Trump has signed an executive order establishing classical architecture as the preferred and default style for federal buildings, marking the latest move by the president to influence government structures. The order, titled “Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again,” requires Trump to be notified 30 days in advance if government officials intend to approve a design for a federal building that veers into brutalist or deconstructive architecture. The order states that applicable Federal public buildings should uplift and beautify public spaces, inspire the human spirit, ennoble the United States, and command respect from the general public. In the District of Columbia, classical architecture shall be the preferred and default architecture for Federal public buildings, absent exceptional factors necessitating another kind of architecture. Trump has also made aesthetic changes to the White House, such as replacing grass in the Rose Garden with white stone pavers, installing two giant flagpoles, and constructing a massive ballroom.
The Trump order has made classical architecture the default style for federal buildings.
