Fitchburg Historical Society is creating a live TV special to be broadcast on Fitchburg Access TV, their streaming platform and Facebook live on Monday, May 17 from 7 to 8 p.m. Keith Chenot (Engineering Technology, Fitchburg State University) and Russ Karlstad (City of Fitchburg, previously Taliesin West) will examine mid-century architectural design in Fitchburg, with an emphasis on Carl Koch's Fitchburg Paper Company Headquarters. Discussion led by Fitchburg Historical Society Executive Director Susan Navarre, with opportunities for comments and questions by phone and live Facebook broadcast during the live broadcast on Monday, May 17 from 7 to 8 p.m.

The midcentral Massachusetts city of Fitchburg was a lively industrial powerhouse for most of the 20th century. By the 1960's, its late-19th century streetscape saw a new design approach, with new building in the Modernist idiom, most often supported by city leader George R. Wallace, Jr. The extraordinary new buildings in Fitchburg included the Fitchburg Public Library and Children's Library; Wallace's home, known as "Screwball Terrace"; and the Litton Industries/Fitchburg Paper Company Offices all by Carl Koch. The Fitchburg Paper building has been described by the Massachusetts Historical Commission as "the finest modern building in Fitchburg by a noted architect."

This program will examine Fitchburg's modernist legacy, with a special emphasis on understanding the aesthetic and engineering principles that make a design "modern" in style. Oriented toward a general audience interested in local history and design.

Date: Monday, May 17th, 2021

Time: 7:00-8:00 pm

Special Instructions: To participate live, go to https://www.fatv.org/ at the time of the program, and click on "Live Streaming - Public" to watch the program in real time. After the program has been broadcast, it will still be available online, by visiting https://www.fatv.org/vod (Video on demand). For more information, call 978-343-0834 or 978-345-1157.