Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture
The order establishes classical and traditional architecture as the preferred style for applicable federal public buildings, mandating it as the default in Washington, D.C., and requiring White House notification before any non-preferred design — including Brutalist or Deconstructivist styles — can be approved.
It creates a new advisory council to recommend updates to the General Services Administration's design policies, reversing decades of federal practice that favored modernist architecture and effectively sidelining community and regional input.
What this order does
What it orders
The order directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to follow a new architecture policy making classical and traditional styles the preferred — and in Washington, D.C., the default — design for applicable federal public buildings. It requires the GSA Administrator to notify the President through the Assistant for Domestic Policy at least 30 days before approving any design that diverges from the preferred architecture, including Brutalist or Deconstructivist designs, and to provide detailed cost comparisons and justifications. It also directs that community input be sought before selecting an architectural firm or style.
The order establishes the President's Council on Improving Federal Civic Architecture, composed of Commission of Fine Arts members, the Architect of the Capitol, senior GSA officials, and up to 20 presidentially appointed citizens. The Council is charged with recommending policy changes to GSA. "Applicable Federal public buildings" is defined to include all federal courthouses, agency headquarters, all federal buildings in D.C., and other federal buildings expected to cost more than $50 million — but excludes infrastructure projects and land ports of entry.
Who it affects
The General Services Administration and its design staff, federal agencies seeking new buildings, architects competing for federal commissions, communities where new federal buildings are planned, and the newly created advisory council members appointed from outside the federal government.
Why it matters
Architects bidding on federal contracts worth billions of dollars will face a strong preference for classical and traditional styles. Communities gain a formal role in design selection. Modernist and Brutalist designs become subject to presidential-level review, effectively raising the bar for non-traditional federal buildings nationwide.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
GSA must follow the classical/traditional preference when selecting designs. If it wants to approve a non-preferred design, it must notify the White House at least 30 days before the point at which rejecting that design would incur substantial cost, and submit detailed cost and aesthetic justifications. The advisory Council reviews GSA policy and submits recommendations to the Administrator by September 30, 2021, then terminates. GSA provides administrative and funding support to the Council within existing appropriations.
Actions and deadlines
- Submit report to GSA Administrator recommending policy updates to incorporate the order's architecture preferences
- Recommend changes to GSA policies for design selections under the Commemorative Works Act
- Notify the President at least 30 days before approving any non-preferred building design that would incur substantial costs to reject
- Seek community and future-user input before selecting an architectural firm or design style for applicable buildings
- Council terminates unless extended by the President