Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again

The order establishes classical and traditional architecture as the preferred style for all applicable federal public buildings — courthouses, agency headquarters, all buildings in the National Capital Region, and any other federal building costing more than $50 million. In Washington, D.C., classical architecture becomes the default absent exceptional circumstances. It directs the GSA Administrator to update agency policies and procedures, ensure that GSA architects reviewing building designs have formal training or significant experience in classical or traditional architecture, create a new senior advisor position for classical architecture, weight classical/traditional experience in design-build competitions, and tie compliance to the performance plans of the GSA Chief Architect and relevant subordinate employees.

The order also requires the Administrator to notify the President at least 30 days before approving a design that diverges from the preferred style — including brutalist or deconstructivist designs — with a detailed justification and lifecycle cost comparison. It does not mandate that existing buildings be demolished or retrofitted, though it directs agencies to examine redesign feasibility when renovating buildings that fall short of the preferred aesthetic.

Architectural and design firms competing for federal building contracts, particularly those specializing in modernist or brutalist styles, who now face explicit preference for classical and traditional approaches. GSA staff involved in design selection face new training requirements and performance accountability. Federal agencies commissioning buildings over $50 million are also directly affected.

Architectural firms without classical or traditional credentials face a meaningful disadvantage in federal design competitions going forward. Firms with classical expertise gain structural advantages in scoring. The public will over time see new federal courthouses, headquarters, and large government buildings shift visibly toward classical styles.

GSA is the primary implementation engine. The Administrator must update internal policies, staff the new senior classical-architecture advisor role, and retrain or replace design-review staff. Each future design competition for an applicable building must weight classical/traditional experience in phase-one solicitations. The 30-day presidential notification requirement for non-preferred designs effectively creates a White House veto point. Performance plans for the Chief Architect and subordinate staff tie career advancement to compliance. No sunset clause or independent enforcement body is established; implementation depends on appropriations and existing agency authority.