Category Archives: classical architecture

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.

Lecture on The City Beautiful Movement and Washington, D.C.

On April 24, 2025, I delivered a lecture on “The City Beautiful Movement and Washington, D.C.” as part of the inaugural Teófilo Victoria Lecture Series, sponsored by the Florida chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art in collaboration with … Continue reading

Posted in City Beautiful movement, classical architecture, Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, L'Enfant Plan, McMillan Plan, National Civic Art Society, National Mall, public talks | Leave a comment

Interviewed by Le Point: “Justin Shubow, Donald Trump’s ‘Mr. Architecture'”

Le Point, a French weekly newspaper, published an interview of me as well as a companion news article, “Donald Trump’s Major Offensive Against ‘Just Really Ugly’ Architecture.” To quote the interview (via Google translate): He is Donald Trump’s Mr. Architecture. Appointed chairman of the … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, beauty, Brutalism, civic architecture, classical architecture, classicism, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Étienne-Louis Boullée, Executive Order on federal architecture, FBI building, federal architecture, Forrestal building, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, General Services Administration, GSA's Design Excellence Program, Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, Harris Poll, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Modernism, National Civic Art Society, President Donald Trump, Thomas Jefferson, U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, ugliness, Washington, D.C. Metro | Leave a comment

Quoted in The New York Times on the Politics of Brutalism Under Trump

The New York Times gave me some good quotes in a February 22, 2025 article on the politics of Brutalism under Trump: The [Brutalist] buildings’ very association with government is sinister to people in Mr. Trump’s orbit, like Justin Shubow, … Continue reading

Posted in Brutalism, classical architecture, FBI building, President Donald Trump, Washington, D.C. | Leave a comment

Interviewed at Length by Dezeen

Writing for Dezeen, the publication’s editor Tom Ravenscroft interviewed me at length in a January 29, 2025 piece on Trump’s directives re federal architecture: [Shubow] described architects’ responses as “hysterical” and claimed that the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is … Continue reading

Posted in American Institute of Architects (AIA), classical architecture, federal architecture, Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, National Endowment for the Arts, President Donald Trump | Leave a comment

Serving as a Juror for the Addison Mizner Awards

On January 25, 2025, I was as one of three jurors for the Addison Mizner Awards, the highest prizes given out by the Florida chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. I served alongside San Francisco-based interior designer … Continue reading

Posted in Addison Mizner Awards, classical architecture, commercial architecture, historic preservation, Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, interior design, landscape architecture, residential architecture, Russell Windham, Suzanne Tucker, uncategorized | Leave a comment

Interviewed on The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast

On January 22, 2025, I appeared on The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast with the eponymous host, Senior Editor at National Review. To quote the show’s summary: On episode 79 of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast, Charles talked to … Continue reading

Posted in architecture of humanism, art, classical architecture, National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania Station, President Donald Trump, Rebuild Penn Station | Leave a comment

Interviewed on The Untold Story with Martha MacCallum (Fox News Radio)

On December 27, 2024, I was honored to appear on The Untold Story with Martha MacCallum (Fox News Radio). Broaching the subject of presidential appointments, MacCallum noted, “I know you’re being considered to head the National Endowment for the Arts … Continue reading

Posted in Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, architecture of humanism, classical architecture, federal architecture, First Lady Melania Trump, Fox News, historic preservation, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Lady Bird Johnson, Martha MacCallum, National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania Station, Rebuild Penn Station, uncategorized | Leave a comment

Endorsed for Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts by Victor Davis Hanson on His Podcast

In December 2024, I was interviewed about public architecture, monuments, and the future of the National Endowment for the Arts on the podcast of esteemed historian Victor Davis Hanson, recipient of the National Humanities Medal from President George W. Bush. Jack Fowler co-hosted. … Continue reading

Posted in art, beauty, civic architecture, classical architecture, Eisenhower Memorial, federal architecture, Frank Gehry, National Endowment for the Arts, National World War I Memorial, poetry, President Donald Trump, uncategorized, United Airlines Flight 93 Memorial, Victor Davis Hanson | Leave a comment

Interviewed on the Daily Signal Sitdown Podcast

Bradley Devlin, politics editor of the Daily Signal, interviewed me on the Signal Sitdown podcast. It was a wide-ranging conversation that included President Trump’s desire to beautify federal architecture, the new National Eisenhower Memorial (bad), the new National World War … Continue reading

Posted in Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, civic architecture, classical architecture, Eisenhower Memorial, GSA's Design Excellence Program, National World War I Memorial, Pennsylvania Station, President Donald Trump, Theodore Roosevelt, Washington, D.C., Winston Churchill | Leave a comment

How Classical Architecture Can Unite Americans in an Otherwise Divided Time

Can classical architecture unite Americans in an otherwise divided time? I said “yes” in a lecture earlier this year. I explored how timeless design rooted in ancient precedents–and employed by the Founding Fathers–bolsters democracy, unity, and civic identity. The talk was … Continue reading

Posted in Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, classical architecture, federal architecture, federal architecture legislation, Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, public talks, Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation | Leave a comment