Washington — a city built from scratch to be the nation’s capital — has always been a battleground for a so-called “American architecture.” From the city’s creation in the 1790s, grandiose classical intentions were a distinct part of it. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, the first and third presidents, respectively, were active builders in their own right, and they steered the city’s earliest federal buildings toward ancient Greek and Roman precedents that could drape the new and untested democratic experiment in an imagined architectural lineage. But the federal buildings constructed over the next 2½ centuries display a remarkable range of expressions that are representative of the evolving aspirations of the country. 

As we celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial this year, it’s useful to look back 50 years to the bicentennial, which debuted an important series of new structures in the capital: Harry Weese’s architecturally distinguished Metro system. With wide arches and deep concrete coffers, Weese created memorable modern spaces that have stood the test of time while providing inspiring and convenient mass transportation across the city. Every inch of Weese’s design is monumental and extraordinary, but it was created in service to a public transportation system that elevates the daily lives of its users in the most democratic way.

Which is quite different from the new ballroom structure that’s about to rise at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.  

The White House has always been a large home, but by design, it is not a palace. Ireland-born James Hoban based it on a neoclassical house in Dublin that was modern at the time and domestic. And Donald Trump is not the first president to propose a grandiose and overbearing addition. In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison and his wife proposed large wings to the east and west sides of the house with a........

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