Tag Archives: Washington DC

D.C.’s Union Station upgrade

Posted on June 30, 2022 by David Brussat

Last week the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the Federal Railroad Administration released images of a planned expansion of Washington’s Union Station, which sits just east of the U.S. Capitol grounds. The Beaux Arts station was designed by Chicago … Continue reading →

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Gehry Ike in its kitschy glory

Posted on August 8, 2020 by David Brussat

Frank Gehry’s monument to hims– oops, I mean to Dwight Eisenhower, does not open to the public until this Sept. 18, pushed back by the pandemic from May 8, the 75th anniversary of his victory in the European theater of … Continue reading →

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Lincoln vs. Jefferson

Posted on July 4, 2020 by David Brussat

A comparison of the Lincoln and the Jefferson memorials is almost as fascinating, in some ways even more so, than a comparison of Messrs. Lincoln and Jefferson themselves. Since I can add little to the second conversation I will confine … 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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A monumental carbuncle

Posted on September 25, 2019 by David Brussat

After years of closure pending repair of cracks in its shaft after a freak 2011 earthquake centered in Virginia, the Washington Monument reopened last week. I was aware of the repair but unaware that it entailed that obligatory inducement to … Continue reading →

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A stroll through Sept.’s TB

Posted on September 20, 2019 by David Brussat

Traditional Building now sends out eight issues a year to subscribers, most of whom are, I suspect, either architects or those involved in businesses that offer building services and, especially, products to embellish residential, commercial or institutional building projects, including … Continue reading →

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So blame it on Washington!

Posted on July 1, 2018 by David Brussat

No other world capital so directly expresses itself in architecture as Washington, D.C. Its classicism was selected by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to reflect the ideals of democracy, reaching back to those of Athens and Rome. Between 1800 and … Continue reading →

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Sledding near Dutch Emb.

Posted on March 12, 2018 by David Brussat

With snow bearing down this evening, ready to whack New England starting early tomorrow morning, thoughts naturally turn to sledding down hills while young. Or, rather, memories of same. My friends and I used to sled at Cal Hill, behind … Continue reading →

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Don’t maul the Mall, cont.

Posted on January 26, 2018 by David Brussat

The good news out of Washington is that the Fine Arts Commission has expressed reservations about the latest iteration of the Bjarke Ingels Group plan to renovate the Mall near the Smithsonian’s crenelated, betowered headquarters. Good, but not good enough. … Continue reading →

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Hometown honey in ol’ D.C.

Posted on September 24, 2017 by David Brussat

I grew up along a somewhat downscale edge of the upscale Washington neighborhood of Cleveland Park. The Bureau of Standards was nearby, and so was WTTG Channel 5, a local TV station. Our house, a relatively plain but lovable semi-detached, … Continue reading →

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