉矶等城市通常与世纪中期现代主义联系在一起，但中西部地区在全国范围内的现代主义运动中却扮演着举足轻重的角色。一些最有影响力的现代主义建筑师在这一地区找到了他们的舞台，利用中西部的城市和乡村景观探索新的建筑可能性。从芝加哥的摩天大楼到印第安纳州哥伦布市等小镇的教堂，中西部是建筑创新的沃土。

The Mid-Century Modernist movement was more than an aesthetic or material shift in the United States, as it was a response to a rapidly changing world. Emerging after World War II, this architectural revolution rejected ornate, traditional styles of the past in favor of clean lines, functional design, and incorporation of flashy materials like steel, glass, and concrete. Modernism was a break from tradition, focusing instead on simplicity, efficiency, and a vision for the future. It reflected the optimism of a nation rebuilding itself, where technology and innovation shaped everything from cityscapes to suburban homes.
Open floor plans, large windows, flat roofs, and the integration of interior and exterior spaces characterized mid-century modernism in the United States. Buildings were designed with functionality in mind, stripped of unnecessary ornamentation, and adapted to the needs of a modern, postwar society. These structures often blurred the boundaries between architecture and landscape, seeking harmony with their surroundings rather than imposing on them. From the glass-and-steel towers of Chicago to the minimalist ranch homes in California, this movement redefined what it meant to live in the modern world.
While cities like New York and Los Angeles are often associated with Mid-Century Modernism, the Midwest played a pivotal role in shaping the movement across the country. Some of the most influential modernist architects found their canvas in this region, using the Midwest's urban and rural landscapes to explore new architectural possibilities. From skyscrapers in Chicago to churches in small towns like Columbus, Indiana, the Midwest was a fertile ground for architectural innovation.


伊利诺伊州：芝加哥战后现代主义的城市中心

An Urban Epicenter of Post-War Modernism in Chicago, Illinois

▲ 北密歇根大街875号，原约翰·汉考克中心
875 N. Michigan Ave. Former John Hancock Center by SOM. Image © Dave Burk © SOM

要将芝加哥排除在北美现代主义对话之外是不可能的，即使在今天，芝加哥仍是一座与现代主义的关系更多是共生而非偶然的城市。芝加哥悠久的建筑创新历史为二战后兴起的现代主义运动奠定了基础，是现代摩天大楼设计的发源地，也是路易斯·沙利文和弗兰克·劳埃德·赖特等先驱的故乡，在展现密斯·凡德罗的国际风格原则方面，芝加哥具有得天独厚的优势。

20世纪30年代，密斯·凡德罗来到伊利诺伊理工学院，标志着这座城市的一个关键时刻。密斯的建筑理念以极简主义形式为特征，强调钢材和玻璃等新型工业材料，在芝加哥快速发展的城市景观中找到了完美的出口。他的设计，如湖滨大道公寓（1951年）和皇冠大厅（1956 年），打破了过去的传统，摒弃了装饰，转而以结构作为美的形式。这些建筑不仅仅是有形的结构，它们还是一种看待世界的新方式，将艺术和功能融合为一个优雅的整体。

It is impossible to exclude Chicago from the conversation of modernism in North America. It stands, even today, as a city whose relationship with modernism was more symbiotic than incidental. The city's long history of architectural innovation laid the groundwork for the birth of the Mid-Century Modern movement, which took off in the aftermath of World War II. Famously admired as the birthplace of modern skyscraper design and home to pioneers like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Chicago was uniquely positioned to embrace the principles of the International Style, perfected by Mies van der Rohe.
The arrival of Mies van der Rohe at the Illinois Institute of Technology in the 1930s marked a pivotal moment for the city. Mies's architectural philosophy, characterized by minimalist forms and an emphasis on new industrial materials like steel and glass, found a perfect outlet in Chicago's rapidly evolving urban landscape. His designs, such as the Lake Shore Drive Apartments (1951) and Crown Hall (1956), broke from the past, rejecting ornamentation in favor of structure as the form of beauty. These buildings were more than just physical structures—they were a new way of seeing the world that blended art and function into an elegant whole.

▲ 美国芝加哥联邦中心
United States Chicago Federal Center by Mies van der Rohe. Image © Garrett Rock

芝加哥对现代主义的拥护不仅停留在理论上，而且有众多实践。SOM 设计的约翰·汉考克中心（1970年）以其大胆的锥形造型和一体化设计体现了这座城市正在进行的变革。这些摩天大楼不仅仅是财富的象征，还代表了具有前瞻性思维的工业城市在战后变革中的自我重塑。现代主义在芝加哥的意义在于突破可能的界限，因而芝加哥的天际线成为了这种新建筑理念的城市实验室。

Chicago's embrace of modernism wasn't just theoretical but intensely practical. The John Hancock Center by SOM (1970), with its bold tapering shape and integrated design, embodied the city's ongoing transformation. These skyscrapers weren't just symbols of wealth—they represented a forward-thinking, industrial city reinventing itself in the face of postwar change. Modernism in Chicago was about making a statement, about pushing the boundaries of what was possible, and the skyline became an urban laboratory for this new architectural philosophy.


印第安纳州：哥伦布市成为意料之外的现代主义天堂

An Unexpected Modernist Haven in Columbus, Indiana

▲ 米勒花园住宅
Miller House and Garden by Eero Saarinen. Image Courtesy of Indianapolis Museum of Art

中西部地区的现代主义并不仅仅局限于广阔的城市景观，美国的小城镇也以惊人的热情拥抱着这场运动，其中以印第安纳州的哥伦布最为突出。哥伦布是一个人口不足5万的小镇，但在康明斯发动机公司首席执行官J. Irwin Miller的远见卓识下，哥伦布成为了意料之外的现代主义建筑中心。

Miller深信，建筑可以成为提升公民自豪感的工具，于是他开始将一些世界上最伟大的建筑师请到自己的家乡。这一努力将哥伦布变成了建筑圣地，吸引了埃利尔·沙里宁、贝聿铭和理查德·迈尔等知名人士。这些建筑师不仅设计建筑，他们还为哥伦布塑造了新的形象，为哥伦布注入了世纪中期现代主义精神。由埃利尔·沙里宁设计的第一基督教堂（1942年）是该镇最著名的地标之一，它是现代主义如何改造神圣空间的绝佳范例。教堂采用极简主义设计，混凝土拱门高耸入云，内部光线充足，与传统的宗教建筑截然不同，但简约中不失灵性。

Modernism in the Midwest wasn't only defined by the sprawling urban landscapes. Small-town America, too, embraced the movement with a surprising fervor, most notably in Columbus, Indiana. A town of less than 50,000, Columbus became an unlikely hub of modernist architecture, thanks to the vision of J. Irwin Miller, the CEO of Cummins Engine Company.
Miller was convinced that architecture could be a tool for civic pride, and he set out to bring some of the world's greatest architects to his hometown. This endeavor transformed Columbus into an architectural mecca, attracting renowned figures like Eliel Saarinen, I.M. Pei, and Richard Meier. These architects didn't just design buildings—they shaped a new identity for the town, infusing it with the spirit of Mid-Century Modernism. One of the town's most notable landmarks, the First Christian Church (1942), designed by Eliel Saarinen, is a stunning example of how modernism could transform sacred spaces. The church's minimalist design, with its soaring concrete arches and light-filled interior, departs from traditional religious architecture, yet remains deeply spiritual in its simplicity.

▲ 米勒花园住宅
Miller House and Garden by Eero Saarinen. Image Courtesy of Indianapolis Museum of Art

哥伦布并不仅仅在公共建筑中采用现代主义，现代主义还影响了哥伦布的学校、图书馆和公交车站的设计和建造。到20世纪70年代，哥伦布的人均现代主义建筑数量超过了美国其他地区。哥伦布是现代主义如何超越城市中心，成为中西部小城生活方式的完美范例，它提升了日常公共空间的档次，并将公民自豪感植入该地区的身份认同中。

But Columbus didn't just embrace modernism in its public buildings. It influenced the narrative and construction of its schools, libraries, and bus stations. By the 1970s, the town had more modernist structures per capita than any other place in the United States. Columbus is a perfect example of how modernism transcended urban centers and became a way of life in a small Midwestern town, elevating everyday spaces and embedding a sense of future-oriented civic pride into the region's identity.


美国小镇的乡村世纪中期现代主义

Rural Mid-Century Modernism in Small-Town America

▲ 范斯沃斯豪宅的家具展示
Installation at Farnsworth House Showcases Furniture. Image © William Zbaren

▲ 范斯沃斯豪宅的家具展示
Installation at Farnsworth House Showcases Furniture. Image © William Zbaren

虽然芝加哥和哥伦布可能是中西部地区最具代表性的世纪中期现代主义代表，但这一运动的影响甚至波及到该地区最偏远的乡村角落。在爱荷华州的梅森城和印第安纳州的韦恩堡等城镇，现代主义简约、开放和功能性的理想并不局限于宏伟的城市项目。它们进入日常生活，塑造住宅、学校、图书馆、市政建筑和社区基础设施。与芝加哥或哥伦布高耸入云的摩天大楼和大胆的公共空间不同，农村地区的世纪中期现代主义建筑在规模上更为适中，但仍然体现了对简洁线条、高效设计和环境整合的关注。

以弗兰克·劳埃德·赖特在爱荷华州梅森市设计的草原学校住宅为例。这些房屋拥有平直的屋顶线条、宽大的悬挑以及开放、流畅的内部空间，抓住了世纪中期现代设计的精髓，打破了传统的封闭式房间，创造出宽敞并与自然相连的空间。虽然这些住宅都是私人住宅，但它们是更广泛的世纪中期精神的缩影，采用当地材料，与景观融为一体，并利用设计来提高生活质量。赖特在梅森城的作品反映了世纪中期现代主义并不仅仅满足于美学，而是将空间设计得简洁、实用，并与周围环境紧密相连。

While Chicago and Columbus may stand as the most iconic expressions of Mid-Century Modernism in the Midwest, the movement's influence rippled through even the most rural corners of the region. In towns like Mason City, Iowa, and Fort Wayne, Indiana, the modernist ideals of simplicity, openness, and functionality weren't just limited to grand urban projects. They found their way into everyday life, shaping residential homes, schools, libraries, civic buildings, and community infrastructure. Unlike the towering skyscrapers and bold public spaces in Chicago or Columbus, the rural examples of Mid-Century Modernism were more modest in scale. Still, they reflected the same commitment to clean lines, efficient design, and environmental integration.
Take, for example, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Prairie School houses in Mason City, Iowa. With their flat rooflines, wide overhangs, and open, flowing interiors, these homes captured the essence of Mid-Century Modern design, breaking away from traditional boxed-in rooms to create spaces that were expansive and connected to nature. While these houses were private homes, they served as a microcosm of the broader Mid-Century ethos, embracing local materials, blending with the landscape, and using design to enhance the quality of life. Wright's work in Mason City reflects how Mid-Century Modernism did not answer only to aesthetics, but to the ideologies of designing spaces that are simple, functional, and intrinsically linked to their environmental context.

▲ 米勒花园住宅
Miller House and Garden by Eero Saarinen. Image Courtesy of Indianapolis Museum of Art

除了建筑，世纪中期现代主义的原则开始渗透到这些乡村社区设计的方方面面。塑造该地区住宅和学校的价值观也影响了家具设计、产品设计，甚至基础设施。在小城镇，学校的设计采用了宽大的玻璃窗，以促进开放性，并将学生与外面的自然世界联系起来。与此同时，线条简洁的现代主义家具在当地家庭中也很常见，既简洁又实用。韦恩堡的学校与著名建筑师埃罗-沙里宁设计的学校一样，融入了现代主义元素，如开放、灵活的空间，可以适应学生的需求，反映了这一运动更广泛的目标，即创造鼓励合作、创新的社区环境。

此外，农村地区的世纪中期现代主义还延伸到了城市规划和社区基础设施——注重效率、可达性以及与自然景观的完美融合。这些小城镇的道路、公园、甚至公共交通的规划都强调简洁明了的形式，确保建筑环境并不割裂，而是对自然环境的补充。小城镇的城市规划者接受了现代主义的理想，即建筑和设计应服务于社区，作为日常生活的背景和丰富日常生活的手段。

Beyond architecture, the principles of Mid-Century Modernism began to permeate every facet of design in these rural communities. The same values that shaped the homes and schools of the region also influenced furniture design, product design, and even infrastructure. In small towns, schools were designed with expansive glass windows to foster openness and connect students to the natural world outside. At the same time, the clean lines of modernist furniture became commonplace in local homes, offering simplicity and functionality. Schools in Fort Wayne, like those designed by the notable architect Eero Saarinen, incorporated modernist elements such as open, flexible spaces that could adapt to the needs of students, reflecting the movement's broader aim of creating environments that encouraged collaboration, innovation, and community.
Moreover, Mid-Century Modernism in rural areas extended into urban planning and community infrastructure—with designs focused on efficiency, accessibility, and a seamless integration with the natural landscape. Roads, parks, and even public transportation in these small towns were planned with an emphasis on simplicity and clarity of form, ensuring that the built environment was not an imposition, but a complement to the natural surroundings. Urban planners in small towns embraced the modernist ideal that architecture and design should serve the community as a backdrop to daily life and a means to enrich it.

▲ 范斯沃斯豪宅的家具展示
Installation at Farnsworth House Showcases Furniture. Image © William Zbaren

▲ 范斯沃斯豪宅的家具展示
Installation at Farnsworth House Showcases Furniture. Image © William Zbaren

在这些中西部城镇中，现代主义运动并不仅仅是一种自上而下的潮流，而是当地文化根深蒂固的一部分，与居民对具有前瞻性思维但又立足于当地的生活方式的渴望产生了共鸣。20世纪中期的理想是开放、简约和与自然的联系，这种理想不仅体现在高耸的市政建筑或宽阔的城市公园中，也体现在小镇生活的结构中。在这里，现代主义并不是要创造宏伟的姿态，也不以改变世界为目的，而是要在此时此地为人设计，着眼未来，展现过去。这种对现代主义原则的本土化改造表明，现代主义运动的理念可以在任何规模上得以实现，也表明美国乡村对于这种思路的接纳，目的是让生活更简单、更高效、更美丽。

In these Midwestern towns, the modernist movement was not simply a top-down trend but a deeply ingrained part of the local culture, resonating with residents' desire for a forward-thinking yet regionally grounded approach to life. The Mid-Century ideals of openness, simplicity, and a connection to nature found expression not just in towering civic buildings or sweeping urban parks, but in the very fabric of small-town life. Here, modernism was not about creating grand, world-changing gestures—it was about designing for the people, in the here and now, with an eye toward the future, and understanding the past. This local adaptation of modernist principles shows how the movement's philosophy could be realized at any scale, and how rural America embraced a movement that was fundamentally about making life simpler, more efficient, and more beautiful.


中西部地区世纪中期现代主义的影响

Scales of Mid-Century Modernism in the Midwest

▲ 美国芝加哥联邦中心
United States Chicago Federal Center by Mies van der Rohe. Image © Samuel Ludwig

▲ 美国芝加哥联邦中心
United States Chicago Federal Center by Mies van der Rohe. Image © Samuel Ludwig

中西部各州的世纪中期现代主义拒绝受到规模、地理或城市环境的限制。它仍然证明，现代建筑并不是不断扩张的城市或特权精英的专属领域。相反，在不断扩张的城市环境和家具设计决策中，现代建筑是一种多功能的民主力量。

中西部地区的世纪中期现代主义之美在于它能够将开放、简洁和功能性的理想转化为各种形式。这场运动通过不朽的市政建筑、流线型住宅或时尚的家具设计，从最宏伟的市政姿态到最微小的日常用品，在各个层面重塑了中西部的景观。在现代主义的多尺度应用中，中西部建筑遗产的核心设计辉煌灿烂。

Mid-century modernism in the Midwestern states refused to be confined by scale, geography, or urban context. It remains proof that modern architecture was not the exclusive realm of sprawling cities or privileged elites. Instead, it was a versatile and democratic force in sprawling urban contexts and furniture design decisions.
The beauty of mid-century modernism in the Midwest lies in its ability to translate the ideals of openness, simplicity, and functionality into various forms. The movement reshaped the Midwestern landscape at every level through monumental civic buildings, streamlined homes, or sleek furniture designs, from the grandest civic gestures to the most miniature everyday objects. In this multi-scaled application of modernism, the heart of the Midwest's architectural legacy truly shines.

▲ 五大湖海军训练基地
Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Hostess House by SOM. Image © Hedrick Blessing

▲ 五大湖海军训练基地
Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Hostess House by SOM. Image © Hedrick Blessing

在整个地区的城镇展望未来时，这场运动的经验教训为我们提供了宝贵的启示，即如何创造能反映社区精神和愿望的功能性空间。然而，对这些建筑的保护仍然是一个有争议的问题，一些现代主义地标随着时间的流逝而消失，而另一些则最终因其文化和建筑意义而得到认可，这种关于保护的持续对话反映了现代主义运动更广泛的影响。

归根结底，中西部地区对世纪中期现代主义的追捧是对一个时代的见证，这个时代充满了乐观主义、前瞻性思维以及对设计塑造日常生活潜力的深刻信念。在美国的工业中心地带，现代主义展现了对未来的憧憬，这种憧憬以简洁、功能和美观的价值观为基础，通过建筑设计直观地表达出来。

As cities and towns across the region look to the future, the lessons of this movement offer valuable insight into creating functional spaces that reflect a community's spirit and aspirations. However, preserving these structures remains a contested issue, with some modernist landmarks lost to time while others are finally recognized for their cultural and architectural significance. This ongoing conversation about preservation speaks to the broader legacy of the movement.

Ultimately, the Midwest's embrace of Mid-Century Modernism stands as a testament to an era marked by optimism, forward-thinking, and a profound belief in the potential of design to shape everyday life. In the industrial heartland of the United States, modernism adopted a vision for a future that was accessible, scalable, and grounded in the values of simplicity, function, and beauty.

▲ 五大湖海军训练基地
Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Hostess House by SOM. Image © Hedrick Blessing

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