Making federal buildings beautiful again: The debate over the future of federal architecture
Monday, October 19, 2020 | 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM ET
Promising to “make Americans feel proud of our public buildings,” a proposed executive order generated controversy when it was leaked to the press in February 2020. Advocated by the National Civic Art Society, the order stated that most future federal buildings would be built in “the classical architectural style.” This mandate would effectively overturn the existing “Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture,” which avoid official styles while favoring modern designs generated by today’s architects.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who authored the “Guiding Principles,” believed that public buildings were one of the most important expressions of our civic values. Please join AEI for a conversation on how to best order the relationship among government, architects, and the public and what federal architecture should look like in the 21st century.
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