New England Moderism: Jake Gorst
New England Modernism: Revolutionary Architecture in the 20th Century with Filmmaker Jake Gorst
Thursday, September 3 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Registration is required for in-person
Zoom link active at our website at the time of event.
From the 1930s through the 1970s, New England became one of the most important centers of modern architecture in the United States. Architects including Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, and Eliot Noyes created buildings that challenged convention while responding thoughtfully to the region’s landscape and character.
The documentary New England Modernism: Revolutionary Architecture in the 20th Century explores this remarkable period and the architects who shaped it. The film features several significant buildings located here in Litchfield County, including the Oliver Wolcott Library, demonstrating that internationally important modern architecture can be found close to home.
These buildings reflect an era of bold experimentation and enduring imagination. Yet many remain underrecognized or threatened by redevelopment. The film brings renewed attention to this rich architectural legacy and to the importance of preserving it for future generations.
Jake Gorst is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and president of Mainspring Narrative Films. Over the past two decades, he has produced and directed 11 feature-length documentaries, including Frey: The Architectural Interpreter, Modern Tide: Midcentury Architecture on Long Island, and Desert Utopia: Midcentury Architecture in Palm Springs. His films Farmboy and Leisurama have been distributed nationally on PBS. He is also the author of Andrew Geller: Deconstructed and has contributed to The Architect’s Newspaper, VOX Hamptons, HOME Miami, Modern, and Modernism magazines.
Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South Street
Litchfield, CT 06759
2026-09-03
