Tag Archives: Catesby Leigh

Confusion to Trump’s E.O.?

Posted on November 27, 2020 by

“Confusion to Boney” was a toast raised by the British Navy in the Napoleonic era. No doubt “Confusion to Trump’s E.O.” is a toast raised today by modernists fearful of the president’s draft executive order favoring classical styles for federal … Continue reading →

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Animal spirits of the E.O.

Posted on September 3, 2020 by

The General Services Administration, which designs, builds and maintains all federal buildings, has issued a pair of RFQs (Request for Qualifications) for architects to design two federal courthouses, one in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and another in Huntsville, Ala., in a … Continue reading →

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Save the Frick Music Room

Posted on November 18, 2019 by

Boards of institutions always seem to want to do more for the institution than the institution needs. And whenever a board proposes to do something, it is normally more than is judicious, often a lot more – a unwitting attack … Continue reading →

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A deep dive into sculpture

Posted on June 7, 2019 by

Sculpture is among the allied arts most closely associated with classical architecture. A set of stone figures along the cornice or flanking the entrance of a building is neither required of classicism nor exclusive to classicism, but it sure does … Continue reading →

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WWI’s monumental sorrow

Posted on July 30, 2018 by

The National World War II Memorial opened in 2004 on the Mall with a classical design that has been wildly popular with WWII veterans. Had America regained its senses after decades of embarrassing modernist monuments? Alas, no. A nontraditional memorial … Continue reading →

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Catesby Leigh on Penn Sta.

Posted on April 3, 2018 by

The National Civic Art Society, in Washington, has named the critic Catesby Leigh, one of its co-founders and early board chairmen, as its research fellow for 2018-2019. This salutary honor will enable Leigh to continue studying the phenomenon of monuments, … Continue reading →

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Fix in on worse Ike Gehry

Posted on May 31, 2017 by

Catesby Leigh, writing in City Journal, reports the terrible news about the Frank Gehry designed proposal for an Eisenhower memorial. The formerly skeptical Eisenhower family now backs it. President Trump now backs it. In his proposed 2018 budget, Trump throws … Continue reading →

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History of Maya Lin’s Wall

Posted on February 9, 2017 by

Maya Lin’s Wall on the Mall, dedicated to Vietnam’s fallen warriors, has long struck me as being less than the optimal commemoration of a national tragedy. Its gash in the Mall looks as if it symbolizes a loss in conflict … Continue reading →

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More on WWI competition

Posted on October 1, 2015 by

Aram Bakshian Jr., a White House speechwriter for Richard Nixon and brother of my old friend Doug – a globetrotting freelance journalist – has written on the World War I memorial design competition. His piece, “A War Memorial Design Competition … Continue reading →

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Catesby Leigh’s WWI faves

Posted on August 29, 2015 by

The Washington critic Catesby Leigh has an excellent write-up of the World War I memorial designs in the National Review, “National World War I Memorial: The Judges Got It Wrong.” He mentions two proposals that were entered but for various … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Landscape Architecture, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment