Dr. Stephanie Pilat, Director of the Division of Architecture, recently presented a talk at Brown University, titled “The Afterlife of Fascist Architecture and Urbanism.” The talk was sponsored by Brown University’s Department of the History of Art and Architecture.
Dr. Pilat discussed the physical legacy that the Fascist regime left in nearly every Italian village, town, and city. From entirely new towns, roads, and infrastructure to stadiums, summer camps, schools, housing, and monuments, the Italian Fascist regime sponsored a vast array of building projects, many of which still stand today.
Today, these reminders of fascism provoke the questions: Who should not decide the fate of these buildings, towns, and monuments scattered across the country and in Italy’s former colonies? Who gets a say in the afterlife of fascism? What do the decisions made about what to preserve, adapt, or demolish tell us about Italian society and nationalism today?
Dr. Pilat analyzed two sites in Rome in order to illustrate some of the ways in which the physical legacy of Fascism in Italy is being negotiated today.
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
