President Trump is planning on “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again” with an executive order that would make a classical style the default for federal buildings in Washington and other parts of the country, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
The draft order would encourage Greek and Roman architectural designs instead of modern architecture. The order is expected to go in front of Trump next month, a person familiar with the development told the Times.
“Classical and traditional architectural styles have proven their ability to inspire such respect for our system of self-government. Their use should be encouraged,” reads a draft of the order published by The Chicago Sun-Times.
The National Civic Art Society pushed for the order, arguing that contemporary design in buildings is “dehumanizing,” according to the Times. The group developed the order about a year ago and met with White House officials such as Joe Grogan, the head of the Domestic Policy Council, according to people involved in the planning.
The new guidelines would apply to any federal government buildings contracted through the General Services Administration (GSA) and cost more than $50 million. The proposed changes would not affect Smithsonian-funded museums.
“For too long architectural elites and bureaucrats have derided the idea of beauty, blatantly ignored public opinions on style, and have quietly spent taxpayer money constructing ugly, expensive, and inefficient buildings,” Marion Smith, head of the National Civic Art Society, wrote in a text message to the Times.
Smith told The Hill that the order is “a great step forward” in revising the GSA design process and “protecting the classical design of Washington, D.C.,” which has had “bipartisan consensus…for hundreds of years.”
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