Make Federal Architecture Beautiful Again Act
The Make Federal Architecture Beautiful Again Act would require a strong preference for classical and traditional architectural styles in major federal public buildings. It designates classical and traditional styles as the preferred approach, with a default favoring such designs for federal buildings in the District of Columbia unless exceptional factors apply. The bill directs how buildings should be conceived—emphasizing dignity, civic identity, regional heritage, and public input—while promoting design competitions, local community involvement, and integration of art. It also imposes requirements on the General Services Administration (GSA) to train staff, create a senior architectural design advisor, and weigh classical/traditional expertise in design selections. A new oversight/notification process would require the President’s Domestic Policy Advisor to be informed if a diverging design is pursued, with detailed cost justifications. In short, the bill aims to reshape federal architecture toward traditional aesthetics, increase oversight of design choices, and encourage community engagement and artistic integration, particularly for costly projects that meet the defined thresholds.
Key Points
- 1Classical and traditional architecture is the preferred and, in DC, default approach for applicable Federal public buildings; divergence from this standard requires careful justification.
- 2The bill defines “applicable Federal public buildings” by category and cost (courthouse, agency HQ, National Capital Region, and other buildings costing more than $50 million in 2025 dollars), excluding infrastructure projects and land ports of entry.
- 3GSA must update policies to reflect these goals, ensure staff have formal training or substantial experience in classical/traditional design, and establish a senior advisor for architectural design to guide standards and evaluations.
- 4Design competitions should actively recruit firms experienced in classical/traditional architecture, and multiple design modes should be advanced to final evaluation when feasible.
- 5A 30-day notification requirement to the President’s Assistant for Domestic Policy is triggered if a proposed design diverges from preferred architecture, requiring a justification, lifecycle cost analysis, and a comparison with designs using preferred architecture.