Justin Shubow
@JustinShubow
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President, National Civic Art Society @civicartsociety. Former chairman of U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. NYT: "one of modern architecture’s biggest critics."
Washington, D.C.
Joined February 2012
In his @WSJ op-ed “Trump Can Restore Honor to American Art,” @johnnyburtka wrote some kind words about me: “There are plenty of other candidates better suited to restore honor to federal arts and culture agencies. Justin Shubow, president of the National Civic Art Society, served
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What should we do with the blight of Brutalist buildings, especially in Washington, D.C.? CBS Saturday Morning did a segment on the subject, interviewing me. The host conceded that the majority of people dislike the buildings but observed that some modernist architects wish to
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Historian Victor Davis Hanson interviewed me on his podcast co-hosted by @jackfowler. We discussed beauty and heroism in architecture, monuments, and the arts. @VDHanson concluded:. “If anyone is listening in the Trump transition, and I know that some people are, we have a great
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Just-released 2024 GOP platform states, "Republicans will promote beauty in Public Architecture and preserve our Natural Treasures. We will build cherished symbols of our Nation, and restore genuine Conservation efforts."
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It was a pleasure to discuss the future of art and architecture policy under @realDonaldTrump on @aaron_renn's show. I don't make any presumptions about my role in the administration, but I hope the leadership of the National Endowment for the Arts will share my vision: "A great
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.@SabinHoward's speech at the unveiling of his sculpture at the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 13, 2024.
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.@archpaper reports, "The new National World War I Memorial . finally opens this week not far from the White House. Its classical design . was thanks to a campaign by the National Civic Art Society’s Justin Shubow."
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.@NPR quoted me re Trump's directive to beautify government buildings: "I think it's extraordinarily exciting that – day one – President Trump is planting the flag demonstrating that federal architecture is going to be a priority in this administration." . "[I]t seems likely
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I was honored to appear on The Untold Story with @marthamaccallum (Fox News Radio). I discussed my vision for how I would chair the National Endowment for the Arts in the coming Trump administration (in my view, the NEA needs a major change to foster art that ennobles and
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The setup for CBS Saturday Morning's interview of me regarding the future of Brutalist buildings. We also did a "walk and talk" in D.C. in front of the hideous Forrestal building, headquarters of the Department of @ENERGY. The segment should air December 28.
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.@JDVance1 on the importance of beautiful public buildings. Vance is a co-sponsor of @SenMarcoRubio's pending bill promoting classical and traditional architecture for federal buildings and U.S. courthouses.
Our towns and cities don’t have to be ugly. We used to create small businesses that last and beautiful public buildings. Thank God many parts of Ohio provide an example of what could be.
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Day 1 Memorandum from President Trump: He's going to Make Federal Architecture Great Again. Here's to democracy in design!
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I had a great time on the @DCEKGpodcast being interviewed by @RealJoeGrogan, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Trump. We discussed the magnificent new classical National World War I Memorial by @SabinHoward, what to do about Brutalism in D.C.,
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I had the pleasure of being interviewed by @ssharmaUS on @AmMomentOrg's podcast Moment of Truth. It was a wide-ranging discussion: President Trump and the politics of architecture, sustainability, the new World War I Memorial, Eisenhower Memorial, United Flight 93 Memorial, the.
SEASON FINALE! 🏛️👀. @JustinShubow joins us on Moment of Truth to discuss what it will take to Make America Beautiful Again!. Out now ➡️
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I've joined the Board of Advisors of the new Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation. The greatest philosopher of architecture of his time, in 2018 he was appointed chairman of the UK government’s Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission @Scruton_Legacy
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I was glad to sit down with @johnnyburtka, president and CEO of @ISI, for an interview about my work at @civicartsociety. I discussed how beauty, art, and architecture shape a flourishing society, including the importance of classical architecture in fostering civic pride and.
Building for Greatness: Justin Shubow on Beauty, Art, & Architecture
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In an episode titled "This Federal Agency Could Make Art in America Again," I discussed the future of the National Endowment for the Arts on @andrewklavan's show. Klavan kindly said to me, "I have to say I love your ideas. I like the way you're thinking about it, and I like
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In May 2024, I delivered a lecture on @Roger_Scruton's philosophy of architecture at Georgetown University as part of a conference presented by @TheCenterforACI, @AEI, @EPPCdc, and @civicartsociety. Scruton, who died in 2020, was the leading philosopher of architecture of his
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I'm pleased to report that I'll be giving a talk on ordinary people's preferences in architecture at a conference in Oslo, Norway in May. Other speakers include @michael_diamant, @Nir_Buras, James Stevens Curl, & Nikos Salingaros.
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.@realDonaldTrump's statement announcing @SeanDuffyWI for @USDOT Secretary: “He will prioritize . Beauty when rebuilding America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports.” Let's make sure to include New York's Penn Station, too. Make Infrastructure Beautiful Again!.
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As Potsdam demonstrates, it is still possible to build beautiful classical buildings today. We need to do the same in America.
Under the motto of "We can just rebuild stuff": . Potsdam's center was transformed from a grey DDR dystopia into a vibrant, beautiful, humane place that'll attract visitors for centuries. It shows how we can create new cities too, each shaped by its own unique 'spirit of place'
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I recently had the pleasure of giving a talk on "Citizenship and Public Architecture" at @firstthingsmag's intellectual retreat at the Union League Club in New York City.
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Looking forward to speaking Saturday at a panel on "Reclaiming Beauty" with Rt. Hon. @michaelgove, former UK housing secretary, and architect María Sánchez at the University of Cambridge sponsored by @Scruton_Legacy. Moderator @SCP_Hughes. My talk is on "How Classical
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On 5/19 in Washington, D.C., I'll be giving a talk on "Roger Scruton's Philosophy of Architecture" at a conference on Scruton sponsored by @AEI, @EPPCdc, @civicartsociety & more. Also speaking @DrDominicGreen, @Fisher_D, @HorcherF. Register at
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On Sept. 7, I'll be speaking at the University of Cambridge at a conference on "A New Path for Beauty" sponsored by @Scruton_Legacy. Other speakers include conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner and painter Jacob Collins. For info, see
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.@Bloomberg @CityLab on @civicartsociety / @HarrisPoll. survey showing Americans overwhelmingly prefer traditional architecture over modern for federal buildings
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.@chicagotribune: “One of those Trump-appointed commissioners removed by Biden was Justin Shubow. Shubow’s organization had a hand in drafting Trump’s design-related executive orders, and he is said to be in the running for chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts in the.
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On November 15, @civicartsociety sponsored this talk by sculptor @SabinHoward, who presented his magnificent classical design for the forthcoming National World War I Memorial. @WW1CC Watch the video now!
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The January 2025 issue of @washingtonian magazine mentioned me while speculating about the future of federal architecture.
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"We must not forget that an everlasting Republic is buttressed by sempiternal beauty." Check out my new essay at on beauty, virtue, and American classical architecture.
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Earlier this year, I gave a talk on ordinary people’s preferences in architecture at a Beauty and Ugliness in Architecture conference in Oslo, Norway. Many @arkuppror (Architectural Uprising) members were there. You can watch the video at
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.@jackfowler in @nypost: Seeing the magnificent result of his new National World War I Memorial, "[Sabin] Howard’s work has instigated the idea for another monument, of profound scale and import: a Grand Freedom Arch — what he calls 'an American Exceptionalism Monument' — that.
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Had a fun time being interviewed by @bradleydevlin on the Signal Sitdown podcast. We discussed President Trump’s desire to beautify federal architecture, the new Eisenhower Memorial (bad), the new World War I Memorial (good), building a new classical Penn Station in New York.
Trump's 2024 vision includes making America BEAUTIFUL again!. @JustinShubow, fmr US Commission of Fine Arts member, wants to help him achieve this goal. Fun fact: Both Washington & Jefferson were architect-presidents who chose classical-styled government buildings to flex
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It was an honor to give this talk on "How Classical Architecture Can Unite Americans at an Otherwise Divided Time" at a @Scruton_Legacy conference at Cambridge University. The other panelists were María Fernanda Sánchez, architect of Cayalá, a new classical city in Guatemala;
Classical architecture is so powerful it can help unite an otherwise divided nation. So claimed @JustinShubow, President of @civicartsociety, at our conference at Cambridge University. He explored how timeless design rooted in ancient precedents—and employed by the Founding
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Bloomberg @CityLab quoted me in an article on @realDonaldTrump, @JDVance, and the future of federal architecture. According to the article:. "A companion bill in the Senate [that would encourage the use of traditional architecture for federal buildings] was sponsored by none
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.@aaronbetsky in @architectmag on Louis Kahn's Parliament Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh: "there is the alien character of the architecture as a whole. Although Kahn claimed he was inspired by the delta landscape in which Dhaka is located, and wanted to use local building
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Congress announced today that the U.S. Capitol is being renovated to place it in harmony with the Eisenhower Memorial.
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Rusty Reno, editor of @firstthingsmag, interviewed me on the publication's podcast. He said, "Let me just say that @civicartsociety is a very important and effective organization in Washington to lobby for beauty in the federal patronage of the arts, and especially architecture.
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.@bradleydevlin did a nice write-up of his interview of me on the @DailySignal's Sitdown podcast. He quoted me: "it’s no small matter for a government to support art and architecture that redounds to the greatness of the country. This is something that Theodore Roosevelt talked
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I discussed the future of the arts in America with writer/speaker @ericmetaxas on his radio show. He kindly commented, “I think Justin Shubow would make a crackerjack spectacular choice . as the new head of the [National Endowment for the Arts]. And I hope President Trump, who
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Enjoyed being interviewed by Tom Dioro on the Architecture and Innovation podcast. I spoke about the timelessness of classical architecture and its relation to the Zeitgeist. I also discussed what architects owe to their clients and the public. You can listen at
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ICYMI on Oct. 19, I participated on a @AEI web panel in which I called for a Presidential Executive Order that would re-orient federal architecture in a classical and traditional direction. My remarks begin at 3:55
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It's fitting that the co-founder of Airbnb loves beautiful buildings.
👏🏼👏🏼.
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@dieworkwear My 2006 Slate piece was perhaps the first article ever written on street fashion blogs. I interviewed the Sartorialist.
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Being sworn into the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Behind me is the 1901-2 McMillan Plan, which created the @TheNationalMall as we know it. @CFA_GOV
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.@michaelschaffer @politico gives me fair hearing. I "take satisfaction in a June [GAO] report. that advises the GSA to formally require and incorporate community input on building designs—a byproduct, he says, of. Trump’s classical-architecture orders."
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Thanks, Joe. It would never have happened without you, too!!.
Nice @JustinShubow ! Never would have happened without you!.
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.@firstthingsmag's podcast features an interview of me by @mark_bauerlein in which we discuss legislation pending in the U.S. House & Senate that would dramatically re-orient federal architecture from modernism to classical & traditional design.
The latest podcast is now out! Tune in to hear Justin Shubow and Mark Bauerlein discuss proposed legislation about the use of classical design in federal architecture. | @JustinShubow .
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On July 10, 2024, I gave a talk on “How We Turned the Tables on Modern Architectural Eyesores” at @NatConTalk in Washington, D.C. Among other things, I discussed President Trump's Executive Order on federal architecture as well as pending legislation in Congress, sponsored by
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Thank you for your support!.
For what it is worth I would also endorse Justin Shubow for this post. Link to article quoted:
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Here's the video of my talk "The End of Beauty in Architecture" from @HildebrandPrj conference on Retrieving Beauty
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It’s been said that Art Deco is the last of the classical styles.
If X is closest in style to anything, it should, of course, be Art Deco.
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I wrote about the failure of the trendy, sometimes avant-garde "Make It Right" houses some years ago
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On June 3 in College Park, Maryland, I'll be giving a dinner lecture at the annual conference of the Academy of Philosophy and Letters. My topic will be "Building Dystopia: What Went Wrong in Modern Architecture." You can register at
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.@WashTimes: Trump would reinstate directive promoting classical architecture in public buildings
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I recently discussed federal architecture policy in an hour-long interview on the DC EKG podcast. The show is hosted by @RealJoeGrogan, former director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council, and Eric Ueland (@RealEU4U), former director of White House legislative affairs. Listen at
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My talk on Sir @Roger_Scruton's philosophy of architecture from earlier this year. I note in my closing that he wrote me in 2019, "You will make a difference because the public no longer accepts the right of the elite to dictate our aesthetic values or the appearance of public
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"Imposed by unelected mandarins, federal designs celebrate technocracy and faceless power. Yet thanks to a joint effort in Congress, our era of elitist and spiritually impoverished government buildings may soon come to an end.".
The 6/27/23 edition of @WSJopinion features an op-ed by NCAS Research Fellow @MyronMagnet endorsing legislation sponsored by @SenMarcoRubio & @RepJimBanks that would beautify federal architecture.
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Relying on the work of @SCP_Hughes, @DouthatNYT. demonstrates that Modernist architecture--unornamented and ugly--didn't come to dominate due to economic reasons. "We don’t necessarily need to repeal the laws of economics . to build as beautifully as our ancestors once did. We
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My interview on the @FDRLST Radio Hour: "Justin Shubow joins The Federalist's . Matt Kittle to discuss the importance of restoring Washington, D.C., architecture to its classical roots, explain his unprecedented removal from U.S. Commission of Fine Arts by President Joe Biden,
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.@POTUS will be appointing me to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts for a four-year term. CFA is the aesthetic guardian of Washington, D.C.
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Great news for all those want Paris to maintain its low-rise character. Relatedly, I recently participated in a debate sponsored by @civicartsociety and @NewUrbanism in which I argued that Washington, D.C. should keep its height limit.
Très bien. Paris has banned tall buildings following a backlash against Herzog & de Meuron’s 48-storey Le Triangle tower, reviving the same 12-storey limit that was imposed on the city in 1977 following the construction of ugly Montparnasse tower.
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I recently debated whether Washington, D.C. should raise its height limit. I argued no. @civicartsociety & @NewUrbanism were the sponsors. You can watch a video of the event at
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A historic letter from my great uncle and namesake, Rabbi Joseph Shubow, who as a chaplain during WWII led a Passover seder in Goebbel's castle in April 1945.
On #YomHaShoah, we mourn & remember. It is also a moment to honor the survival & resilience of the Jewish people. In his letter, Rabbi Joseph Shubow describes holding a Passover Seder in Goebbel's castle after the war - an observance of freedom from ancient & modern oppression.
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I'm honored to announce that I'll be speaking on "Citizenship and Public Architecture" at @firstthingsmag's intellectual retreat in New York City on August 9. You can register at
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.@JDVance1 on the need for beautiful things in America.
Not everything has to be ugly. We live in a great country, and we should have beautiful things.
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.@MarketWatch: "Brad Pitt wanted to help New Orleans recover from Hurricane Katrina — but those affordable homes turned into another disaster"
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.@DavidBrussat, former architecture critic at the Providence Journal, blogged about my appointment to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts
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The exciting new Man & Culture magazine, which focuses on high culture, sports/fitness, fashion and more, published a profile of me. @MandCMagazine
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.@AEI panel 3/24 in D.C. on the draft Executive Order "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again," which would re-orient federal architecture in a classical and traditional direction. RSVP or watch online
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Thank you for the endorsement!.
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A striking poem by @amjuster that begins, "Men stand before the magistrates, / so dressed by lawyers they could pass / for actuaries out on dates.".
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.@milenefernandez in @EpochTimes: Contemporary Classical Art of Architecture Celebrated at 11th Street Arts in NY
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Not surprised that Brutalism, called an “anti-aesthetic” by its fans, is unpopular in a democracy.
If you could vote to ban Brutalism being used to build civic buildings, what would you say?.
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On 4/2 in D.C., @civicartsociety and @NewUrbanism. are sponsoring a debate: Should D.C. raise its height limit? @beolooney and I will be arguing no. @HTinWDC & @ellenplanner will be arguing yes. Register by 3/18 at
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.@Miss32percent Arch schools are abusive: crush the spirit of those who have different vision of arch. Only the prof's vision is permitted.
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.@Forbes: Architecture Continues To Implode: More Insiders Say Profession Is Failing @PPS_Placemaking @bcitiestowns
http://t.co/axLNKiUMz7.
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.@civicartsociety, @EPPCdc, & @EncounterBooks recently co-hosted a panel discussion on Bruce Cole's book "Art from the Swamp: How Washington Bureaucrats Squander Millions on Awful Art." I was a panelist, along w/ @rogerkimball, & Catesby Leigh. Video at
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.@civicartsociety & @AdLawCenter invite you to attend an event on "The Architecture of Bureaucracy" the evening of Wednesday 10/17 at Decatur House in Washington, D.C. A reception will follow. @wbdnewton
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.@LangeAlexandra Why is rebuilding the original Penn Station absurd? Was rebuilding historic Dresden and Warsaw absurd? @jmassengale.
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I'm honored to report that I'll be delivering the luncheon address at the spring meeting of the Philadelphia Society in Dallas on March 26. I'll be speaking on "The Return of Classicism in Federal Architecture."
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On 1/14, I participated on a panel at a celebration of the memory of Bruce Cole in D.C. I was joined by @rogerkimball (editor of @newcriterion & publisher of @EncounterBooks ), and Catesby Leigh (@civicartsociety Research Fellow). Ed Whelan, President of @EPPCdc, moderated.
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On October 10, I'm giving a public talk in Dallas titled "Building Dystopia: What Went Wrong in Modern Architecture." The event, which starts at 4:00 pm, is sponsored by the Edith O'Donnell Institute of Art History at @UT_Dallas. The venue is the @DallasMuseumArt
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.@TheAthenaeumRev did an hour-long podcast with me on Modernist vs. classical architecture, monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C., the philosopher Michael Oakeshott, menswear, and more
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