In late January, while on a short trip to Washington, D.C., I had the opportunity to tour inside the Smithsonian Castle, now closed for a major renovation expected to last several years. Completed in 1855 in a combination of late Romanesque and early Gothic revival styles, it is the signature building of the institution, unique for being established by Congress but not an agency of the government. With its many towers rendered in red sandstone, the Castle was intentionally designed by James Renwick Jr. to stand apart from the Neoclassical federal buildings around it—a detail that held more meaning given the timing of my visit, just days after the newly inaugurated president issued an executive order titled Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture. “Federal public buildings should be visually identifiable as civic buildings and respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States and our system of self-government,” it reads.
That same week, Boston City Hall was designated a historic landmark. While not a federal building, the famously controversial civic centerpiece designed by Kallmann McKinnell & Knowles (1968) in the Brutalist style represents exactly the kind of building that presumably wouldn’t pass muster now. Also in January, the city of Dallas began the process of landmarking its I.M. Pei–designed city hall (1978), a bold inverted pyramid that similarly might get scrapped if under review today.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.
