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United States Commission of Fine Arts

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) is an independent agency of the federal
government of the United States, and was established in 1910. The CFA has review (but not
approval) authority over the "design and aesthetics" of all construction within Washington,
D.C. In accordance with the Old Georgetown Act, the CFA appoints the Old Georgetown
Board. The Old Georgetown Board has design review authority over all semipublic and
private structures within the boundaries the Georgetown Historic District. The CFA was
granted approval (not just review) authority by the Shipstead-Luce Act over the design and
height of public and private buildings which front or abut the grounds of the United States
Capitol, the grounds of the White House, Pennsylvania Avenue NW extending from the
Capitol to the White House, Lafayette Square, Rock Creek Park, the National Zoological
Park, the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, Potomac Park, and the National Mall and its
constituent parks.[1]

The CFA mandate does not apply to the

U.S. Commission of Fine Arts
United States Capitol, the Library of
Congress, or the other properties and CFA

locations overseen by the Architect of the

Capitol.

Contents

Formation of the Commission of Fine Arts logo

CFA Agency overview

President George Washington granted Formed May 17, 1910

Redirected
the government of the District of from "Commission of Fine Arts"
Employees 10
Columbia the power to regulate
Annual budget $2,175,000
architectural design and urban planning.
These powers were suspended by Agency executives Earl A. Powell III,
President James Monroe in 1822.[2] In the Chairman
wake of the World's Columbian Exposition
Thomas Luebke,
in Chicago in 1893, the Cosmos Club and Secretary
American Institute of Architects formed
Website www.cfa.gov
the Public Art League, a new organization
whose purpose was to lobby for a new
agency of the federal government to approve the design or purchase of art and
architecture by the federal government. Legislation was proposed in Congress in 1897, but
failed to pass because members of Congress wanted an advisory board rather than one
which could deny Congress the ability to award commissions as part of the spoils
system.[3]

In 1900, the United States Congress created the Senate Park Commission (also known as
the "McMillan Commission" for its chairman, Senator James McMillan (R-MI)) to reconcile
competing visions for the development of Washington, D.C. and especially the National
Mall and nearby areas.[4] The commission's plan for development of the city, popularly
known as the McMillan Plan, proposed the razing of all residences and other buildings on
Lafayette Square and building tall, Neoclassical government office buildings with facades
of white marble around the square to house executive branch offices.[5] It also proposed
clearing large spaces north and south of the National Mall, realigning some streets, and
constructing major new museums and public buildings along the Mall's length.[6] The
commission also proposed significant expansion of the district's park system, the creation
of a system of parkways, and extensive renovation and beautification of existing parks.[7]
Over the next few years, the President and Congress established several new agencies to
supervise the approval, design, and construction of new buildings in the District of
Columbia to carry out the McMillan Plan: The Commission of Fine Arts in 1910 to review
and advise on the design of new structures, the Public Buildings Commission in 1916 to
make recommendations regarding the construction of buildings to house federal agencies
and offices, and the National Capital Parks and Planning Commission in 1924 to oversee
planning for the District.[8]

On January 11, 1909, a committee of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) asked
President Theodore Roosevelt to establish an independent federal agency to advise the
government on architecture, bridges, painting, parks, sculpture, and other artistic works
requiring design. Roosevelt wrote back the same day, agreeing to the proposal.[9] On
January 19, 1909, Roosevelt issued Executive Order 1010, establishing a Council of Fine
Arts. He requested that the AIA name 30 individuals to the council, and he instructed the
Cabinet to seek the council's advice in matters of architecture, building site selection,
landscaping, painting, and sculpture.[10] The Council met only once, on February 9,
1909,[11][12] during which it approved the site (suggested by the McMillan Commission) for
the Lincoln Memorial.[13]

William Howard Taft was inaugurated as President in March 1909. Taft revoked Executive
Order 1010 on May 21, 1909.[14][15][16] There are differing explanations for Taft's actions.
Historians Sue Kohler and Christopher Thomas state that Taft supported the idea of a fine
arts commission, but wanted it to have a basis in legislation.[16][17] But a contemporary
report in the Washington Post noted that the council was highly controversial, and
Congress had passed legislation prohibiting the expenditure of funds for any federal body
not established by law. The newspaper said the legislation was intended to defund the
Council of Fine Arts.[18]

Later in 1909, Senator Elihu Root (R-NY) drafted legislation establishing an advisory
commission of fine arts.[15] Representative Samuel W. McCall (R-MA) introduced the bill,
H.R. 19962, into the United States House of Representatives.[19] The House passed the
legislation on February 9, 1910. The House bill made the members of the commission
subject to approval by the Senate, gave their term of office as four years, and their
qualifications as artists "of repute". In addition to having an advisory capacity on all
questions of art and design, the commission was given final say on the selection of sites
for monuments and statues.[20] Root managed the House bill through the Senate. Speaker
Joseph Gurney Cannon opposed the bill, and it was bottled up the Committee on the
Library. But in mid-March, a group of renegade Republicans joined forces with Democrats
to strip Speaker Cannon of much of his power. The fine arts commission bill quickly passed
through the committee and was brought up for a vote on the Senate floor.[17]

The Senate amended the bill, and passed it on May 3, 1910. One amendment, to bar
statues of any person not dead 50 years, was turned down.[21] The Senate changed the
qualifications of the commissioners to seven "well qualified judges of the fine arts". It
struck the commission's authority to site monuments and statues, making the authority
advisory only. It also added fountains to the type of items covered by the act.[19] In a
conference committee on May 9, the House conferees agreed to the Senate amendments.
They also won approval of the Senate conferees to remove the requirement that the
commission members be approved by the Senate. Clarifying language was also added to
the bill, permitting the commission to advise (upon request) on the U.S. Capitol and Library
of Congress buildings.[19] H.R. 19962, as amended, was passed by the House on May 12,
and the Senate on May 17.[22] Taft signed the legislation Public Law 61-181 (40 U.S.C. 104,
36 Stat. 371), shortly thereafter.

President Taft named the seven members of the commission on June 13, 1910.[23] Taft
appointed architect Daniel Burnham to be the chairman.[24]

The 1910 legislation establishing the CFA gave the commission the power to only provide
advice on the siting of monuments and memorials. In October 1910, President William
Howard Taft issued Executive Order 1259 (October 25, 1910), which required that all new
public buildings erected in the District of Columbia be reviewed by the CFA as well.[25] On
November 28, 1913, President Woodrow Wilson issued Executive Order 1862, which
expanded the CFA's advisory authority to cover any "new structures...which affect in any
important way the appearance of the City, or whenever questions involving matters of art
and with which the federal government is concerned..."[26] Executive Order 3524, issued
by President Warren G. Harding on July 28, 1921, further expanded the CFA's review to the
design of coins, fountains, insignia, medals, monuments, parks, and statues, whether
constructed or issued by the federal government or the government of the District of
Columbia.[26]

Commission Members

The Commission of Fine Arts is

composed of seven members, who are
appointed by the President. The
appointments do not require Senate
approval. Commission members serve
four-year terms, and are not term-
limited. The members of the
Commission as of November 2018
Members of the Commission of Fine Arts in February 2015.
are:[27]
Standing, left to right: Standing, left to right: Mia Lehrer,
Liza Gilbert, Philip Freelon, Elizabeth K. Meyer, Alex
Earl A. Powell III, Chair (Appointed Krieger. Sitting, left to right: Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Earl
December 22, 2016. Mr. Powell is A. Powell III, Thomas Luebke (the Secretary of the
Commission, a staff member and chief executive officer of
director of the National Gallery of
the agency).
Art.)

Elizabeth K. Meyer, Vice Chair (Appointed December 22, 2016. Ms. Meyer is a landscape
architect and professor at the University of Virginia School of Architecture.)

Edward D. Dunson, Jr., (Appointed April 8, 2015. Mr. Dunson is chair of the Department
of Architecture in the School of Architecture and Design at Howard University.)

Liza Gilbert, (Appointed October 10, 2014. Ms. Gilbert is a landscape architect and a
board member of the Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy.)

Toni L. Griffin, (Appointed November 5, 2016. Ms. Griffin is an architect, urban designer,
and Professor in Practice of Urban Planning at the Harvard University Graduate School of
Design.)

Alex Krieger, (Appointed November 5, 2016. Mr. Krieger is a professor and architect, and
co-founder of the Chan Krieger Sieniewicz design firm.)

Justin Shubow, (Appointed October 23, 2018. Mr. Shubow is president of the National
Civic Art Society.)

Chairmen of the CFA

The commissioners elect one of their members to be chairman, and another to be vice-
chairman. Ten individuals (all male) have chaired the Commission on Fine Arts as of
October 2012. These men, and the dates of their service as chairman (which may differ
from their years of service on the commission) are:[28]

h. Daniel H. Burnham, 1910–1912

j. Daniel Chester French, 1912–1915

k. Charles Moore, 1915–1937

l. Gilmore David Clarke, 1937–1950

m. David E. Finley, Jr., 1950–1963

n. William Walton, 1963–1971

o. J. Carter Brown, 1971–2002

p. Harry G. Robinson III, 2002–2003

q. David Childs, 2003–2005

hr. Earl A. Powell III, 2005–present (as of June 2015)

Exhibitions

In May 2010, the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. opened an exhibition
devoted solely to this agency. The exhibition, titled A Century of Design: The U.S.
Commission of Fine Arts, 1910–2010,[29] was on view until July 2010.

References

h. ^ Gutheim and Lee, p. 208; Kohler, The Commission of Fine Arts: A Brief History,
1910–1995, p. 244.

j. ^ Grant, Ulysses S., III (1948–1950). "Planning the Nation's Capital". Records of the
Columbia Historical Society: 48. JSTOR 40067315 .

k. ^ Kohler, The Commission of Fine Arts: A Brief History, 1910–1995, p. 1.

l. ^ Peterson, p. 77-91.

m. ^ Peterson, p. 94.

n. ^ Bednar, p. 49-51.

o. ^ Davis, p. 137-180.

p. ^ Cannadine, p. 373-374.

q. ^ Kohler, The Commission of Fine Arts: A Brief History, 1910–1995, p. 2.

hr. ^ Kohler, The Commission of Fine Arts: A Brief History, 1910–1995, p. 2-3.

hh. ^ Kohler, Sue (March 20, 2009). "The Commission of Fine Arts: Implementing the
Senate Park Commission's Vision" . DESIGNING THE NATION'S CAPITAL: The 1901
Plan for Washington, D.C. National Parks Service.

hj. ^ Charles Moore, CFA chairman from 1912 to 1915, puts the date of the meeting at
February 10, 1909, but the Washington Post reported on February 10, 1909, that the
council had met the previous day.. See: Moore, p. 120 , accessed 2012-10-13; "Arts
Council Meets." Washington Post. February 10, 1909.

hk. ^ Partridge and Helrich, p. 313.

hl. ^ "Revoking Executive Order of January 19, 1909, Which Appointed the Council of Fine
Arts." Executive Order 1074. William Howard Taft. May 21, 1909.

hm. ^ a b Partridge and Helrich, p. 311.

hn. ^ a b Kohler, The Commission of Fine Arts: A Brief History, 1910–1995, p. 3.

ho. ^ a b Thomas, p. 36.

hp. ^ "Art Council No More." Washington Post. May 27, 1909.

hq. ^ a b c "Commission of Fine Arts." p. 251-253. Accessed 2012-10-13.

jr. ^ "Art Board for District." Washington Post. February 10, 1910.

jh. ^ "Senators As Art Critics." Washington Post. May 4, 1910.

jj. ^ American Federation of Arts, p. 97; Joint Committee on the Library, p. 56.
Accessed 2012-10-13.

jk. ^ "Art Experts Chosen." Washington Post. June 14, 1910.

jl. ^ Moore, p. 122-123.

jm. ^ Resnik and Curtis, p. 488, fn. 125.

jn. ^ a b Kohler, The Commission of Fine Arts: A Brief History, 1910–1995, p. 204.

jo. ^ "Who We Are" . Commission of Fine Arts. November 17, 2018. Retrieved
November 17, 2018.

jp. ^ "Members of the Commission." Commission of Fine Arts. October 3, 2012.

Accessed 2012-10-13.

jq. ^ http://www.nbm.org/exhibitions-collections/exhibitions/century-of-design.html
American Federation of Arts. American Art Annual. New York: MacMillan Co., 1911.

Bednar, Michael J. L'Enfant's Legacy: Public Open Spaces in Washington. Baltimore, Md.: Johns
Hopkins University Press, 2006.

Cannadine, David. Mellon: An American Life. Reprint ed. New York: Random House, Inc., 2008.

"Commission of Fine Arts." Report No. 1292. United States Congressional Serial Set. Vol 3. 61st
Cong., 2d sess. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1910.

Davis, Timothy. "Beyond the Mall: The Senate Park Commission's Plans for Washington's Park
System." In Sue A. Kohler and Pamela Scott, eds. Designing the Nation's Capital: The 1901 Plan
for Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, 2006.

Gutheim, Frederick Albert and Lee, Antoinette Josephine. Worthy of the Nation: Washington, DC,
From L'Enfant to the National Capital Planning Commission. 2d ed. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press, 2006.

Joint Committee on the Library. Establishment of a National Botanical Garden: Hearing Before a
Joint Committee on the Library. Part 1. 66th Cong., 2d sess. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government
Printing Office, 1920.

Kohler, Sue A. The Commission of Fine Arts: A Brief History, 1910–1995. Washington, D.C.: United
States Commission of Fine Arts, 1996.

Kohler, Sue A. "The Commission of Fine Arts: Implementing the Senate Park Commission's
Vision." In Sue A. Kohler and Pamela Scott, eds. Designing the Nation's Capital: The 1901 Plan for
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, 2006.

Luebke, Thomas E., ed. Civic Art: A Centennial History of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, 2013.

Moore, Charles. Daniel H. Burnham, Architect, Planner of Cities. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1921.

Partridge, William T. and Helrich, Kurt G.F. "'Beloved Ancien': William T. Partridge's Recollections
of the Senate Park Commission and the Subsequent Mall Development." In Sue A. Kohler and
Pamela Scott, eds. Designing the Nation's Capital: The 1901 Plan for Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, 2006.

Peterson, Jon A. The Birth of City Planning in the United States, 1840–1917. Baltimore: Johns
Hopkins University Press, 2003.

Resnik, Judith and Curtis, Dennis E. Representing Justice: Invention, Controversy, and Rights in
City-States and Democratic Courtrooms. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011.

Thomas, Christopher A. The Lincoln Memorial and American Life. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton
University Press, 2002.

External links

Official website

Text of Executive Order 1010, courtesy of Wikisource

Text of Executive Order 1259, courtesy of Wikisource

Text of Executive Order 1862, courtesy of Wikisource

Text of Executive Order 3524, courtesy of Wikisource

Last edited 16 days ago by an anonymous user

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