What’s Happening: A team of preservationists has breathed new life into the imperiled Casa Sobre el Arroyo, a beloved symbol of 20th-century Latin American modernism, whose two-year-long restoration earned this year’s Knoll Modernism Prize.

The Download: One of the first completed works by architect Amancio Williams was a house and studio space for his father, the famed composer Alberto, who had acquired a five-acre plot in the coastal Argentine town of Mar del Plata. First conceptualized in 1943 and finished three years later, Casa Sobre el Arroyo forms a reinforced concrete bridge over the Las Chacras stream flowing underneath. Though the house’s graceful fusion into the topography garnered praise and solidified it as an icon of 20th-century Latin American modernism, Alberto fell ill and died before he could ever live there. A radio station moved in but quickly left after ownership disputes. The vacant site sat untouched for years, falling victim to vandalism, environmental wear, and a devastating 2004 fire that destroyed half its carpentry and wooden floors.

Though the local government cleaned and secured the damaged house a year after the fire, the site sat derelict until restoration efforts spearheaded by Argentina’s Ministry of Public Works resumed in 2021. Led by Buenos Aires architect Mariana Quiroga, the two-year-long revamp injected new life into the dwelling and even recreated its original interiors by Delfina Gálvez Bunge de Williams, the architect’s wife. Intact original components were repaired, missing ones were recreated based on archival sketches using materials faithful to the original, and the park was designated as a historic garden. They even replenished the stream, which dried up after years of neglect, and helped launch a museum to celebrate the house’s legacy.

Casa Sobre el Arroyo’s restoration was recently named the first South American winner of the World Monuments Fund’s biennial Knoll Modernism Prize, which honors preservation-minded architects undertaking the important work to save imperiled modern architecture. “Argentinian modernism takes its roots from multiple schools, and the Casa Sobre el Arroyo represents the lively nature of that style,” says Bénédicte de Montlaur, the President and CEO of World Monuments Fund, which added the house to its watchlist a decade ago after calls for refurbishment by locals, Argentine citizens, and architecture enthusiasts echoed worldwide. “Its importance as an architectural icon has made it a symbol of national pride for Argentina and the site’s conservation underscores its role as an integral part of Latin American heritage.”

In Their Own Words: “As the iconic first building of Amancio Williams, the Casa Sobre el Arroyo exemplified its creator’s reputation as one of the most tirelessly experimental architects of the modern movement,” Bary Bergdoll, a professor of art history at Columbia University and a chairman of the jury, said in a statement. “It was as daring in its unadorned use of reinforced concrete for an elegant residence as it was practical in creating a sophisticated interior all on one floor suspended in the treetops and poetically bridging a stream.”

Surface Says: Even Argentina’s president showed up to the unveiling.

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Change is slow on storied Martha’s Vineyard, but the rebirth of the Faraway hotel—a collection of historic houses in the heart of Edgartown—marks a new chapter for the idyllic summer destination. Envisioned by Blue Flag Partners and design firm Workshop/APD, the property is an homage to the island’s artistic fervor of the 1970s, a time when legends like James Taylor and Carly Simon infused the air with their melodies. “We dreamed up a woman who grew up on the island in the 1960s, tending to her gardens all the while learning the healing powers plants possess,” says Brad Guidi, managing partner at Blue Flag Partners. “In the evening, she would entertain guests in awe of her enchanted singing, magical intuition, and artistic know-how.”

Seamlessly blending midcentury flair with the relaxed vibe of island life, a medley of custom artworks, well-curated keepsakes, and floral installations welcome guests in the lobby. Rooms offer up boho aesthetics, plush Italian linens by Bellino, and views of Chappaquiddick Island. A pathway through connected gardens leads to the new courtyard spa, gym area, and pool where guests lounge in the sun before shuffling off to the coastal-inspired sushi bar, Pelican Club, or The Newes, a seasonal spot serving up elevated takes on American and British pub grub in a historic harborside setting.

A theatrical scene is unfolding in the courtyard outside London’s Royal Academy of Art. There, as part of the institution’s recently opened show “Entangled Pasts, 1768–Now: Art, Colonialism, and Change” the Bahamian artist Tavares Strachan has restaged Leonardo da Vinci’s seminal painting The Last Supper. Instead of depicting Jesus with the Twelve Apostles, Strachan imagined a friendly gathering between historical figures from Africa and its Diaspora, who realistically never met because they came from different periods. Among them are abolitionist Harriet Tubman, congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, Brazilian resistance fighter Zumbi Dos Palmares, and Strachan himself in the guise of Judas.

Each figure, frozen in motion making animated gestures, is rendered in black patina and gold leaf that markedly contrasts the gray architecture of Burlington House behind it. “I think it’s important for us to have an archive of the stories of our folks—one that doesn’t necessarily center Europe, modernism, or any -ism that’s not indicative of us,” Strachan said in the exhibition catalog. Uncovering marginalized histories has long fueled Strachan’s conceptual practice. He became the first Bahamian to visit the North Pole to retrace the journey of Matthew Henson, the Black explorer who is rarely credited for having journeyed there first, in 1909. Perhaps Henson can rest knowing that he now holds a seat at Strachan’s hallowed table.

How did California’s promise of the unfettered expanse of the open road turn into car-mageddon incarnate? Over the past few decades, the lingering nostalgia for taking to the freeway for a day of surfing at San O., or decamping to Palm Springs for a weekend sojourn straight out of a Slim Aarons photo has been usurped by car- and smog-choked freeways. Once emblematic of car culture, L.A.’s broken transportation infrastructure has sparked a mobility revolution as detailed in Renewing the Dream: The Mobility Revolution and the Future of Los Angeles.

Together with architectural firm Woods Bagot, journalist James R. Sanders gathers writers, urban planners, architects, and policy experts with an ambitious brief to reimagine L.A. in the face of a future marked by electric vehicles and transportation alternatives. In an exclusive excerpt from Renewing the Dream, the minds behind Woods Bagot and urban planning consultancy Era-co imagine the potential of reclaiming the land and infrastructure claimed by L.A.’s 550 gas stations.

Earlier this week, the Marley family convened for a dinner with friends to celebrate the release of Bob Marley: One Love, a biopic that chronicles the late reggae legend’s ascent to global superstardom. Together with WhatsApp, the family dedicated the night to a celebration of Jamaican and Caribbean culture. Celebrity chef DeVonn Francis was joined by his mother Jennifer in creating the evening’s menu of escovitch wings, coconut scallion rice, and soursop cheesecake. Zuri Marley fittingly DJ’d for the crowd of family, friends, and creative collaborators.

When was it? Feb. 5

Where was it? SmogShoppe, Los Angeles

Who was there? Marjon Carlos, Kingsley Ben-Adir, James Nortin, Demi Singleton, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Shacia and Daniel Marley, Mystic and Justice Marley, A.V. Rockwell, Telsha Anderson, and more.

Since founding Dinosaur Designs more than 30 years ago, Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy have created a mini-art movement synonymous with luxury. Creating jewelry and homewares from resin and precious metals, their unique pieces are characterized by a warmth and tactility only possible by making each piece by hand in their studio.

Surface Says: Dinosaur Designs has created a distinctly punchy and colorful point of view with its statement-making fashion and home accessories.

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