Category Archives: McMillan Plan

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.

Interviewed on the Who Versus Podcast

by Justin Shubow Posted on May 31, 2025

On May 29, 2025, I appeared on the Who Versus podcast for a fun and freewheeling discussion about architecture, power, and the values embedded in our public buildings. What began as a discussion of Brutalism and the movie The Brutalist … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, beauty, Brutalism, civic architecture, classical architecture, deconstructionism, deconstructivism, Eisenhower Memorial, Executive Order on federal architecture, FBI building, federal architecture, Frank Gehry, Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, Harris Poll, HHS Building, HUD Building, L'Enfant Plan, McMillan Plan, Mies van der Rohe, Modernism, National Civic Art Society, National Mall, Nazis, nihilism, Philip Johnson, President Donald Trump, The Brutalist, uncategorized, Walter Gropius, Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C. Metro | Leave a comment

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

by Justin Shubow Posted on May 7, 2025

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 on 10 Blocks, the Podcast of City Journal

by Justin Shubow Posted on December 13, 2024

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by John Hirschauer for 10 Blocks, the podcast of City Journal magazine, a publication of the Manhattan Institute. To quote: John Hirschauer: According to sources, you’re being considered to chair the National Endowment for … Continue reading →

Posted in Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, federal architecture legislation, McMillan Plan, National Endowment for the Arts, Rebuild Penn Station, U.S. Commission of Fine Arts | Leave a comment

Interviewed on the DC EKG Podcast

by Justin Shubow Posted on November 5, 2024

Joe Grogan, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council in the Trump administration, interviewed me on the DC EKG podcast. I spoke at length about the magnificent new classical National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. I also … Continue reading →

Posted in Brutalism, civic architecture, classical architecture, Eisenhower Memorial, federal architecture, Frank Gehry, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, General Services Administration, Jefferson Memorial, Joe Grogan, L'Enfant Plan, Martin Luther King Memorial, McMillan Plan, Modernism, monuments, National Civic Art Society, National Mall, National World War I Memorial, public talks, sculpture, U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, United Airlines Flight 93 Memorial, Washington, D.C. | Leave a comment

Appointed to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

by Justin Shubow Posted on November 16, 2018

On October 23, 2018, President Trump appointed me to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts for a four-year term. I was sworn into the Commission at its November 15, 2018 meeting. The Commission of Fine Arts is an independent federal agency consisting of seven presidential appointees who … Continue reading →

Posted in McMillan Plan, monuments, National Mall, U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, Washington, D.C. | 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