Black Mountain College Studies Building Recognized by World Monuments Fund
By Theo Belci
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Timed to the United States of America’s 250th anniversary, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) recently announced a list of 10 “irreplaceable” historic places in need of preservation. The organization’s selections include the Studies Building at Black Mountain College, an iconic, experimental liberal arts school that fostered the careers of luminaries such as Cy Twombly, Willem de Kooning and Dorothea Rockburne.
“The Black Mountain College Studies Building represents the best of American ingenuity, creativity, and innovation,” Matthew Crawford, chairman of the board of the Black Mountain College Studies Building Foundation, said in a statement. “Being recognized as an Irreplaceable America site is truly an honor and reminds us that this building should be restored and maintained for future generations.”
Chuck Flournoy, executive director of the Black Mountain College Studies Building Foundation, told North Carolina‘s WLOS that “if you’re an artist, then the people that worked and studied in this building are some of the most famous 20th century modern artists, composers, dancers, poets, writers in the country.”
Designed by architect A. Lawrence Kocher, who created his vision in collaboration with Bauhaus architects Marcel Breuer and Walter Gropius, the Studies Building was constructed by active students and faculty, beginning in 1940, using material sourced from the surrounding environment. Ultimately, the Studies Building came to be composed in the International Style out of concrete, stone, wood and transite, a fireproof composite material. The final product, which is still standing today, includes pilotis supports, ribbon windows, an elevated, two-story format and a roof patio.
However, the Studies Building has fallen into disrepair over the years: “severe deterioration, water infiltration and climate-related damage now threaten its survival,” the WMF said.
The Black Mountain College Studies Building Foundation has now launched an effort to raise $18 million to restore and maintain the premises. Speaking at a press conference on June 30th, Crawford specified that if all goes well, restoration work on the Studies Building can be expected to kick off in the fall of 2027 and be completed by early 2029.
This article was originally published by Artforum.