Modern Architecture History
Modern architecture can trace its history to the late 19th century during what is now called the Chicago School of Architecture movement that spawned the modern skyscraper. Today's modern designs, however, are perhaps described as being inspired by the Bauhaus movement.
Background
Nineteenth-century American buildings were steeped in ornate and busy Victorian and Romanesque architecture that often was pleasing to the eye but not very functional, according to Greatbuildings.com.
Chicago Origins
Chicago architects led by Louis Sullivan and William Le Baron Jenney believed that form should follow function by designing structures that were both aesthetically pleasing and functional, according to Greatbuildings.com.
Birth of the Skyscraper
The modern skyscraper originated in Chicago and was developed with a load-bearing structural frame to allow for taller buildings, with straight, clean lines and minimal adornments, according to Encyclopedia.com.
Elements
Elements used in modern architecture include masonry, steel and glass, which forces the abandonment of excessive styling, according to Greatbuildings.com.
Bauhaus
Today's modern architecture owes a debt to the 1920s-30s German Bauhaus movement of combining fine arts and industrial design that employ simplified forms to enhance function, according to Bauhause-dessau.de.
Today
American modern residential architecture has declined since the 1960s as being too sterile and has been replaced by a revival in arts and crafts, art nouveau and even art deco styling.
