‘King Solomon’s Temple, nazis, and a legendary piano’

     
It has been known as “The Immortal Piano” and “The Siena Piano” and “The King’s Piano” and “The Harp of David Piano,” and legend says it is made of cedar from King Solomon’s Temple; after failing to sell via eBay earlier this winter, the magnificent upright piano made in Italy in 1799 was auctioned last Monday by Winner’s Auctions.

It was hoped the singular piece would garner between $1.5 million and $2 million, but the final gavel sounded after 33 competitive bids at $320,000.

Courtesy liveauctioneers.com

The Solomon’s Temple bit aside, this piano has an unbelievable history. From the auction house description:


The story of this piano starts at the beginning of the 19th century, when a harpsichord maker from Turin, Italy, named Sebastian Marchisio worked on building a new piano. Many legends have been told about the raw materials used by Marchisio. Inter alia, it is claimed that the source of wood for the piano was from the trees Hiram brought to King Solomon for the building of the first Temple.

Courtesy liveauctioneers.com

Sebastian managed to finish the resonance box before he passed away, but not the whole piano. His son Enrico continued building the piano, and after Enrico’s death, his grandsons Luciano and Raffaelo, talented craftsmen in their own right, made some changes, including adding strings, keys and hammers, while leaving the original resonance box built by their grandfather. The work was finally completed c. 1825. The new piano had a unique tone, unlike any instrument built until that time. The combination of Sebastian’s original resonance box and the enhancements contributed by his grandchildren created a more delicate sound than the pianos of those days, much like a harpsichord, yet more powerful, like a piano.

Courtesy liveauctioneers.com

The piano was given as a present to their sister, Sebastian’s granddaughter, Rebecca, who lived in Siena. The piano became very famous there, as it was frequently featured at festive events in the city. Toward the 1860s, the Marquis of Siena ordered a more magnificent appearance to be given to the piano. Sculptor Nicodemo Ferri, Rebecca’s son, and great-grandson of the original creator of the piano, Sebastian, together with his cousin, architect and painter Carlo Bartolozzi, were commissioned for this work. They produced the piano’s magnificent and impressive frame and its cover, which remain to this day. The design includes portraits of famous composers Mozart, Handel, and others. At center, they carved David’s harp, as well as lions, cherubs, and more. The refurbished piano is considered one of the most beautiful and impressive musical instruments in the world. Furthermore, the new design also included new technology: a staticofone, an iron-reinforced frame, which enhanced the sound. In 1867, after the piano’s design was completed, it was sent to Paris for the World’s Fair. The piano was exhibited in the Italian Pavilion, where renowned pianist Camille Saint-Saëns was one of the many who played it.

Courtesy liveauctioneers.com

A year later, in 1868, the City of Siena (after convincing Ferri) gave it to King (then Prince) Umberto I on the occasion of his marriage to Margherita, Princess of Savoy, with pianist Franz Liszt playing on it at the ceremony. Liszt also played it on other occasions in later years. Umberto was crowned King of Italy in 1878, and the piano earned the name “The King’s Piano.” The piano was transferred to Palazzo del Quirinale. It remained there for approximately 70 years, serving the royal family. Queen Margherita often entertained in the palace’s music room, where the piano stood, and it is reported to have been her favorite instrument.

During the 1880s, Mattis Yanowski, a refugee from Czarist Russia, performed before King Umberto, performing wondrously. After the performance, the king approached Yanowski, complimented his playing. He told him about the wondrous piano in his possession, justifiably nicknamed “David’s Harp,” and he invited him to play at his palace. The invitation and the description of the piano left a great impression on Yanowski, but the king’s murder prevented Yanowski from seeing the piano and it remained an unrealized dream. On his deathbed, Yanowski extracted a promise from his grandson Avner Carmi, one of the first piano makers and tuners in the Land of Israel, to go see the legendary piano in Rome. Carmi first traveled to Berlin in 1920 with the goal of studying music and piano tuning. On his way, he went to Rome and attempted unsuccessfully to get into the palace to see the piano. He visited Rome several times more over the following years, but each time, he did not manage to see the legendary piano. Once, he was even arrested by the palace guards, and released with his friend Arthur Schnabel’s intervention.

Courtesy liveauctioneers.com

Carmi was drafted into the British army during WWII, and he served in Egypt. One day, soldiers from his unit who were searching for mines using metal detectors, discovered a plaster-covered piano buried in the sand, and brought it with them. The unit’s officers wanted to discard the piano, but Carmi convinced them to hold on to it as a means to entertain the soldiers. In a strange twist of fate, Carmi himself did not realize that this was the piano he had been seeking all those years. After the war, the piano was sold at auction in Gaza City, where a Tel Aviv dealer bought it. Carmi despaired of searching for the legendary piano while visiting Monza after the British conquest, when he discovered that the piano had been looted by a senior Nazi officer, apparently Rommel himself. When he returned to Tel Aviv, he met that same dealer who had bought the piano in Gaza. He bought it from him for next to nothing because the crowding at the dealer’s store was insufferable.

Carmi began refurbishing it, and much to his amazement, after discarding a few pieces of plaster from the piano, carved cherubic figures peeked out at him from the wood. As he continued to work, he realized that the legendary piano he had been searching for over the years now stood in his living room. Excited, Carmi wrote to the King of Italy to tell he had the piano, and that he had commenced the grueling work of restoring it. It took him three years and 90 liters of acetone to recreate its external appearance. Carmi then traveled to the United States with the piano, where he restored its original special sound. The piano starred in American media with the best musicians of the day playing it, such as Arthur Rubinstein, Penina Saltzman, Charles Rosen, Alfred Cortot, and others. Many articles and extensive write-ups have covered it. There was an attempt to produce a movie about it, but Avner Carmi passed away before this idea was realized.
Carmi’s children eventually sold the piano to a private collector.
     

‘Washington Inaugural Bible on display’

     
New-York Historical Society opened an exhibit a few weeks ago where you can see the King James Bible on which George Washington took his first presidential oath of office. “Meet the Presidents” has no posted closing date, but I figure the artifacts now on display will be succeeded by others planned for rotation, so check it out.

Courtesy St. John’s Lodge No. 1 Foundation, Inc.

The Bible, as I’m sure you know, is owned by St. John’s Lodge 1 in New York City. It was the lodge’s altar Bible on April 30, 1789 when Washington was to be sworn into office at what we now call Federal Hall on Wall Street. Just before the ceremony, it was decided to add a Bible to the proceedings, so Jacob Morton, Master of the lodge, retrieved this VSL for use in administering the oath of office. Read more about this here.

For more on this exhibit, click here. To help the foundation preserve this historic treasure, click here.
     

‘Salon de la Rose-Croix this month’

     
The Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library will host its third annual Salon de la Rose Croix, featuring unique conversation, poetry, art, and music, later this month at Masonic Hall.

That will be Thursday, March 26 at 6 p.m. in the French Doric Room on the tenth floor. Photo ID is required to enter the building. Admission is free, but book your seats here. Masonic Hall is located at 71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan.

Milosz Jeziorski will begin the salon with his lecture titled “In Search of The Golden Fleece: The Warrior Philosopher’s Path Towards Immortality.” Tony Crisos will present a musical performance, and then Angel Millar and Adrienne Chrysovergis will read original poetry. A question-and-answer period will conclude the evening. From the publicity:

Milosz Jeziorski

Bro. Milosz Jeziorski is a composer, visual artist, and podcast producer who often creates under the name MJDorian. His professional accolades include winning Best Original Score at VisionFest film festival for his music to the feature film Ontologica, as well as collaborations with up-and-coming singers and rappers of New York City for his debut dark pop album Catharsis. His current passion project has been writing and producing a podcast series titled Creative Codex about history’s great creative geniuses. Milosz’s foray into Western esoteric traditions began with Freemasonry in 2012, and now includes the distinguished honor of serving as Master of Compact Lodge 402.

Angel Millar

Bro. Angel Millar is the author of The Three Stages of Initiatic Spirituality: Craftsman, Warrior, Magician, and other books. He is a well known lecturer on the subject of the Craft, and has spoken at Masonic Con, Attleboro, Massachusetts; Masonic Con, Pasadena; 300: Freemasonry’s Legacy, Freemasonry’s Future event at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Virginia; at the Grand Lodge of New Jersey; and at lodges around the United States.

Bro. Tony Crisos is a composer, guitarist, lyre player, philosopher, writer, and lecturer. He studied philosophy at the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Performance from Berklee College of Music, and his Master of Arts in Music Education from Boston University.

Tony Crisos

Crisos was raised in March 2016 in Advance Service Mitzpah Lodge 586 in Queens, and now is a member of Compact Lodge 402. He has been an active member of the fraternity, including in both the Scottish Rite and York Rite. Crisos contributes his time and energy to philosophy, Freemasonry, and the Western esoteric arts. He has presented lectures on Masonic subjects to Advance Service Mitzpah Lodge, to the RW John C. Ross School of Instruction, to the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Library, and at the Apollo Festival of Masonic Arts in Virginia. He is an active member of the Aesthetic Rose+Croix Order of the Temple and the Grail (also known as the Aesthetic Rose+Croix), and is founder of the modern incarnation of the Salon de la Rose + Croix tradition currently taking place at the Livingston Library. Crisos has published several articles online including “The Spiritual Meaning of Music from Ancient Greece to Today” in 2016, “Myth, Catharsis, and the Riddle of The Sphinx” in 2017, “The Sufi Mysticism of Music, Sound, and Vibration” in 2017, “In Search of Light: A Journey Through the Mysteries of the Great Gods” in 2017, and “Three Ancient Greek Texts for the Warrior-Philosopher” in 2018. Today he is lecturing on Greek philosophy and the ancient Mystery Schools, writing a book on the ancient Greek lyre, and actively performs with both his instruments in the New York City area.

Adrienne Chrysovergis

Adrienne Chrysovergis is a licensed insurance agent, running her family-owned insurance brokerage since 2002. She oversees all aspects of the business, from sales to customer service. She received her B.A. in English from Adelphi University, and loves all things related to words, including reading and writing poetry. She is also an active member of the Aesthetic Rose+Croix, and she is working on a series of poems inspired by ancient Greek theology.

Nick Kampouris

Nick Kampouris is a New York City-based artist and designer. His artworks include portraits with a contemporary/urban feel, as well as representational and nonrepresentational abstract pieces. You can find his art in magazines, film, and private collections.
     

‘Weird Fact Wednesday: from tomb to telephone box’

     
At the meeting of Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076 last month, Bro. James Campbell presented his paper “Sir John Soane and Freemasonry: A Reassessment Based on a Return to the Original Sources.” That’s not the weird part. Actually, this had been scheduled for last fall, but it didn’t work out. And that’s not the weird thing either. No, this week’s Weird Fact Wednesday concerns John Soane and the design of the now disappearing red telephone boxes of the United Kingdom.

Courtesy Internet Lodge 9659

This portrait of Bro. Soane, by John Jackson, hangs

in Soane’s home, now museum, at Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

Soane died in 1837, and what is weird is he inadvertently inspired the telephone box, which didn’t begin appearing until the 1920s.

I don’t know the contents of Bro. Campbell’s paper, but hopefully it doesn’t contradict what is known about Freemason Soane: He received the degrees of Freemasonry in 1813, and was named Grand Superintendent of Works of the Freemasons that same year. In 1826, he began designing Freemason’s Hall on Great Queen Street (the predecessor of the building we know today), and began its construction in 1828. I cannot confirm his lodge affiliation.

Soane’s wife Eliza predeceased him in 1815; he is said never to have transcended his grief. The architect of the Bank of England, various churches, and other famed structures, also built his wife’s tomb. It is this project, which later would serve as the Soane family tomb, that would inspire the design of the phone boxes.

The main tomb structure:

Courtesy Astoft

There have been different models, but here is a typical telephone box:

Courtesy liberaldictionary.com

The red telephone box has been rendered redundant by the ubiquity of cell phones, so they are disappearing from the streets of the United Kingdom, but in their day they were found everywhere from Manchester to Malta, from Brighton to Bermuda, from Great Queen Street to Gibraltar—you get the idea. Six months ago, The Guardian mentioned there still were 10,000 in existence, with some being repurposed as tiny public libraries, houses for defibrillators, and other uses. There is the adopt-a-kiosk system that saves many of them.

The red telephone box originally was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect of Battersea Power Station, the Anglican cathedral in Liverpool, and other notable sites. The influence of Soane’s tomb on Scott’s phone box is not obvious, in my opinion, but architecture historians attribute the former to the latter, so I side with them. Also, Scott was a trustee of the Soane Museum.

Originally, I was hoping to connect the Soane tomb to the TARDIS by way of the English police box, but maybe more research is needed to illustrate art imitating art.
     

‘Morris receives Washington Award’

     

Courtesy Mark Tabbert

Jeff Webb, left, president of the George Washington Masonic

National Memorial Association, presents Morris with the award.

On Saturday, February 22, Bro. S. Brent Morris was presented with another top honor for excellence in Masonic scholarship when he received the George Washington Memorial Award.

It was the 110th anniversary of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association, and part of the festivities included Morris presenting his “In Praise of Punctuation: The Case of the Missing Semicolon,” which explains how small mistakes can cause misunderstandings in historical research. This award, I gather, is more in recognition of a lifetime of labor.

Congratulations, Brent! They’ll need a wing in the House of the Temple for all your trophies one day.

(I don’t know if he still reads The Magpie Mason, but Brent was an encouraging voice back when this blog was more informative.)
     

‘Masonic March Madness’

     
Don’t miss these local and nearby events!

Saturday, March 7 – Maryland Masonic Research Society to meet at Mount Hermon Lodge 179 in Hyattsville, Maryland. Two presentations are scheduled: Cleola Bostic on “Hannah Mather Crocker, Pioneer of American Women’s Freemasonry & The First Women’s Lodge,” and Anne-Marie Moody on “Annie Besant and Freemasonry.” All are welcome. Write the secretary here to reserve your seat.

Saturday, March 14 – New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786 will meet at Hightstown-Apollo Lodge 41 in Hightstown. The main attractions will be:

• Bro. Howard Kanowitz presenting his “Ideas that Influenced the Writers of Our Ritual.”
• Bro. Erich Huhn, author of the newly published New Jersey’s Masonic Lodges, presenting “From the Academy: Masonry and the Study of History.”
• Bro. Scott Vicari discussing the book Learning to Walk by Barbara Brown Taylor, an Episcopal priest and professor.

The lodge will open approximately 9:30 a.m. and usually closes before 1 p.m. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Attire: suit and tie with regalia. It’s the only lodge in the state that educates Masons in regularly scheduled communications (second Saturdays of March, June, September, and December).

Also make sure you get here on St. Patrick’s Day to hear Robert L.D. Cooper discuss a 17th century Masonic ritual.

Saturday, March 21 – At Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge, Chuck Dunning and a brother from Cuba are scheduled to speak. Click here.

Monday, March 30 – I still have to confirm this, but The American Lodge of Research is said to have been revived, and will host its table lodge at Masonic Hall in Manhattan.

     

‘Call for papers: Islamic Esotericism’

     
You have two months to answer the call for papers of this year’s European Network for the Study of Islam and Esotericism. (I didn’t know that existed either, but it is part of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism.)

The 2020 meeting will take place September 24-26 at Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. The theme is Islamic Esotericism in Global Contexts. From the publicity:

Call for Papers:

Islamic Esotericism

in Global Contexts

Deadline for submissions:

May 1, 2020

The European Network for the Study of Islam and Esotericism (ENSIE) invites you to submit proposals for its 2020 meeting. The theme for the meeting is “Islamic Esotericism in Global Contexts.” The aim is to consider the relationship between Islam and esotericism, and Islamic esotericism, in a global context, shifting the emphasis not only from Western perspectives, but also being more inclusive of the experience of Islam beyond the Arabo-Persian domains. We encourage proposals that give prominence to the agency of non-Western actors in negotiating and challenging social, political, and doctrinal “realities” as they manifest in the writings and activities of esoteric groups and systems. The chronological scope thus stretches from medieval to contemporary times. We encourage papers outlining suitable methods of investigation, re-evaluating accepted conceptual frameworks, formulating effective comparative research, and foraying into new textual frontiers.

We invite papers that engage with these aims, but proposals that do not relate to the 2020 meeting theme are also welcome.

There is no fee for attending the meeting and accommodation will be provided, but the cost of travel is the responsibility of individual participants.

Send proposals, before May 1, here. Provide the title and abstract (250 words maximum) of your proposed paper, and your name, institution, academic position, a brief bio, and a short CV.

The meeting is organized by

• Mark Sedgwick, Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies, Aarhus University, and Convener of ENSIE
• Liana Saif, Research Associate, Warburg Institute
• Godefroid de Callataÿ, Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Université catholique de Louvain
• Michele Petrone, Postdoc, Université catholique de Louvain
• Francesco Piraino, Postdoc, IDEMEC-CNRS - Fondazione Giorgio Cini

The 2020 meeting is arranged in cooperation with the ERC project on Philosophy in al-Andalus (PhilAnd), and the Université Catholique de Louvain.

Click here for further information on ENSIE.
     

‘Handel’s temple of sound on Mott Street’

     
Almighty pow’r, who rul’st the earth and skies,
And bade gay order from confusion rise;
Whose gracious hand reliev’d Thy slave distress’d,
With splendour cloath’d me, and with knowledge bless’d;
Thy finish’d temple with Thy presence grace,
And shed Thy heav’nly glories o’er the place.

Solomon, from the libretto


What are you doing in two weeks? Get the boys from lodge and your ladies together for a class trip and go get some culture! Handel’s oratorio Solomon will be performed by Amor Artis Chorus at Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. From the publicity:

G.F. Handel’s Solomon

Sunday, March 8

3:30 p.m.

Amor Artis Chorus

Basilica of St. Patrick’s

Old Cathedral

261 Mott Street, Manhattan

Tickets here

Seize a rare opportunity to hear Handel’s majestic oratorio Solomon. Alex Ross of The New Yorker deemed Act III “Handel’s genius at its vertiginous height . . . [a] temple of sound, which has withstood the centuries and shines brighter than ever.” Led by the “exquisite” singing of Sarah Nelson Craft in the title role (Opera News), Amor Artis, in collaboration with our friends, the “truly excellent” dynamos of New York Baroque, Inc. (The New York Times), will present this famous story of wisdom and judgment, which features some of Handel’s grandest choruses. Join us at the beautiful space at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.

Amor Artis Chorus
with
Madeline Healey, soprano
Katie Lipow, soprano
Sarah Nelson Craft, mezzo-soprano
Alex Guerrero, tenor
Michael Steinberger, tenor
Richard Holmes, baritone

New York Baroque, Incorporated


British Choirs on the Net explains:

The popularity of oratorio in England owes much to the nation’s choral singing tradition and the patronage by the Elector of Hanover, later George I, of George Frederick Handel. In his oratories, Handel sought both to educate and entertain, and provided a foil to the more restrained and devotional religious music of Byrd and J.S. Bach.

Handel composed Solomon between May 5 and June 13, 1748. The librettist, as with his next work Susanna, is unknown. The plot is simple with Act I dealing with the inauguration of the newly completed temple, and ends with Solomon beckoning his queen toward the cedar grove, where one suspects it is not just the “amorous turtles” that “love beneath the pleasing gloom.” Act II is based around the well known story of two women arguing over who is the mother of the newborn baby, and Solomon’s sharp thinking to find a solution. Act III portrays the visit of the Queen of Sheba (also known as the Queen of Egypt and Ethiopia), and her amazement at the glory and splendor of Solomon’s court.

With a relatively small and diverse cast of characters (Solomon, Queen of Sheba, two Harlots, Zadok the Priest, and a Levite), it falls to the chorus, as builders and inhabitants of this “golden city,” to emphasize the grandeur and splendor of Solomon’s kingdom, and to literarily provide the pillars of the whole piece. These grand choruses, seven of which are in eight voice-parts, add to the texture and opulence of the oratorio mirroring the glory of the court and religious intensity.

Always an astute businessman, Handel praised and paid homage to his patron by highlighting the perceived parallels, for the eighteenth century audience, between Solomon and George II. The qualities of Solomon, as portrayed by Handel, his piety (Act I), wisdom (Act II), and splendor (Act III), were also attributable to the reigning English king, and Handel duly praised the establishment virtues of happy marriage, rural contentment, and a national religion.
     

‘Sign of Distress from the Stamp Club?’

     

Following the demise four years ago of New York Masonic Stamp Club, the last vestige of Masonic philatelic fraternalism in the United States is the George Washington Masonic Stamp Club in Virginia. For now.

This club will host its annual meeting next Sunday but, in a message to the membership, President Walter Benesch forecasts an uncertain future for the club. But first, this meeting:

George Washington

Masonic Stamp Club

Sunday, February 23

2 p.m.

George Washington

Masonic National Memorial

Alexandria, Virginia

Come to the North Lodge Room for the usual cover-and-stamp exchange at 1:30 p.m. The annual meeting will begin at two o’clock. The Master of Philately degree will be conferred on members who have not yet received it, and Master Mason walk-ins are welcome too. Life Membership costs $20.

There will be a number of door prizes. Some albums and special philatelic items may be up for sale as well. Do not miss this wonderful annual opportunity to mix with your fellow Freemason philatelists. The meeting usually adjourns by around 4 p.m. to reconvene for dinner.

Following the meeting, a no host dinner will be enjoyed at Joe Theismann’s Restaurant (1800 Diagonal Road, just at the bottom of Shooter’s Hill). Every effort will be made to reserve a table in the “upper deck.” Dinner orders will be off the menu.

While the kitchen prepares the dinners, the program of the evening will be presented: a talk based on some of the ideas in astrophysicist Lisa Randall’s Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs. Dr. Randall describes the fact dark matter and dark energy make up more than 85 percent or more of our universe. She cited a particular episode of the original Star Trek TV show called “Wink of an Eye.” Could this have implications to Masonry and our spiritual beliefs? This will be explored in the talk.

For questions, to confirm that you will be present, and/or especially if you would like to receive the Master of Philately on February 23, please contact Secretary John R. Allen here.

This may be a tipping point for the club. Those of us loyal supporters must face the fact that stamp collecting and cover cachets are not attracting interest by younger members, and has lost older members in varied ways. The famous New York Masonic Stamp Club, which helped found our club, is no longer. Their wonderful magazine has ceased to exist. Bob Domingue, the Philatelic Masonry editor, continues to publish a wonderful news letter informing the declining number of Masonic philatelist what is happening related to Masonic stamps around the world. Truly a hero trying to keep the interest alive. Yet in his Blue Friars talk a few years ago, he admitted there is no chance the interest and value of stamp collecting will recover.

Even the GWMSC, which once held as many as seven meetings a year, has only one meeting a year now. Yes, we continue to offer the Master of Philately, the last source for the degree, but can we continue without an increase in membership and leadership?

I am therefore appealing to the members to either step up or ask if the GWMSC should close and our efforts be cancelled like the stamps on an envelope. That and the election of officers will be the focus of our meeting this year. If there are new members, or old members who have not received the degree, the degree will be offered. There is no extra fee to receive the Master of Philately degree, although you must be a GWMSC Life Member.

Please attend. The club needs you most urgently.

Fraternally,
Walter Benesch, President


I collected stamps, mostly first day covers, in my youth, but I don’t know how many of today’s 35-year-olds are continuing the hobby—especially as Freemasons—so perhaps this club has run its course. The U.S. Postal Service does a poor job of communicating our country’s history through its stamp releases, and it seems very rare to find a new stamp that has some relevance to the Masonic world. But maybe I’ll be proven wrong next Sunday. Perhaps a coterie of educated Masons from Virginia and DC will surprise the club at its meeting with that much-needed infusion of fresh blood. You research lodge guys, you observant lodge guys, you historians, art mavens, and other traditionalists have heard the call.
     

‘White House said to be drafting architecture executive order’

     

Courtesy Khan Academy

By Operative Masonry, we allude to a proper application of the useful rules of architecture, whence a structure will derive figure, strength, and beauty, and whence will result a due proportion and a just correspondence in all its parts. It furnishes us with dwellings and convenient shelter from the vicissitudes and inclemencies of seasons; and while it displays the effects of human wisdom, as well in the choice as in the arrangement of the sundry materials of which an edifice is composed, it demonstrates that a fund of science and industry is implanted in man, for the best, most salutary, and beneficent purposes.

Middle Chamber Lecture
Grand Lodge of New York


A flurry of media reports last week claim a presidential executive order is being drafted that would make neo-classical the sole style of architecture for most future federal government buildings.

The president of the United States is empowered by law to issue executive orders to govern operations of the Executive Branch of the federal government. Donald Trump has made three such orders in 2020, but that being discussed in the media is not among them.

Predictably, most media coverage is not only negative, but also near hysterical. The story broke February 4 in Architectural Record. The next day, ArtNet News reports:


In a new executive order that’s quickly drawing comparisons to fascist ideology, President Trump plans to re-integrate “our national values into Federal buildings.”

Titled “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again,” the order seeks to rewrite the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture to ensure that the “classical architectural style shall be the preferred and default style” for new buildings, according to Architectural Record, which obtained a draft of the document.

The order denounces the quality of architecture since the Guiding Principles were first issued in 1962 by former New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and cites Brutalism and Deconstructivism as examples. It specifically calls out the U.S. Federal Building in San Francisco, the U.S. Courthouse in Austin, and the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami in particular for having “little aesthetic appeal.”

Courtesy fbi.gov

J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, DC.

Courtesy sf.curbed.com

U.S. Federal Building in San Francisco.

Courtesy miaminewtimes.com

Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami.

The New York Times, which would advocate for cancer if the Trump-appointed Surgeon General of the United States discovered its cure, offers this headline on its Art & Design Section last Friday:

MAGA War

on Architectural Diversity

Weaponizes Greek Columns

For God’s sake.

The Art Newspaper, quoting Pulitzer-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger, says:


Many policies that we’re seeing now seem to be about exclusion, and now it’s in the realm of architecture. It’s a terrible mistake and it’s inconsistent with an enlightened, liberal democracy. Perhaps it was a mistake to think that architecture would not come under this spotlight.


Conversely, writing in the Wall Street Journal, Myron Magnet, author and winner of the National Humanities Medal, explains:


Architectural classicism is a living language, not an antiquarian straitjacket. Its grammar of columns and capitals, pediments and proportions allows a wide range of expression. Just look at the original genius with which Michelangelo marshaled that language in his era or Christopher Wren in his. It’s a language that constantly updated itself in America’s federal city, from the handsome 1790s White House to John Russell Pope’s sublime 1940s Jefferson Memorial and National Gallery of Art. In the language of classicism, buildings relate civilly to each other, forming harmonious cities—Venice or pre-World War II London—in which the whole adds up to more than the sum of its parts, however beautiful some may be. A bad classical building may be awkward or uninspired; it is never hideous. And all is based on human proportions and human scale.

Not so for the modernism that the proposed executive order discourages. Though modernism is an odd word for a style that’s now almost a century old, it began with an explicit European rejection of American architecture and a thoroughly 20th-century impulse toward central planning and state control. Modernism brought housing projects so bare and standardized that no worker wanted to live in them.


In City Journal, Catesby Leigh, past founding chair and fellow of the National Civic Art Society (which supports the executive order) writes:


One thing to be borne in mind at this politically charged juncture in our national life is that classicism is not an “ideology,” as some critics are charging. It is a formal language, with a vocabulary and syntax—originating with the classical column and its superstructure—geared to the idealization of structure in anthropomorphic terms. In other words, the classical language makes its appeal to us as embodied beings. It has shown itself supremely adaptable to changing social and technological conditions, and thoroughly receptive to regional inflections. Classicism is not, and never has been, a closed system. And it should come as no surprise that it has been used (and abused) by political regimes from one end of the ideological spectrum to the other.