Docomomo 2026 Modernism in America Awards

Michel Architects is honored to receive a 2026 Modernism in America Award, a Residential Design Citation of Merit, from Docomomo US for the restoration of Lloyd Wright's De Jonghe Residence.

We're grateful to Docomomo US for its work documenting, advocating for, and preserving modern architecture nationwide, and to this year's jury for recognizing the project.

The De Jonghe Residence is a 1959 hillside home in Los Angeles designed by Lloyd Wright, eldest son of Frank Lloyd Wright. Working from Wright's original drawings, recovered through archival research at UCLA Library Special Collections, the restoration reconnects the house to its landscape and adapts it for contemporary living while holding to Wright's design intent.

Michel Architects led the design and managed construction throughout. The work included full interior and exterior restoration of the original house, a drought-tolerant garden in place of a vehicle-dominated forecourt, a new pool and spa, new stained glass, and outdoor living spaces.

Jury member Michelle Magalong, PhD, wrote: “This project elevates the underrecognized legacy of Lloyd Wright through a restoration grounded in rigorous documentation and material fidelity. The landscape work, which reasserts Wright's 'integrated landscape' ethos with climate-appropriate planting and durable hardscape, is compelling. The archival clarification of the 1959 design date strengthens the historical record and the case for broader protection of comparable midcentury houses.”