Great Buildings of the 20th Century: Architecture in an Age of Transformation

The Speakers Annex is Toronto’s most exciting new speakers series. Curated by Will Di Novi, whose popular Curious Minds Lectures and Author Events ran for almost a decade at the Hot Docs Cinema, this new program of lively lectures and enriching conversations will feature some of Canada’s leading thinkers and speakers at the Al Green Theatre, conveniently located at the corner of Bloor and Spadina.

In this exciting new series by The Speakers Annex kicking off on January 21, perfect for both new attendees and fans of his sold-out courses on 21st Century buildings, former Toronto Star architecture critic Christopher Hume leads a spirited survey of the most stunning – and thought-provoking – buildings of the 20th Century: a period of unprecedented architectural innovation.

As you take a globetrotting journey from the Art Nouveau designs of Belle Époque Paris to the Modernist temples of the postwar United States; from Frank Gehry’s stunning mid-career triumphs to the ambitious, sometimes controversial, designs that transformed Toronto in the second half of the century, Hume will assess how architecture, the most functional of art forms, reshaped both the physical and the cultural landscape of great world cities in a century of change.

Lecture Topics:

• January 21: The End of History
• January 28: Modernity, Machines and Mechanization
• February 4: Welcome to the Brave New World
• February 11: Designing a Future
• February 18: Everything Old is New Again
• February 25: Change Means Movement, Movement Means Change

For more information about the lecture topics, please check out their full course schedule and syllabus HERE.  

This series is led by Christopher Hume, who was the architecture critic and urban issues columnist for the Toronto Star from the early 1980s until his retirement in 2016. He is the recipient of many of Canada’s country’s top awards in the field, including the National Newspaper Award and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada President’s Award. 

For more information on this and other Speakers Annex programs, please check out the Speakers Annex website, the Speakers Annex newsletter and its Facebook page. You can email thespeakersannex@gmail.com with any questions.

TSA MEMBERS: The Speakers Annex has offered a special discount code for TSA Members for $20 off a course subcription using the discount code found in the TSA Bulletin and on your Member Dashboard! Not a member yet? Membership is open to everyone and you can join here (student memberships are free!).