Archinect - News

The Congressional fight over preferred architecture styles may be short-lived

2023-07-14T14:38:00-04:00

Of the two bills before Congress, one has flowery language about the need to “uplift and beautify,” “inspire the human spirit,” “ennoble the United States” and “command respect from the general public.” The other codifies old guidance that directs federal builders to “reflect the regional architectural traditions,” to emphasize “the work of living American artists” and to not have bureaucrats force an official style on the folks who do the designing.

The duel between the Democrats’ updated ‘Democracy in Design’ (S.366) and the Republican-backed ‘Beautifying Federal Civic Architecture Act’ (H.R.3627) that was introduced in May recently got the attention of a (paywalled) Wall Street Journal op-ed along its way to spurring action on the part of the Government Accountability Office, which last month recommended the GSA begin to require community inputs in the design process for new federal buildings.

The former AIA-backed bill would codify the 1962 Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture that calls for the disclusion of “official” styles. Its opposite, perhaps intentionally, preferences styles whose historic context can be deemed problematic given its undeniable connection to wealthy landowners in the Antebellum South who used architecture to present themselves as the anointed heirs of classical Greek and Roman civilizations.

Politico reports, "One familiar tendency, though, is that both sides are claiming the mantle of democrac...

New bill seeks to re-mandate Trump's classical architecture order for federal buildings

2023-05-30T15:35:00-04:00

A new bill introduced by Republican Indiana representative Jim Banks has once again returned the years-old debate around Classicism and the design of federal government buildings first begun by Donald Trump during the final year of his Presidency.

Banks’ proposed new H.R. 3627 bill — titled the "Beautifying Federal Civic Architecture Act" — expands on the Trump era executive order to "make federal buildings beautiful again" via the establishment of a new President's Council on Improving Federal Civic Architecture and advocacy for styles of "traditional architecture" including Gothic, Romanesque, Pueblo Revival, Spanish Colonial, and Mediterranean that Banks feels are endemic to the United States.

Previously on Archinect: Trump signs executive order promoting 'traditional and classical architecture' for America's federal buildings

The bill also denounces the Brutalist style espoused by Paul Rudolph and others at midcentury in deference to the neo-classical designs used in the Supreme ...

Biden formally reverses controversial Trump mandate on the government's Art in Architecture program

2022-02-01T15:35:00-05:00

The Biden administration on Monday reversed a Trump-era rule dictating what kind of art can be commissioned for federal buildings as part of an effort to have public art better reflect America's diversity. The new rule removes content and style restrictions that Biden administration officials say excluded many artists from consideration for the Art in Architecture program, which commissions visual art in federal buildings.

The rule is a holdover from the Trump administration, which enacted the measure late in 2020 with the vague but distinct guideline that commissions must depict “historically significant Americans or events.” Critics immediately saw the mandate as a racist attempt to whitewash public art in the aftermath of protests that swept the nation following the death of George Floyd.

Biden’s move echoes a previous decision to reverse another controversial order regulating the architectural styles allowed on large-scale federal projects. Trump was notorious for his assault on varying federal arts and humanities programs, most notably the National Endowment of the Arts, which he made repeated and ultimately empty threats about eliminating before leaving office. The General Services Administration (GSA) says its hope is that the reversal will increase the amount of diversity and representation in Federal projects across the country.

Previously on Archinect: Biden repeals Trump's classical archite...

Federal design mandates should end, says AIA

2021-09-22T11:08:00-04:00

The AIA has expressed support for legislation recently re-introduced to the U.S. Congress, which seeks to prevent future administrations and the federal government from mandating preferred design styles for federal buildings. The organization had previously been critical of a 2020 decision by the Trump Administration to make classical architecture “the preferred and default style” for America’s public buildings.

The bill currently sitting in Congress, named the “Democracy in Design Act,” would codify the U.S. General Service Administration’s 1962 Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, and prohibit the federal government from mandating a preferred national design style. The bill also includes a requirement that any changes to the Design Excellence Program, which guides the procurement, design, and construction of public buildings, would need to include public comment before enactment.

Biden administration ousts members of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; Justin Shubow removed after refusing to resign

2021-05-25T17:43:00-04:00

The four new appointees will replace four commissioners who were installed by former President Donald Trump, who helped craft the controversial “Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture” executive order, which decried modern architecture and sought to make neoclassical architecture the official style for federal buildings.

The incoming cohort are Peter Cook, a principal at HGA Architects with projects including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture; Hazel Ruth Edwards, a professor and chair of Howard University’s Department of Architecture; Justin Garrett Moore, the inaugural program officer of the Humanities in Place program at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; and Billie Tsien, a partner at Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects.

Previously on Archinect: Biden repeals Trump's classical architecture order, so what happens now?

The current chair of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and advocate of classical architecture, Justin Shu...

Biden repeals Trump's classical architecture order, so what happens now?

2021-02-25T13:30:00-05:00

Last year, Trump and his "make federal buildings beautiful again" executive order sent shockwaves across the architecture community. Trump had strong aversions towards modern architecture calling these buildings "ugly" and "uninspiring." Since Archinect's initial coverage on the classical architecture mandate back in February 2020, we've kept a close eye on the White House's news and how the architecture community would respond.

Previously featured on Archinect: New executive order could make classical architecture "the preferred and default style" for America's public buildings. The Jamie L. Witten Federal Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Philadelphia architects Rankin, Kellogg and Crane in 1901. Image courtesy of Wikimedia user U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Since January 20th, 2021, President Biden has been swift in revoking and undoing many of Trump's blunders while in office. Before he left, Trump made a great effort to sign and pass his executive order making classic...

Architects need 'better ways to engage the public': Rowan Moore on Trump's classical architecture order

2020-12-28T14:41:00-05:00

In fact, America has beautiful and popular non-traditional structures – the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles – and it has crude and soulless classical buildings. Unfortunately, the authors of the order are not completely wrong when they say that some architects have ignored public feeling.

Rowan Moore, architecture critic at The Observer, responds to last week's presidential executive order that makes classical and traditional architecture the preferred style for federal buildings.

"If architects don’t want to give ammunition to the repressive thinking behind this order," Moore writes, "they have to show that there are better ways to engage the public."

Docomomo US responds and opposes Trump's new executive order for 'classical and traditional' architecture

2020-12-23T20:47:00-05:00

The architecture community continues to respond to Trump's latest executive order promoting classical and traditional architecture as the "preferred style" for federal buildings. After signing the mandate at the tail end of his presidency, institutions and organizations have voiced their criticisms and thoughts on the matter.

On December 22nd, the American Institute of Architects released a public statement on the matter, sharing they "never will prioritize any type of architectural design over another." Today Docomomo US released a statement expressing their frustration and opposition.

Featured on Archinect: AIA opposes Trump's classical architecture order, plans to reverse it under Biden. Facade of the new SOM-designed United States Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, California. Photo: Flickr user Sharon Hahn Darlin.

Below is an excerpt from Docomomo US' response:

Docomomo US Response to President Trump’s Executive Order on Promoting Beautiful Civic Architecture

December 23, 2020 ...

AIA opposes Trump's classical architecture order, plans to reverse it under Biden

2020-12-22T14:01:00-05:00

Following the signing of President Trump's new executive order that makes classical and traditional architecture the preferred style for federal buildings on Monday, the American Institute of Architects promptly responded with a public condemnation.

"The AIA does not, and never will, prioritize any type of architectural
design over another," declares the latest response.

When an early draft of this federal style dictate was floated in February, the institute already condemned the attempt, tweeting on February 4th: "The AIA strongly opposes uniform style mandates for federal #architecture. Architecture should be designed for the specific communities that it serves, reflecting our rich nation’s diverse places, thought, culture and climates. Architects are committed to honoring our past as well as reflecting our future progress, protecting the freedom of thought and expression that are essential to democracy."

Trump signs executive order promoting 'traditional and classical architecture' for America's federal buildings

2020-12-21T16:29:00-05:00

With only 29 days of his White House mandate remaining, President Trump revisited a topic that had previously stoked sharp criticism from the architecture community and signed an executive order today that makes classical architecture the preferred style for federal buildings.

The order opens with a lengthy rundown of American federal architecture, from its beginnings under Washington and Jefferson, through its perceived problems with Modernism since the 1950s, all the way to calling out a certain contemporary "San Francisco Federal Building" as one of the "ugliest structures" in the city.

"Classical and other traditional architecture, as practiced both historically and by today’s architects, have proven their ability to meet these design criteria and to more than satisfy today’s functional, technical, and sustainable needs," the order transitions to the policy section. "Their use should be encouraged instead of discouraged."

Related on Archinect: New executive order could make clas...

The lasting legacy of Trump's classical architecture mandate

2020-11-12T17:30:00-05:00

[...] the forces that his White House set in motion could outlive his administration: The GSA appears to have adopted a modernism ban, without any authorization in place. What seemed to be a pipe dream for admirers of classical architecture back in February now looks like procurement policy at the federal agency that manages office space and needs for the U.S. government. Design is already underway in Alabama for what might be Trump’s first mandatory classical courthouse.

CityLab writer Kriston Capps on the current implications of the hotly debated, but ultimately never signed, "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" executive order the President floated back in February.

Federal courthouse RFQ requiring classical styling condemned by AIA

2020-08-21T16:42:00-04:00

The United States General Services Administration (GSA) recently published a project solicitation notice for a planned federal courthouse in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida area that mandates a "classical architectural style" for the facility.

In response to the solicitation, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has issued a strong rebuke of the project, calling the effort a "project-by-project replacement" by the GSA of the controversial "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" draft executive order proposed by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

Previously on Archinect: New executive order could make classical architecture "the preferred and default style" for America's public buildings. The Jamie L. Witten Federal Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Philadelphia architects Rankin, Kellogg and Crane in 1901. Image courtesy of Wikimedia user U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Describing the organization's fierce opposition to the potential mandate, AIA EVP/Chief Execu...

Donald Trump wants to renovate the West Wing

2020-07-30T20:24:00-04:00

President Donald Trump is pushing for congressional funding that would allow the General Services Administration (GSA) to undertake a long-delayed renovation and modernization plan for the White House West Wing.

Included in a recent legislative framework floated by Republican senators aimed at addressing the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 crisis is a request from the presidential administration for $377 million in funding for the project, AP News reports. The renovation, according to the report, has been in the works since at least the Obama administration and would represent the first modernization effort for the executive wing of the White House since 1933.

President Donald Trump in the Oval office. Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian.

The West Wing administrative suite was built as an extension to the existing White House complex in 1904 by Charles McKim of McKim, Mead & White during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt. Over the years, major additions and reno...

Proposed law would prevent President Trump from imposing classical architecture style for federal buildings

2020-07-15T16:58:00-04:00

A bill introduced on July 13th by Nevada Representative Dina Titus aims to write the General Services Administration's "Guiding Principles" for federal architecture into federal law.

The bill, titled the "Democracy in Design Act," represents an effort to stop the implementation the "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" initiative proposed by President Donald Trump earlier this year. Though text of the proposed law has yet to be published, passage of the bill would prevent the president from using an executive order to change or undermine them.

Previously on Archinect: "New executive order could make classical architecture 'the preferred and default style' for America's public buildings." The Jamie L. Witten Federal Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Philadelphia architects Rankin, Kellogg and Crane in 1901. Image courtesy of Wikimedia user U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The principles advocate for open-ended design approaches for public buildings and the artworks displ...

Bird-Safe Buildings Act passes United States House of Representatives

2020-07-01T19:37:00-04:00

Following a rare show of bipartisan support, the Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2019 has passed the United States House of Representatives and is now headed for consideration by the Senate.

The bill would require "each public building constructed, acquired, or of which more than 50% of the facade is substantially altered" by the General Services Administration (GSA) to meet the a new set of design standards geared toward eliminating collisions between birds and the structures in question.

The new regulations stipulate that "at least 90% of the exposed facade material from ground level to 40 feet shall not be composed of glass or shall be composed of [modified, bird-friendly] glass." According to the text of the bill, bird-friendly glass could be made up of "elements that preclude bird collisions without completely obscuring vision, such as secondary facades, netting, screens, shutters, and exterior shades" in addition to fritted glass assemblies and screens that limit "horizontal space...

Melania Trump is building a classically inspired tennis pavilion on the White House lawn

2020-03-05T20:42:00-05:00

First Lady Melania Trump has shared an update on the construction progress for a new 1,200-square-foot tennis pavilion that is currently taking shape on the South Lawn of the White House.

In a social media post published today, Trump writes, "I am excited to share the progress of the Tennis Pavillion at @WhiteHouse. Thank you to the talented team for their hard work and dedication."

Site Plan for the project. Image courtesy of the National Capital Planning Commission.

The pavilion, CNN reports, is being created by the First Lady to create a new recreation space for the First Family. In a follow-up statement published, Trump writes, "It is my hope that this private space will function as a place to gather and spend leisure time for First Families."

I am excited to share the progress of the Tennis Pavillion at @WhiteHouse. Thank you to the talented team for their hard work and dedication. pic.twitter.com/Wzown2ho26
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) March 5, 2020

According to a 2019 proposal sub...

AIA presidents pen letter to President Trump opposing proposed executive order

2020-02-24T13:08:00-05:00

In a statement posted the American Institute of Architects (AIA) website, the organization explains that a group of former AIA presidents have written a letter directly to President Donald Trump denouncing the "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" executive order.

Previously on Archinect: "New executive order could make classical architecture "the preferred and default style" for America's public buildings." The Jamie L. Witten Federal Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Philadelphia architects Rankin, Kellogg and Crane in 1901. Image courtesy of Wikimedia user U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The letter comes as 2020 AIA President Jane Frederick, AIA CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Ivy, and 2021 AIA President-Elect Peter Exley all denounced the initiative at the Grassroots Leadership Conference held in New Orleans las week. At least 34 current and past AIA presidents signed the letter, including Raj Barr-Kumar, William J. Bates, Helene Combs Dreiling, Carl Elefant...

University of Notre Dame's architecture dean speaks out against classical executive order

2020-02-11T19:36:00-05:00

A proposal such as “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again” potentially reduces an entire architectural philosophy to a caricature. Arbitrarily pasting columns and arches on a building so it looks like a Parthenon-Colosseum hybrid is pretentious — and doesn’t make the building classical. Designing classical buildings for the modern age is a complex process, requiring knowledge of construction, world architectural history and urbanism, as well as aesthetic judgment.

Writing in The Washington Post, Michael Lykoudis, Dean of the classical architecture-focused School of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame, writes that the planned "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" executive order fills him with "great dismay."

Evoking the work of 15th century architect Leon Battista Alberti, Lykoudis explains that "as our students can attest, classical architecture is not a style; it is a dedication to principles of community, resilience and beauty."

"Buildings are not meant to be mere objects," Lykoudis adds, "but should contribute to the fabric of the city, promoting a healthy and nurturing community."

The measure has been opposed by a wide variety of advocacy groups, including the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

The Architecture Lobby decries “a blatant attempt to leverage aesthetics in the service of white supremacy”

2020-02-10T12:40:00-05:00

The Architecture Lobby (TAL) has published a letter arguing against a proposed executive order from President Donald Trump that would mandate classical architectural stylings for America's federal buildings.

The group became the latest major architecture and built environment-related advocacy group to voice fierce opposition to the "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" initiative following in the footsteps of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) , the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH), and Docomomo US, and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

As news of the potential executive order spread throughout the profession, the AIA also issued a pointed letter directly to President Trump arguing against the measure.

Previously on Archinect: "The National Trust for Historic Preservation, NOMA, and ASLA officially oppose oppose Trump's efforts to "censor...

AIA pens letter to President Trump opposing "political appointees as the arbiters of architectural taste"

2020-02-07T12:49:00-05:00

Following a great deal of uproar in the architectural community in response to President Trump's proposed "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again” executive order, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has written a letter to the president officially opposing the initiative.

The letter, which is attributed to AIA 2020 President Jane Frederick, FAIA, and AIA EVP/Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy, FAIA, argues against the imposition of "a onesize-fits-all mandate simply ignores needed input from impacted parties."

Previously on Archinect: "Read the draft text of President Trump’s classical architecture executive order." The John F. Kennedy Fed...

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, NOMA, and ASLA officially oppose Trump's efforts to "censor" modern architecture

2020-02-06T13:14:00-05:00

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH), and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), Docomomo US, and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) have joined the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in voicing deep opposition to a proposed executive order under consideration by President Donald Trump that would mandate classical architectural styles for federal buildings.

Major architecture groups align against Trump's Executive Order

The cascading statements come as the draft text of the statement is published by major media outlets.

In a statement posted to the National Trust website, for example, the group writes: "While the National Trust values -- and protects -- traditional and classical buildings throughout the country, to censor and stifle the full record of American architecture by requiring federal buildings to be designed, and even altered, to comply with a narrow list of styles determined by...

Read the draft text of President Trump’s classical architecture executive order

2020-02-06T00:34:00-05:00

In a seven-page draft executive order obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, Trump declares that the federal government since the 1950s has “largely stopped building beautiful buildings that the American people want to look at or work in.” Future federal government buildings, he decrees, should look like those of ancient Rome, Greece and Europe. “Classical architectural style shall be the preferred and default style,” he states.

The Chicago Sun-Times has published the draft text of President Donald Trump’s proposed “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again” executive order that seeks to impose a classically-inspired architectural style on the nation’s federal buildings.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has voiced opposition to the measure.

AIA "strongly opposes uniform style mandates for federal architecture"

2020-02-04T20:15:00-05:00

Following reports that President Donald Trump is planning to issue an executive order mandating that classical architectural styles become the nation's defacto architectural motifs, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has issued statement opposing the idea.

1/ The American Institute of Architects issued the following statement today:

“The AIA strongly opposes uniform style mandates for federal #architecture. Architecture should be designed for the specific communities that it serves, ...
— AIA National (@AIANational) February 5, 2020

In a Tweet from the AIA National organization account, the group writes, "The AIA strongly opposes uniform style mandates for federal #architecture," adding that "Architecture should be designed for the specific communities that it serves, reflecting our rich nation’s diverse places, thought, culture and climates."

Previously on Archinect: New executive order could make classical architecture "the preferred and default style" for America's public...

New executive order could make classical architecture "the preferred and default style" for America's public buildings

2020-02-04T13:50:00-05:00

Is neoclassicism about to make a big comeback?

It looks likely, as a new executive order under consideration by President Donald Trump attempts to make classicism the "preferred and default style" for new and upgraded federal buildings.

According to an exclusive report by Architectural Record, the predictably named "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" executive order would seek to reposition classically inspired architecture as the country's default public building style. The shift comes in opposition to the longstanding style agnosticism displayed by public buildings in recent decades following the creation of the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture directive crafted in 1962 by former New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Moynihan's directive—which states that "The development of an official style must be avoided" and that "Design must flow from the architectural profession to the Government and not vice versa"—has resulted in a wide ranging set of innovative pu...