# The White House May Impose Classical Style on Federal Buildings



## Manitopiaaa (Mar 6, 2006)

The White House May Impose Classical Style on Federal Buildings




> In 1962, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, then a bureaucrat working in the U.S. Department of Labor, wrote a report on federal office space for President John F. Kennedy. His draft included what came to be known as the “Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture.” A trim manifesto of just 500 words, it still broadly serves the federal government to this day.
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> “The development of an official style must be avoided,” the future New York senator wrote, one of three rules he set in stone. “Design must flow from the architectural profession to the Government, and not vice versa.”
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> Now that rule could go out the window. On Tuesday, Architectural Record’s Cathleen McGuigan reported that the magazine had obtained a draft executive order that would require new federal buildings to adhere to a classical architectural style. In the place of diverse architectural styles used in federal buildings for decades, the order would mandate a single national style. This draft policy boasts an appropriately Trumpian name, according to the report: “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again.”


https://www.citylab.com/design/2020...ical-architecture-modern-design-trump/606097/

This would be fantastic if it happens. No more bureaucratic brutalism in D.C. :banana::banana:


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## ThatOneGuy (Jan 13, 2012)




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## Architecture lover (Sep 11, 2013)

^^ Yeah, except Washington's Administrative Classical architecture is faithful to Greko-Roman originals, always following the Vitruvian Proportions, while Stalin's Moscow is the failed fantasy attempt to build Classical architecture that doesn't even look Classical, it looks Socialist and Communist and belongs to a brunch of its own.

Not exactly happy when something is forcefully imposed, but I don't think this will end like Stalin's Utopia. Or at least I hope so.
EDIT: If it does end up as bad, than congrats to the US on having her very own first Caesar, aka the greatest Dictator of the Roman Republic, and not taking measurements to stop him.


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## Hed_Kandi (Jan 23, 2006)

This mandate would be only limited to civic structures. 

The modernists are entirely free to continue to run amok with their architecture in all other building categories: *Residential, Retail, Commercial, Urban Design, Transport, Hospitality, Leisure, Offices, Health, Education, etc * (which they so overwhelmingly do).​


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## pesto (Jun 29, 2009)

LOL. I love it when some mentally weak hater can't distinguish between Stalin and Jefferson. Hint: one of them wanted a small government and limited powers.

Governments are inherently corrupt because the decision makers are not spending their own money. When overseeing thousands of construction projects it is normal to have a standard set of acceptable styles and approaches that are known to be useful and economical to build but with some decorative interest. 

If you want exceptions to these rules, then generate an explanation of why it would be a better idea, how much it would cost and what other projects you would take the money from.


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## Architecture lover (Sep 11, 2013)

pesto said:


> LOL. I love it when some mentally weak hater can't distinguish between Stalin and Jefferson.


Out of 170 000 words in the English language you choose exactly those to reply a person who shares an opinion that differs from yours?

Trump is no Jefferson just like Caesar is no Hadrian. (imo all four sucked ...khm...cigars...those fat ones)

I agree someone here does have a problem distinguishing stuff, 
now go figure who's the one.


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## Tolbert (Jan 5, 2012)

> This draft policy boasts an appropriately Trumpian name, according to the report: “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again.”


As long as they keep a Trumpian tradition, we all will have to celebrate "Skopje 2.0 - Washington edition" :hilarious


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## d_l_esmond (Jul 9, 2012)

I thought that right wing reactionary crypto-fascists on this site were all congregating on the East European threads, but it seems that they are everywhere. I guess one shouldn't be surprised that anything to do with Trump will make them climb out from under their rock.


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## mrsmartman (Mar 16, 2015)

__ https://www.facebook.com/nypostcards/posts/1392388830944667



*Your Trusted Source of Photographs from New York and Pennsylvania*


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