Resilience in architecture: the diaspora’s response to the Second World War

The Second World War had a profound impact not only on the fate of countries and people but also on the development of architecture. In occupied territories across the globe, architecture reflected the prevailing trends of the time. Meanwhile, war refugees continued their attempts to shape the architectural landscape in their new homes to preserve their cultural identity. According to Vaidas Petrulis, an expert in architecture at Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania, this phenomenon is an important part of architectural history, worthy of both greater interest and international recognition.

A reminder of past mistakes

As the concept of heritage has expanded in recent decades, it is no longer just a collection of the most beautiful or technologically impressive buildings but also an evidence of past processes.

“Some testimonies reveal the creativity and progress of mankind, while others warn of mistakes,” explains Petrulis.

Wars and their aftermath are one of humanity’s biggest catastrophes, marked not only by destroyed cities, concentration camps, or mass graves but also by people’s attempts to survive.

“Being in exile and using creativity to send a message about a nation’s right to statehood is another significant story,” says Petrulis.

Although the original political purpose of the buildings designed in the diaspora after World War Two is gradually fading, KTU researcher believes that in the current situation, the recognition of such heritage is even more significant.

“Today, when the world is facing threats again, such phenomenon takes on a new meaning. It is not only a reflection of the past but also a reminder for the present and future generations,” says Petrulis a senior researcher at Institute of Architecture and Construction.

In his opinion, the heritage of the refugees should not only be appreciated by society but also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The researcher believes that not only the community that created these buildings but also the state that hosted the refugees should consider them valuable.

“For example, the reception of refugees from Europe should be interpreted as an integral and significant part of American and Canadian history. In this way, the heritage would become a shared one,” the expert argues.

Inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List would not only honour the memory of those who have survived the challenges of the diaspora but also remind the rest of us about the mistakes made in the past.

“Unfortunately, war refugees and their fate in exile continue to be a pressing issue in the 21st century,” says Petrulis.

Architecture with a political agenda

KTU researcher and his team explored the Lithuanian architectural legacy in the United States of America (USA) after World War Two.

Petrulis says that emigrants from Lithuania have been choosing the USA as a destination for emigration for a long time. After the Second World War, around 40 thousand Lithuanians came to North America to escape the repressions of the Soviet Union. Unlike previous emigrants, they were considered war refugees.

“Architecture was serving the purpose of not only creating a recognisable and attractive place for the community to gather but also for presenting the name of Lithuania to the world. It was expected that the buildings, designed by Lithuanians, would once again remind the world about Lithuania, its culture, language, and history,” says Petrulis.

Architects continued local architectural tradition in diaspora

After the Second World War, other emigrants also tried to promote their architecture in the US: the Polish built churches with Baroque towers, and in Chicago’s Ukrainian town, churches were decorated with their characteristic domes. However, as Petrulis points out, Lithuanians were the leaders in the search for a distinctive architectural character.

The architects who remained in Lithuania had to adapt to the realities of occupation. Immediately after the Second World War, modern architecture, for which, as Petrulis reminds us, Kaunas was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, was replaced by the Stalinist regime and its architecture.

“Later on, modernism returned to Soviet Union, but the economic version of it was created under the political slogan: cheaper, more, and faster. Most of the time, that also meant poorer. It is not surprising that the architects who left Lithuania felt obliged to continue the native architectural tradition, which was restricted in conditions of occupation,” adds the associate professor of KTU.

Sharing the results of his research, Petrulis reveals that the architectural style of the Lithuanian diaspora was influenced by faith: “The majority of the Lithuanian diaspora in the USA were Catholics, so it is not surprising that this generation of war refugees built churches, monasteries, and – in their neighbourhoods – schools and cultural centres.”

The article The Architectural Legacy of Lithuanians in the United States during the Post-World War II Era: A Monument to the Cold War was published in Buildings 2023, issue 12, and can be accessed here.