Survey Letter to Presidents of National and International Scientific Committees

Dear President,

We are writing to you to ask for your Committee’s contribution to a Global Survey ICOMOS is conducting of 20th C. heritage in its full diversity: buildings of all style and functions (new construction, vernacular, examples of reused buildings); urban ensembles (neighbourhoods, new towns); city parks, gardens and landscapes; artwork, furniture, interiors or integrated industrial design; engineering works (roads, bridges, waterworks, harbours, industrial complexes); archaeological or commemorative sites, etc.

Over the last 10 years, many discussions have taken place within ICOMOS on 20th C. heritage. ICOMOS organised major international meetings in Helsinki in 1995 ) and Mexico in 1996 on the topic and many national committees held special conferences on it as well. In March, the Executive Committee accepted the proposal to hold a meeting in Montreal (Québec), Canada, to develop a proposed ICOMOS Action Plan on 20th C. heritage. The plan was presented and discussed in October, at the meeting of the Advisory and Executive Committee in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and was approved for implementation. A main component of the “Montreal Plan for 20th C. Heritage” (MP20) for ICOMOS is the production of a global survey of the theme from our world-wide network of National and International Scientific Committees.

The survey will gather illustrative cases of 20th C. heritage that will help identify the main issues relating to the understanding, conservation and proper recognition of this cultural heritage and its sources. It can also include earlier examples of buildings or sites that may be important precursors of the heritage of the 20th C. The purpose of this survey is not to produce a list of monuments of 20th C. architecture. Its goal is to assemble, with your contribution and assistance, a description of the wide diversity of cultural heritage of the 20th C. and its sources so that ICOMOS can develop strategies, scientific actions, etc. to address the issues related to its conservation within its own network or in partnership with other organisations. For Federal States, we invite the National Committee to present a summary report rather than rather than a collage of individual cases.

The “Montreal Plan” is to be implemented by the core group who developed it; this core group integrates strong ICOMOS connections as well as links to other interested groups such as DOCOMOMO. With the generous support of US/ICOMOS as Co-ordinator of the Survey, we hope to complete and publish it on time for the International Monuments and Sites Day, on April 18, 2002, which ICOMOS proposes to dedicate to 20th C. heritage. Then, the core group could develop a series of recommendations for the next General Assembly, in October 2002, including the establishment of permanent International Scientific Committees.

We are aware that other international or national organisations are exploring this field as part of their mission or in the context of their work. DOCOMOMO has recently published a valuable survey of the modernist architecture. While we respect the value of these and encourage linkage between all the work, we want to stress that the ICOMOS initiative, in particular the survey its includes, covers the whole of the 20th Century’s heritage as well as those precursors buildings, ensembles, sites or landscapes.

We enclose a short questionnaire presenting issues we invite your Committee to explore the selection of some 10 to 20 representative cases. In doing this exercise, we encourage you to get in touch with organisations such as working parties of DOCOMOMO or TICCIH, or national or regional organisations that might prove an interesting source of information.

Considering the very tight time frame in which the work is to be accomplished, and confident in your understanding, we will appreciate very much if you could return your report with at least one illustrations by the 31 January 2002. Reports may be submitted in English, French or Spanish. To facilitate publication of the report, we ask that you send it in a standard electronic format such as Word 2000 and that all illustrations, be sent in an electronic format (jpg). Finally, in order to facilitate and follow through with this important initiative, we also ask you to identify a contact person within your committee.

Please send submissions to:
Via e-mail: gkubaitis@usicomos.org
Via regular mail (Send paper copy and diskette with files-Word or WordPerfect for IBM PC):
US/ICOMOS
Attn: ICOMOS 20th C. Heritage Survey
401 F Street NW, Room 331
Washington DC 20001-2728 USA

Yours truly,

Gunny Harboe (US/ICOMOS), Survey Co-ordinator

Alfredo Conti (ICOMOS Argentina), Survey Secretary