CHICAGO, IL.- 10 That Changed America, a new three-part multi-platform series that spotlights the special places that changed the way Americans lived, worked and played, premieres Tuesdays, April 5, 12 and 19 at 8:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS. Building on the success of WTTW Chicago's 2013 production, 10 Buildings that Changed America, this new three-part series takes audiences on a lively exploration of American architecture, design and urban planning. Hosted by Geoffrey Baer and produced by Dan Protess, the series illustrates how our built environment came to be and how our homes, towns and parks reflect our nation's history, values, ingenuity and hopes for the future.
Shot on location with Baer as our guide, the series features commentary from local historians, architects, and planners as well as nationally known experts, including architecture critic Paul Goldberger, historian Francesca Ammon, and landscape architecture historian Thaisa Way. "The stories behind these 30 manmade wonders offer a fascinating window into how we now live our lives," said series host Geoffrey Baer. "By introducing viewers to the often forgotten visionaries who created these spaces, and explaining their goals and inspirations, we can understand the impact that these once-radical ideas have had on us as individuals and communities." Producer Dan Protess added: "These homes, parks, and towns are all around us, and yet we often take them for granted. We hope viewers come away with a heightened awareness of the spaces they inhabit and share some of our enthusiasm for these truly amazing and uniquely American places."
10 Homes that Changed America (Tuesday, April 5) highlights ten structures that transformed residential living, from grand dwellings like Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, to the pueblos of Taos, New Mexico, and the tenements of 19th century New York. Not only a primer in residential architecture, the episode offers a fascinating lesson in the history of American domestic life, as the evolving design of these homes over time reveals Americans' changing relationship with nature, technology, and each other.
10 Parks that Changed America (Tuesday, April 12) tells the story of innovators who took open canvases of land and transformed them into serene spaces that offer city dwellers a respite from the hustle and bustle of urban life. From the elegant squares of Savannah, Georgia, to a park built over a freeway in Seattle, to the more recent High Line in New York, each story introduces the heroes who brought these parks to life, and the villains who preferred to exploit the land for private enterprise. Over the course of the hour, audiences will discover the evolution of our nation's city parks, and learn the history of landscape architecture - an art form in which human beings try their best to mimic nature.
10 Towns that Changed America (Tuesday, April 19) focuses on ten experimental towns that did not evolve organically over time, but instead were designed (or redesigned) from the ground up by visionary planners and ordinary citizens who sought to change the lives of residents using architecture, design, and urban planning. Some of these planners were driven by an ideology, others were trying to serve their own financial interests, but all had one thing in common: they believed in the power of our built environment to change the way we live. From St. Augustine to Levittown, from Salt Lake City to Portland's new Pearl District, this episode inspires us to reconsider where we live, and how our towns and cities affect every aspect of our lives.
In addition to the three-part series on PBS, a mobile website will allow users to discover the homes, parks, and towns in an interactive and immersive way, explore additional places and spaces, and add their voices to the discussion. The online destination for 10 That Changed America (
wttw.com/tenthatchanged) will be packed with rich media content, including exclusive video, audio, photography, animation, text, and interactive features that will bring the stories introduced in the television series to life. Visitors to the site will have the opportunity to join the conversation and suggest their own homes, parks, and towns for consideration by the broader online audience. The digital platform will also give users the opportunity to localize the experience to explore their own built environment. The content will draw on the rich narrative and video assets from the television productions, and will also include dramatic photography; GPS-enabled interactive maps that allow users to "drill down" to places and nearby attractions; interactive features including quizzes, timelines, and a peek inside the technical and artistic achievements of the subjects; and travel guides for planning visits to the featured locales.
Architecture and design are ideal vehicles for multidisciplinary education -- these fields integrate knowledge from the sciences, humanities, and the arts and can employ the "four Cs" of 21st century learning: creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. A downloadable, multidisciplinary curriculum, geared to grades 6-12, will help teachers incorporate architecture and design into their subject areas, and engage students across various subjects. And, in additional to web and educational outreach, local events are being planned in many of the cities featured in the three specials.
10 That Changed America is produced by Dan Protess and hosted by Geoffrey Baer. Executive Producers are Dan Soles and V.J. McAleer.
