Author Archives: Justin Shubow

I am Justin Shubow

President of the National Civic Art Society, a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. that promotes the classical and humanistic tradition in public art and architecture. Eleventh Chairman of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, an independent federal agency comprising seven presidential appointees who are the aesthetic guardians of Washington.

Why Congress Should Support a New Eisenhower Memorial

by Justin Shubow Posted on May 8, 2013

On March 19 2013, in front of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation, I testified along with Rep. Darrell Issa on a bill to scrap Gehry’s design for the National Eisenhower Memorial. The New York Times and … Continue reading →

Posted in American Institute of Architects (AIA), civic architecture, congressional testimony, deconstructionism, deconstructivism, Eisenhower Memorial, Fiske Kimball, Frank Gehry, harmony, Henry M. Shrady, Jefferson Memorial, Modernism, monuments, National Civic Art Society, Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, United Airlines Flight 93 Memorial | Tagged , | Leave a comment

We Must Preserve the Founders’ Classical Vision for Our Nation’s Capital

by Justin Shubow Posted on February 10, 2013

Below is an essay I published in Public Discourse last month. It is an adaptation of the June 1, 2012 testimony I delivered before the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands on “The Future of the … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, beauty, civic architecture, classicism, congressional testimony, Eisenhower Memorial, Frank Lloyd Wright, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George Washington, historic preservation, Jefferson Memorial, Joseph Hudnut, L'Enfant Plan, Lincoln Memorial, McMillan Plan, Modernism, National Civic Art Society, National Gallery of Art, National Mall, National Park Service, Spirit of the Times, Thomas Jefferson, uncategorized, Washington, D.C. | Leave a comment

Speaking in Front of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society at UVA 2/1

by Justin Shubow Posted on January 30, 2013

On Friday February 2, 2013, I’ll be giving a talk about Frank Gehry’s design for the planned Eisenhower Memorial to the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society at the University of Virginia. The society, which claims to be the “oldest continuously … Continue reading →

Posted in civic architecture, democracy, Eisenhower Memorial, Frank Gehry, Spirit of the Times, Thomas Jefferson | Leave a comment

Classical Architecture Inspires a Return to Beauty in Classical Music

by Justin Shubow Posted on November 28, 2012

Goethe famously said that “Architecture is music frozen in time.” Expressing that literally, Le Corbusier and composer Iannis Xenakis co-designed the Philips Pavilion for Expo ’58 in Brussels.  In particular, the hyperboloid building, shaped like a stomach, was inspired by … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, beauty, classicism, Edgard Varèse, Iannis Xenakis, Le Corbusier, McKim Mead & White, Modernism, music | 3 Comments