From a hodgepodge provincial city of brick buildings into an ordered array of white classical temples, Washington, D.C., was transformed by visionary planning and herculean implementation in response to the political and artistic movements of the early twentieth century. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts was created by Congress in 1910 to guide this transformation and has continued to advise on the capital citys design and other national symbols for a century. The impetus for this seven-member, presidentially appointed commission on design can be traced to the Senate Park Commission of 1901,...
From a hodgepodge provincial city of brick buildings into an ordered array of white classical temples, Washington, D.C., was transformed by visionary ...