Category Archives: Washington, D.C.

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.

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

My Article for City Journal: Trump Will Beautify Civic Architecture

On January 31, 2025, I published an article for City Journal, a publication of the Manhattan Institute, titled “Trump Is Right: America’s New Buildings Are Ugly.” To quote: President Donald Trump has made it clear that the aesthetics of government … Continue reading

Posted in Executive Order on federal architecture, FBI building, federal architecture, Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, memorandum on federal architecture, National Civic Art Society, National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania Station, President Donald Trump, Rebuild Penn Station, uncategorized, Washington, D.C. | Leave a comment

Interviewed on CBS Saturday Morning About the Future of Brutalism

What should we do with the blight of Brutalist buildings, especially in Washington, D.C.? On January 18, 2025, CBS Saturday Morning aired a segment on the subject, interviewing me. The host conceded that the majority of people dislike the buildings … Continue reading

Posted in CBS Saturday Morning, federal architecture, historic preservation, President Donald Trump, Washington, D.C. | 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

Interviewed on the DC EKG Podcast

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

Intercollegiate Studies Institute Interview of Me

I was glad to sit down with Johnny Burtka, president and CEO of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), for an interview about my work at the National Civic Art Society. I discussed how beauty, art, and architecture shape a flourishing … Continue reading

Posted in Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, civic architecture, classical architecture, democracy, federal architecture, federal architecture legislation, Modernism, monuments, National World War I Memorial, public talks, Thomas Jefferson, United Airlines Flight 93 Memorial, Washington, D.C. | Leave a comment

Interviewed on Moment of Truth Podcast

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Saurabh Sharma, President of American Moment, on his organization’s podcast “Moment of Truth.” We discussed President Trump and the politics of architecture, sustainability, historic preservation, the new National World War I Memorial, … Continue reading

Posted in Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, architecture, Brutalism, civic architecture, classical architecture, democracy, Eisenhower Memorial, federal architecture, federal architecture legislation, Frank Gehry, historic preservation, Modernism, monuments, National Civic Art Society, National World War I Memorial, sustainability, U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, uncategorized, United Airlines Flight 93 Memorial, Washington, D.C. | Leave a comment

Interviewed on Liberty Law Talk Podcast

Liberty Law Talk, a podcast of Law & Liberty, featured an interview of National Civic Art Society President Justin Shubow in which he talks about the influence of civic architecture on body politic, the role of the U.S. Commission of … Continue reading

Posted in American Institute of Architects (AIA), Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, architecture, beauty, Brutalism, civic architecture, classicism, courthouses, deconstructionism, deconstructivism, federal architecture, federal architecture legislation, General Services Administration, George Washington, GSA's Design Excellence Program, Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, Harris Poll, Jefferson Memorial, Modernism, monuments, National Civic Art Society, sculpture, Thom Mayne, Thomas Jefferson, U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, ugliness, Washington, D.C. | Leave a comment