 | “Variety’s the spice of life, |
The current administration has drafted an executive order called “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again” which dictates that new federal buildings mimic ancient Greek and Roman architecture. “For too long architectural elites and bureaucrats have derided the idea of beauty, blatantly ignored public opinions on style, and have quietly spent taxpayer money constructing ugly, expensive, and inefficient buildings” according to the chairwoman for the National Civic Art Society, which seems to have a mission of sanitiizing public construction.
This order overrides the “Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture” which emphasizes the value of diverse “designs that embody the finest contemporary American architectural thought” ,issued in 1962. These principles specifically suggest that “development of an official style must be avoided. Design must flow from the architectural profession to the government“.
It can’t be denied that there have been some federal clunkers built (e.g. San Francisco Federal Building), but restricting design options to a narrow formula, smacks of a little too much central planning.
The administration’s proposed 2020 budget plans to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Arguments can be made for and against tax-payer dollars paying for art, but what are we afraid of?
I am for maintaining the support, and dread looking forward to a culture where public buildings are all the same and individual expression is discouraged.