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.

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 - In a year in which the United States of America has been ravaged by the worst pandemic in a century and economic devastation that may take generations to repair, Docomomo US is disturbed and appalled by the December 21, 2020 announcement of the Executive Order on Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture by President Donald J. Trump. 

As Americans are struggling to survive physically and emotionally and keep our businesses and communities alive, we are incredibly frustrated by this attempt to suggest to the American people what is and what is not beautiful civic architecture.

Modernism encompasses a wide, diverse range of building designs and “styles," well beyond just Deconstructivism or Brutalism, but one of the underlying principles of the Modern Movement is that architecture should reflect the spirit and values of the time and of the culture in which it is built,” said Docomomo US President-Elect Robert Meckfessel. “Modernism might have been misunderstood a decade or two ago, much like Georgian or even Art Deco were misunderstood after those styles fell out of fashion.” Modernist principles have led to some of the most beloved, well-visited and inspiring buildings in the United States, including many in the nation’s capital, such as the United States Tax Court Building, the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, the Vietnam Memorial, and the Robert C. Weaver Department of Housing and Urban Development Building. While the Executive Order suggests many of these buildings “were controversial, attracting widespread criticism for their Brutalist designs,” we can assure you, they were not. [...]

Docomomo US opposes the Executive Order’s directive to 1. Deem classical architecture the preferred and default architecture for Federal public buildings; 2. Target Federal public buildings that do not meet the criteria to be redesigned; and 3. Suggest the input from the “General Public” not include “artists, architects, engineers, art or architecture critics, instructors or professors of art or architecture, or members of the building industry; or those affiliated with any interest group, trade association, or any other organization whose membership is financially affected by decisions involving the design, construction, or remodeling of public buildings.

On behalf of the Docomomo US Board of Directors, we look forward to working with our colleagues at the American Institute of Architects and the incoming Biden/Harris administration to reverse the Executive Order.

Follow Architect's ongoing coverage of this topic via the "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" tag.