WASHINGTON, D.C, – On September 4, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced the Beautifying Federal Civic Architecture Act. The bill establishes that it is the policy of the United States that classical and traditional architecture should be the preferred design for all federal public buildings. This applies to federal buildings across the country, not just those in the D.C. metro area. Rep. Kevin Kiley is leading the bill in the House.
Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.): “Americans want their federal buildings to reflect the strength, beauty, and tradition of our country. This bill ensures our architecture honors our history, includes local input from our communities, and celebrates American tradition.”
Congressman Kevin Kiley (CA-03): “For too long, our federal buildings in our nation’s capital and across the country have been marked by cold, impersonal structures that ignore the values and beauty our republic was built upon. The bill I’m sponsoring will restore the classical spirit of democracy to the architecture of our federal buildings. This is a proud step toward honoring our heritage and inspiring future generations.”
Key Provisions of the Beautifying Federal Civic Architecture Act are:
- Amends the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture to give preference toward traditional and classical architecture in federal public buildings.
- Other styles are also permissible if they convey the dignity of our country and system of government.
- Makes it the policy of the United States that federal buildings should be selected with substantial input from local communities.
Full text of the bill can be found here.
Read more about the bill here.
Background:
On Thursday, August 28, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order “Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again.” The EO will change the General Services Administration’s policies to prefer classical and traditional architecture in Federal public buildings.
In Washington, classical buildings, such as the White House, the Capitol Buildings, the Supreme Court, and many of our national monuments, have become iconic symbols of our system of government. In Indiana, the Birch Bayh Federal Building has stood for over a century and has been listed as a National Historic Landmark because of its great artistic value.
The U.S. government stopped encouraging these inspiring designs after Daniel Patrick Moynihan wrote the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture in 1962. These principles implicitly discourage classical and traditional designs and instead declares that the Government should use “contemporary” design. This has resulted in the construction of appalling buildings such as the Hubert H. Humphrey Department of Health and Human Services Building in D.C. and the Minton-Capehart Federal Building in Indianapolis.
As of 2020, under the Design Excellence Program, only 6 of the federal buildings constructed have been classical or traditional. That is just 8%.
This is contrary to the preferences of the American people who largely have been left out of the design selection process. A poll conducted by The Harris Poll shows nearly three quarters (72%) of Americans prefer traditional architecture for federal buildings. There was a widespread majority in favor of traditional designs across all demographic groups, including race, sex, age, and political party affiliation.