Urban design

Over the past year, there have been repeated security breaches at the White House involving intruders jumping over the perimeter fence. Three years ago, a man opened fire from a car on Constitution Avenue, breaking the outer pane of a window in the private quarters of the president and his...

In the design review process for major national memorials in Washington—a process that almost always takes a decade or more—proposals are inevitably scrutinized for their compatibility with the two fundamental plans for the city, the L’Enfant plan of 1791 and the Senate Park (McMillan) Commission Plan of 1901. The design...

The U.S. Olympic Committee will decide soon whether to promote an American city to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, and Washington, D.C. is an inspirational contender: a beautiful, living city with tremendous physical and cultural assets.  With multiple existing or planned sports venues, some 50 miles of waterfront, a walkable...

There has been much discussion about the location of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the National Park Service’s plans to impose stricter regulations on the use of the Mall. The Mall is a unique space that serves many users and interests—from the Smithsonian’s seasonal programming to Independence Day celebrations, from...

In November 2013, the Commission of Fine Arts commented on the Height Master Plan report adopted earlier that month by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), prepared in a year-long process undertaken with the District of Columbia Office of Planning. 

Calling the issue one of national symbolic importance, the Commission...

In September 2011, the Commission of Fine Arts approved a concept design for the proposed Dwight D. Eisenhower National Memorial, expressing great enthusiasm for the development of the design and for the artistic quality of the tapestry mockups as displayed on the memorial site.

The stone-clad columns would frame the...