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Alexandra Lange|Essays

February 6, 2010

On The Moment: Plastic Fantastic

Bakelite, the 20th century’s first plastic, was invented in 1907, 60 years before “The Graduate” suggested the industry was on the cutting edge. “Bakelite in Yonkers: Pioneering the Age of Plastics,” an exhibition that opens on Saturday at the Hudson River Museum, showcases 300 objects from the 1910s to the early 21st century that exploit the unique properties of Phenol-formaldehyde: brilliant color, heat resistance and strength. Bakelite is still used today in car parts, plywood and pan handles (Revere Ware, for example), but the earliest pieces in the exhibition show its decorative side.

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By Alexandra Lange

Alexandra Lange is an architecture critic and author, and the 2025 Pulitzer Prize winner for Criticism, awarded for her work as a contributing writer for Bloomberg CityLab. She is currently the architecture critic for Curbed and has written extensively for Design Observer, Architect, New York Magazine, and The New York Times. Lange holds a PhD in 20th-century architecture history from New York University. Her writing often explores the intersection of architecture, urban planning, and design, with a focus on how the built environment shapes everyday life. She is also a recipient of the Steven Heller Prize for Cultural Commentary from AIGA, an honor she shares with Design Observer’s Editor-in-Chief, Ellen McGirt.

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