Revitalizing Federal Structures' Aesthetic Appeal Once More
In a bid to revive the grandeur and dignity of Federal architecture, a new directive has been issued, requiring the General Services Administration (GSA) to prioritise classical and traditional designs for federal public buildings.
For over a century and a half, Federal architecture was characterised by beautiful and beloved buildings of largely classical design. This tradition was set by the Founders themselves, who modelled the Capitol Building and the White House in Washington, D.C., on classical architecture inspired by ancient Athens and Rome. However, in the 1960s, the Federal Government began replacing traditional designs with modernist and brutalist ones, which were often unpopular with Americans.
Louis A. Simon, the architect known for designing most federal buildings in the 1960s that were unpopular with the American public, served as the Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury and was responsible for many federal buildings during that period. The new directive aims to rectify this trend and ensure that federal buildings are once again reflective of the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of the American system of self-government.
The new directive, which was established in 1994 but has not met its goal until now, requires the Administrator of General Services (Administrator) to adhere to the policies and principles set forth in sections 2 and 4 of the order. It also mandates the Administrator to make advancing the purposes and implementing the policies of this order a critical performance element in the individual performance plans of the Chief Architect of GSA and appropriate subordinate employees in the GSA Public Buildings Service involved in selecting designs for applicable Federal public buildings.
The term "applicable Federal public building" includes all Federal courthouses and agency headquarters, all Federal public buildings in the National Capital Region, and all other Federal public buildings that cost or are expected to cost more than $50 million in 2025 dollars to design, build, and finish, but does not include infrastructure projects or land ports of entry.
Under the new directive, the Administrator is encouraged to actively recruit architectural firms and designers with experience in classical and traditional architecture to enter design competitions, and ensure that multiple designs in such modes are advanced to the final evaluation round. In design-build competitions for applicable Federal public buildings, experience with classical or traditional architecture is listed as specialized experience and technical competence in the phase-one solicitation, and substantive weight is given to these factors when evaluating which offerors will be advanced to phase two.
If the Administrator proposes to approve a design for a new applicable Federal public building that diverges from the preferred architecture set forth in subsection 2(a) of the order, including Brutalist or Deconstructivist architecture or any design derived from or related to these types of architecture, the Administrator must notify the President through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy not less than 30 days before GSA could reject such design without incurring substantial expenditures. The Administrator is also not allowed to incur substantial expenditures on a design for a new applicable Federal public building that diverges from the preferred architecture set forth in subsection 2(a) of the order without notifying the President through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy.
The preferred architecture for applicable Federal public buildings, as defined in Section 3, is classical architecture or traditional architecture, including styles like Neoclassical, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Beaux-Arts, and Art Deco. The Administrator must provide a detailed explanation of why the Administrator believes selecting such design is justified, with particular focus on whether such design is as beautiful and reflective of the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of the American system of self-government as alternative designs using preferred architecture.
To further implement this directive, the position of senior advisor for architectural design is created, for an individual with specialized experience in classical architecture, to help develop GSA procedures, advise on architectural standards, and provide guidance during design evaluations or design juries. The Administrator is also required to update GSA policies and procedures to incorporate these policies and advance the purposes of the order.
This new directive marks a significant shift in the approach to federal building design, aiming to restore the elegance and grandeur that once defined America's federal architecture. As the GSA begins to implement this directive, Americans can look forward to a new generation of federal buildings that reflect the dignity and beauty of their nation's history.
