DETROIT - Veteran journalist and author John Gallagher will present "Before Yamasaki: Detroit Architecture Between the Wars" at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, at Wayne State University's Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium. The event is part of the Yamasaki Legacy Lecture Series, which is sponsored by WSU's Office of the Vice President for Research.

Gallagher's latest book, "Reimagining Detroit: Opportunities for Redefining an American City," was named by the Huffington Post as among the best social and political books of 2010. Gallagher, a New York City native, joined the Detroit Free Press in 1987, covering urban and economic redevelopment efforts in Detroit and statewide. Gallagher also wrote "Great Architecture of Michigan" and co-wrote "AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture."

His lecture will explore the transition from historical styles to mid-century modernism that took place in the 1920s and 1930s through buildings as diverse as the Detroit Yacht Club, the Fox Theatre, and the Elwood Bar & Grill, structures that serve as examples of styles prominent during this period. These varying styles led to the emergence of mid-century modernism in buildings like Cranbrook's Academy of Art Museum and Library, which ultimately paved the way for Yamasaki's distinct work.

The lecture is free and open to the public; registration is required. To register, visit http://events.wayne.edu/2011/10/11/wsu-yamasaki-legacy-lecture-series-35026/.

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu/.