Trump is obsessed with the FBI building. For months now, in meetings with White House officials and Senate appropriators intended to discuss big-picture spending priorities, the president rants about the graceless J. Edgar Hoover Building in downtown Washington, D.C. — axios.com
President Trump has reportedly taken an interest in the FBI headquarters J. Edgar Hoover Building in downtown DC, overseeing every detail of the project. While he recognizes the value of the property, the president is not a fan of brutalism. Trump complained, "Even the building is terrible... It's one of the brutalist-type buildings, you know, brutalist architecture. Honestly, I think it's one of the ugliest buildings in the city."
12 Comments
This should be good.
trump knows ugly
Large gold TRUMP sign?
Without Trump this would be a parking lot:
Volunteer, could you elaborate? This building was saved long ago. Either way, the FBI deserve a better building, especially for all they do.
Read the history of the building. It was the Old Post Office building that was abandoned and falling apart for years. There were several plans to tear it down and replace it with parking. There were occasional plans to restore it for various uses that got nowhere. Trump leased the building and turned it into what we have now. The building is still owned by the federal government - meaning you and me.
Yes, many plans to tear it down, but that was from the McMillain plan up until the 1980's. If Trump didn't get the contract, someone else would have. It used to be a big food court/mall for years. Nothing glamorous, but certainly well used. It's been years since it's been actually threatened, so Mr. Trump had nothing to do with saving this building. But look at his history in New York and Atlantic City, and what he took down for what he left us.
Wait until Trump Organization goes bankrupt, move the FBI to Trump Tower (rebranded as FBI Tower NYC). Then renovate the FBI HQ instead of wasting a perfectly good building -- restore the facade and interiors, add (a tower or a few floors, using or adding to the large structural columns?) onto the top, give it some better lighting, etc. It's still a nice architectural projection of federal power.
Don't let Trump rebrand the FBI in his own image. He is already trying a hostile takeover of the USA flag and American branding. Though I dare say his taste has improved slightly over the years, from modernish philistine to a RM Stern-ish neo-conservative postmodernist
While I am a fan of brutalism, the building has a lot of issues under the surface... poor construction causing deteriorating concrete, both superficial and structural. The parking garage underneath is actually condemned due to severe corrosion issues, chunks of slab falling onto cars. Beyond that the FBI has simply outgrown the DC headquarters. Plans for a new HQ in either Springfield VA, Greenbelt MD or Landover MD were underway, but the process stopped when the GSA couldn't get the money allocated to the project. They tried to get the old building registered as a historic building with DCSHPO but were denied. Perhaps it's time for the J.E.H. Building to go...
is he really overseeing every detail of the project? damn, gotta give him some credit for that
Isn't decamping to the 'burbs after tearing down the existing building the original sin for the urbanist crowd? Not so fast FBI! Here comes Trump to save the day. The Old Post Office Building was remodeled, now it's your turn J. Edgar!
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