Tag Archives: Monuments

WWI’s monumental sorrow

Posted on July 30, 2018 by David Brussat

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 →

Posted in Architecture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What next? Jefferson? D.C.?

Posted on August 15, 2017 by David Brussat

The statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville should not be pulled down. Or rather, I should prefer that it not be pulled down. There’s a difference. To eradicate every symbol of every political or cultural wrong in this or … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

History of Maya Lin’s Wall

Posted on February 9, 2017 by David Brussat

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 →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

What monuments tell us

Posted on March 15, 2015 by David Brussat

Recently, as museums to remember the stain of slavery in America are under construction in Washington and planned in Charleston, there has arisen the vital question of whether memorials should speak in a traditional language everyone can understand or a … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Blast from past, Development | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Washington perceived

Posted on July 4, 2014 by David Brussat

A few random shots of our nation’s capital on its birthday (in 2011, actually):  

Posted in Architecture, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Column: Small future for tall buildings in D.C.

Posted on December 15, 2013 by David Brussat

Like much in the District of Columbia, the Hotel Dupont Plaza has undergone change. For one thing, it is now called the Dupont Circle Hotel. But it looks much as when it was completed half a century ago. Beige brick … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Preservation, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment