ABSTRACT
By the 1950s, a critique of modernism had begun to manifest itself in the creation of new Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine-rite churches nationwide. Architects combined modern materials and construction methods, an emphasis on simplicity and abstraction, and a sleek, space-age aesthetic with a bold historicism, so that a connection to the past was readily apparent in their creations. This willingness to embrace tradition violated one of modernism’s cardinal rules. Modernist-Byzantine hybrids held a special affinity for second-generation Greek, Armenian, Arab, and Slavic Americans. Given the historical focus of their faith, many found modernism stark and unappealing and were receptive to the use of historical motifs in the design of their churches. At the same time, they were also forward-looking and assimilationist, celebrating their roots while keeping a certain distance from them. These communities used hybridity to express the tension between past and present at the heart of their story.
