‘Ugly,’ ‘Discordant’: New Executive Order Takes Aim At Modern Architecture

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The FBI building in downtown Washington, D.C. — Utah Sen. Mike Lee describes it as looking like «an abandoned set from The Hunger Games.





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That proposed order is now a reality. Retitled «Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture, it begins with a paean to «beautiful public architecture, before moving on to a litany of disapproval aimed at modernist federal buildings.

It’s true that modernism abounds in D.C. Standing on a street corner near the National Mall, there’s actually a mishmash of architectural styles. Let’s talk about three of them: In the distance, the gleaming white pillars of the U.S. Capitol dome, the kind of classical architecture the president’s order favors. Closer in, there’s a towering, steel-mesh scrim that’s part of the Eisenhower Memorial, a contemporary design by Frank Gehry which is under construction. Right behind the scrim, there’s the beige, boxy, concrete-heavy Department of Education, a Brutalist building — the style a lot of people love to hate.





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The U.S. Courthouse in Salt Lake City.





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The Federal Building and Courthouse in Tuscaloosa, Ala.





Timothy Hursley



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Timothy Hursley




The Federal Building and Courthouse in Tuscaloosa, Ala.


Timothy Hursley

He adds, «I sometimes ask myself and ask others, is it any wonder that Americans’ confidence in government has collapsed, and the government itself has grown hopelessly dysfunctional in the decades since Washington abandoned classical design principles in favor of elite modernist fads and ugly buildings that they inevitably produce?

Others feel differently. «We are absolutely opposed to this order, says Robert Ivy. He’s the head of the American Institute of Architects, and he says the order doesn’t account for today’s office buildings, which need to be efficient and equipped for both technology and security. «In the 21st century, we’re very different people from the people who popularized Greek Revival architecture in the 19th century, as beautiful as it was, he says. «To try to force-fit new systems in old forms is, in of itself difficult to do, inefficient, and is not who we are today.

The executive order would only mandate classical architecture for federal buildings in Washington, DC. It would not include the city’s Smithsonian museums, and it’s unclear whether it would affect memorials. The order defines «classical as including Neoclassical, Georgian, Greek Revival, Gothic and other traditional styles, and mostly trashes federal buildings constructed from the 1950s on — taking pains to define and decry both brutalism and deconstructivism. It also establishes a President’s Council on Improving Federal Civic Architecture, and tasks it with making sure proposed federal buildings are «beautiful and reflective of the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of the American system of self-government. Part of the council’s duties will also include preparing a report recommending policy updates aimed at accomplishing that mission.

The order does single out one recent building for praise: The federal building and courthouse in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, designed by HBRA Architects in Chicago and completed in 2011.

«We’re very proud of it, says HBRA architect Aric Lasher. He says the Tuscaloosa building is partly modeled after Greek temples, with columns and classical, ornamental motifs. But his firm used that style because that’s what this particular building, location and community called for. He says it would be «preposterous for the government to dictate any style of architecture: «The artistic potential of architecture and the artistic productivity of the American people does not necessarily emerge through fiat.

The newly created federal council will serve until Sept. 30, 2021, and is expected to submit its report by then, but it’s unclear how — or whether — the incoming administration will act on those recommendations.

Ted Robbins edited this story for radio, and Petra Mayer adapted it for the Web.