"UNBUILT WASHINGTON" EXHIBIT

National Building Museum, Washington, DC

November 19, 2011 - May 28, 2012

Imagine that you are traveling into Washington, D.C., from northern Virginia. As you approach the Potomac River, you see the tall, craggy, medieval-looking towers of the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Bridge looming in the foreground, largely blocking the view of the National Mall beyond. As you reach the end of the bridge, now you can clearly see the enormous pyramid that was built to honor Abraham Lincoln. Going around to the side of the pyramid, you note the odd, pagoda-like structure dedicated to George Washington—a design that was executed after the original obelisk had stood unfinished for decades. Surrounding these monuments are informal paths that meander through dense woods, which help to filter the noise from the two elevated highways running along either side of the Mall. Barely visible in the distance is the Capitol, a dignified but modest structure that looks rather like a classroom building at a liberal arts college, topped by a tiny cupola.

John Russell Pope, Proposal for Lincoln Memorial, 1912. National Archives.

Unbuilt Washingtonreveals the Washington that could have been by presenting architectural and urban design projects that were proposed but, for widely varied reasons, never executed. Such projects often exercised a profound influence on what was built and may offer lessons that inform ongoing debates about the design and development of Washington and other cities. What were the motives, assumptions, and cultural trends underlying such proposals? Why were these designs never realized? What was their impact on projects that were completed?

The physical character of Washington, D.C., that we take for granted today is the unique result of countless decisions, debates, successes, failures, reconsiderations, missed opportunities, and lucky breaks. To tourists and residents alike, the city’s greatest landmarks may seem so appropriate, so correct—it is hard to imagine that they could have turned out completely differently. But nothing in the built environment of Washington (or in any other city, for that matter) is predestined. J

oin the conversation

Unbuilt Washington Online

Follow @BuildingMuseum and #Unbuilt on Twitter.

Check out an interactive map of some of the Unbuilt Washington sites.

Watch curator Martin Moeller discussing some of the rare models featured in the exhibition.

Read "What Should a Capitol Look Like?" by curator Martin Moeller.

Praise for Unbuilt Washington

Read the Washington Post review.

Read the  Huffington Post review.

Unbuilt Washington on the Washington City Paper's Housing Complex blog.

Unbuilt Washington on ABC 7.

Unbuilt Washington on WETA Around Town

Michael Graves wins 2012 Driehaus Prize

Image provided by MICHAEL GRAVES & ASSOCIATES

By Karissa Rosenfield — from ARCHDAILY

Michael Graves has been chosen as the 2012 Driehaus Laureate, honoring his lifetime contributions to classical and traditional architecture in the modern world. The jury praised Graves for his “brilliant combinations of tradition and imagination” within his architecture and product design, stating that his deep understanding and respect of the past allows him to enrich the architectural process.

“Michael Graves has enhanced not just the architecture profession with his talent and scholarship, but everyday life itself through his inspiring attention to beautiful and accessible design,” says Michael Lykoudis, Driehaus Prize Jury Chair and Francis and Kathleen Rooney Dean of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. “The quality and scope of his work have enhanced how people work, live, and interact in public and private realms, making a profound impact on American life.”

View ArchDaily’s interview with Michael Graves here and continue reading for more information on the Driehaus Prize.

Established in 2003 through the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, the Richard H. Driehaus Prize represents the most significant recognition for classicism in the contemporary built environment.

“Beauty, harmony, and context are hallmarks of classical architecture, thus fostering communities, enhancing the quality of our shared environment and developing sustainable solutions through traditional materials,” says Richard H. Driehaus

Recipients receive $200,000 and a bronze miniature of the Choregic Monument of Lysikrates. Graves will be honored during a March 24 ceremony in Chicago. Past winners include Léon Krier, Allan Greenberg, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany, Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil, and Robert A.M. Stern.

The Jury:

• Adele Chatfield-Taylor (President of the American Academy in Rome)
• Robert Davis (Developer and Founder of Seaside, Florida)
• Richard H. Driehaus (Founder and Chairman of Driehaus Capital Management)
• Paul Goldberger (Architecture Critic for The New Yorker), Léon Krier (Inaugural Driehaus Prize Laureate)
• Michael Lykoudis (Francis and Kathleen Rooney Dean of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture)
• Witold Rybczynski (Meyerson Professor of Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania and Architecture Critic for Slate)

Reference: University of Notre Dame