Tag Archives: National Civic Art Society

A preview of the E.O. era?

Posted on June 13, 2020 by David Brussat

At the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which oversees the aesthetic evolution of the federal district in Washington, D.C., a battle over renovations to the Federal Reserve Building, 1937, designed by Paul Philippe Cret in a stripped classical style, hints … Continue reading →

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Talk the talk on buildings

Posted on May 21, 2020 by David Brussat

Here is a post of mine from Feb. 7, 2018, “Talk the talk on buildings,” about the incoherence of architectural language. It was originally illustrated by a map of the 1901 McMillan Plan for the National Mall, a fine example … Continue reading →

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EO: The two paths ahead

Posted on March 4, 2020 by David Brussat

The draft executive order that is stirring within the Trump administration is forcing classicists in the field of architecture to choose one of two paths forward. The path that goes through the E.O., if it is not already throttled in … Continue reading →

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Parsing classical creativity

Posted on February 18, 2020 by David Brussat

The proposed executive order encouraging classical architecture for federal buildings in Washington and elsewhere, if adopted by President Trump, would replace Kennedy-era guidelines that have encouraged modern architecture for federal buildings since 1962. Enough time has passed to declare modern … Continue reading →

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Readings on the exec. order

Posted on February 15, 2020 by David Brussat

Here is a list of readings, pro and con, from newspapers and magazines, plus original source material, to help readers judge the wisdom and validity, such as they may be, of the draft proposed executive order from the White House … Continue reading →

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A deep dive into sculpture

Posted on June 7, 2019 by David Brussat

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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Curl’s American lecture tour

Posted on May 3, 2019 by David Brussat

Professor James Stevens Curl, author of the pathbreaking Making Dystopia: The Strange Rise and Survival of Architectural Barbarism, will be visiting on our side of the pond to receive a Ross Award from the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. … Continue reading →

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Cameron’s Penn Sta. pitch

Posted on February 27, 2019 by David Brussat

Richard Cameron, who spearheads the plan to have New York’s Pennsylvania Station rebuilt much as it was when it opened in 1910, pitched his proposal in Boston yesterday. Before a large audience at the Boston Design Center, he described how … Continue reading →

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Shubow to U.S. arts board

Posted on October 1, 2018 by David Brussat

In a truly exciting appointment, President Trump has placed one of the nation’s most talented advocates for beauty on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Justin Shubow, who heads and will continue at the National Civic Art Society during his … Continue reading →

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Catesby Leigh on Penn Sta.

Posted on April 3, 2018 by David Brussat

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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