Trump reinstates classical architecture demand for federal buildings

January 23, 2025

The U.S. Capitol. Photo by Quick PS on Unsplash

With the signing of a flurry of executive orders targeting birthright citizenship, the environment, and transgender Americans during his first week back in office, President Donald Trump is wasting no time pushing through his MAGA agenda. One particular order has architects and design groups concerned. On Monday, Trump issued an executive order promoting a classical style for federal buildings. He had issued a similar order in 2020 but the measure was repealed by President Joe Biden.

Trump’s action, titled “Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture,” directs the General Services Administration to submit within 60 days recommendations to “advance the policy that Federal public buildings should be visually identifiable as civic buildings and respect regional, traditional, and classic architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces…”

The order recommends revising the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, written by former U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan in 1962 to guide the design of civic buildings to be representative of democracy and the interests of the American people.

In the final weeks of his first term, Trump signed an executive order promoting classical architecture (seen in D.C. buildings like The White House and the U.S. Capitol) as the official style for federal buildings. The order defined “classical” to mean Neoclassical, Georgian, Greek Revival, and Gothic styles; it also criticized modern styles, like Brutalism.

The 2025 executive order is less blunt than the previous one, but according to NPR, stops the General Services Administration from approving any new buildings.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) criticized the order, which the group claims could suppress innovation and freedom of design.

“AIA is extremely concerned about any revisions that remove control from local communities; mandate official federal design preferences, or otherwise hinder design freedom; and add bureaucratic hurdles for federal buildings,” the group wrote in a statement. “AIA supports the GSA’s Guiding Principles, and we support freedom in design. AIA’s members believe the design of federal buildings must first be responsive to the people and communities who will use those buildings.”

“Our federal buildings across the country must reflect America’s wealth of culture, rich traditions, and unique geographic regions. AIA has strong concerns that mandating architecture styles stifles innovation and harms local communities. The current Design Excellence Program at GSA, which is based on the Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, achieves these goals and should be protected, not revised.”

Justin Shubow, the president of the National Civic Art Society and former chair of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts during Trump’s first term, has been a key voice in the push for classical architecture mandates for federal buildings as well as a critic of modern styles.

On X, Shubow celebrated the new executive order, writing about Trump: “He’s going to Make Federal Architecture Great Again. Here’s to democracy in design!”

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  1. T

    I really don’t like that man.

  2. D

    Good, I’m sick of architects making ugly and poorly functioning buildings designed only to impress other architects