Michigan Modern

Nathan Johnson is highly regarded for his Modernist contributions to SE Michigan's architectural landscape - from churches to schools to People Mover stations and more. A new project is about to kickoff to study his work - and the public is invited to an upcoming meeting to learn more and contribute what they know!

Oak Grove AME Church
19801 Cherrylawn Ave.
Detroit, MI 48221
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
6:00 pm

More information is available in the post below 👇

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, October 6 at 6:00 pm! Join MISHPO, Noir Design Parti, and Loggia Preservation for a public information meeting about our new project to study the architecture of Nathan Johnson!

Nathan Johnson (1926-2021) was a pioneer African American architect in Michigan. Johnson arrived in Detroit in 1950 and worked in the offices of Donald White, Michigan's first licensed Black architect in Michigan, before starting his own firm in 1956 on West Grand Boulevard. He first rose to prominence through his commissions for small Black congregations in Detroit. Into the 1960s, Johnson's firm received increasingly larger commissions, including churches, offices, businesses, housing, and more. His affinity for Modern design was a hallmark of his work. Through it all, Johnson was a proactive voice in helping to shape the mid-twentieth century landscape of the city and supported other Black professionals in the city, serving as a mentor for many Black architects of the period.

No formal catalog of all known places Nathan Johnson designed exists - which is the point of this project. Whether you were a client of Nathan Johnson, knew him personally or professionally, or just have an interest in the architectural heritage of metro Detroit, please join us at the meeting! If you can't attend, there will be an option to electrically submit information you know to the project - with more details to be announced soon.

We'll see you at Oak Grove AME Church, 19801 Cherrylawn Ave., Detroit, MI 48221 on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 6:00 pm!

Learn more about the project at https://www.miplace.org/historic-preservation/programs-and-services/mi-civil-rights-project/nathan-johnson-architecture/

The World Trade Center was designed by Minaru Yamasaki, right here in Michigan. But did you know that the State of Michigan now owns the plans Yamasaki designed? Check out this video to learn about how this came to be.

Michigan taxpayers own part of World Trade Center history You may have heard his name mentioned during one of the darkest periods in American history

A great presentation coming up on September 15 about architect Minoru Yamasaki! Learn more 👇👇

Our friends at A2Modern are hosting an event with guest speaker Dale Gyure!

Gyure is an author of the book Minoru Yamasaki, and is currently a professor in the College of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University. He is also on the board of Docomomo Michigan.

This lecture is part of their a2modern Midcentury Modern Lecture Series.

Minoru Yamasaki is best known as the architect behind large public projects such as the original World Trade Center, the McGregor Memorial Conference Center at Wayne State University, the US Science Pavilion at the Seattle World’s Fair, and the Lambert-St. Louis Airport.

Few people realize that Yamasaki lived in Michigan for forty years and most of his built work is located here.

This presentation will focus on Yamasaki’s architecture in Michigan, particularly his lesser-known buildings, in recognition of the fact that he spent most of his professional life creating architecture that contributed to the fabric of Michigan’s everyday built environment

a2modern Midcentury Modern Lecture Series
Featuring Dale Gyure
Date: Tuesday September 15
Time: 6:00-7:30
Place: Ann Arbor District Library Program Room,
4th Floor

Happy ! Did you know Detroit is home to the only marble Art Deco style lighthouse in the United States?

Located at the east end of Belle Isle Park - Michigan, it was designed by Albert Kahn with decoration by Hungarian sculptor Géza Maróti. The tower was constructed of Georgia marble in 1930 and is 47' tall, topped by an irregular octagonal bronze lantern room. It is named for William Livingstone, a former president of the Lake Carriers' Association, a Great Lakes shipping trade group.

The light is still an active aid to navigation today. Some of the recent repair work to the light was funded by a Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program grant, the funding for which is generated the sales of the specialty Save Our Lights Michigan license plate. Learn more about lighthouse preservation in Michigan and how to get the plate for your vehicle: www.michigan.gov/saveourlights.

Dr. Luther Bruce's 1977-built Monolithic Dome house near Kalamazoo is on the market and causing quite a media stir!

Michigan's iconic Bubble House for sale for $1.15M. Take a look inside The house's seven interconnected domes create a flower-like footprint that has made the home an architectural landmark in southwest Michigan.

The City of Livonia is searching for a private partner to help write the next chapter for the Gunnar Birkerts-designed Alfred Noble Library. The library opened in 1967 and was noted for its strategic use of clerestory windows, bringing diffused, natural light into the book stacks and other areas of the building. The building was closed in 2019 due to water and mold issues, and had been proposed for demolition, but a task force formed in late 2025 has shifted the conversation from removal to adaptive reuse.

Learn more: https://www.wxyz.com/news/region/wayne-county/livonia-seeks-private-partner-to-transform-historic-alfred-noble-library-building

Guided tours of a Frank Lloyd Wright and at Lawrence Tech? Sign us up! A limited number of tickets are available... 👇

Michigan's premier historic preservation conference is coming in May to metro Detroit... and it includes several tours that focus on the region's Modernism properties! Check out the full list of conference sessions and tours and register today: https://www.mhpn.org/conference-registration/

Don't miss this chance to tour some of Detroit's finest Modernism!