Trump signed an executive order on the 21st, requiring that new federal buildings must be “beautiful and good-looking” and preferably in the classical Greco-Roman style.
According to the executive order “promoting beautiful federal civic architecture” (Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture), many societies have recognized the importance of beautiful public buildings, and the classical Greek and Roman styles are designed to be practical and sturdy.
The 1309 constitution of the Italian city of Siena required whoever ruled the city to make its beauty the most important task, for it provided pride, honor, wealth, and prosperity to its inhabitants, as well as pleasure and joy to the visitors. Christopher Wren, a 17th century British architect, also pointed out that public buildings are the ornament of the nation, that they build the nation, that they bring people and business, that they make people love their country, and that architecture is timeless.
The executive order identifies buildings such as the White House, Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, and the Lincoln Memorial as “cherished landmarks. However, since the 1950s, the federal government has replaced traditional buildings with new modern architectural styles, and in 1962 introduced the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, which called for modern designs without respecting local characteristics and regional preferences, resulting in many federal buildings being built in the Brutalist modern style. Brutalist) modern style.
The White House.
U.S. Supreme Court.
The Executive Order requires that if future federal buildings adopt the preferred designs in the Executive Order, they must be carefully considered, taking into account local autonomy and reflecting public opinion. The Executive Order also establishes the Presidential Advisory Council on the Promotion of Federal Public Buildings, which includes members from the fields of architecture and the arts. The Executive Order also emphasizes that it is not intended to restrict the use of classical styles, but that other styles may be used in appropriate circumstances.
The executive order was welcomed by classicists, but the American Institute of Architects unanimously opposed it, arguing that it was “undemocratic” for the government to impose a specific architectural style. Some architects have also criticized the promotion of classical style architecture as implying that the government believes that white history and culture are more advanced.
The White House, however, countered that according to a Bloomberg poll, most Americans prefer the classical style. The National Civic Art Society welcomed the executive order, saying Americans have long understood that classical architecture is not just beautiful, but also reinforces the key values of our government.
Are federal buildings really ugly?
The executive order was actually discussed back in February, but was too controversial to be formally proposed. At the time, the U.S. media cited several “ugly” federal buildings in the United States, mainly designed in the 1960s and 1970s.
The U.S. Energy Department in Washington, D.C.
The headquarters of the United States Postal Service (USPS) in Washington, D.C.
The headquarters of the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C.
The headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C.
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