Relieving the Brutalism
Uniquely among the federal office buildings in the heart of Washington DC, the J. Edgar Hoover Building is in the Brutalist architectural style that reached its apogee at the time of the building’s completion in 1975. It was designed by Charles F. Murphy & Associates. Serving as the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), it is named after the FBI’s long-serving director, who died in office in 1972. Not only was the building’s styling controversial, so was J. Edgar Hoover himself. His one-time status a heroic and dogged pursuer of the Bad Guys had been called into question latterly. He is alleged to have committed many abuses of power, taking a prurient interest in the private lives of the eight US presidents he served, and of obstructing civil rights advances.
The row of flags (which inspired me to emulate Childe Hassam’s paintings of 1917-18) humanises the building’s façade, but it remains a widely-detested piece of architecture. It is reportedly in poor structural condition, but federal funds have not been allocated for its rehabilitation or replacement.
Relieving the Brutalism
Uniquely among the federal office buildings in the heart of Washington DC, the J. Edgar Hoover Building is in the Brutalist architectural style that reached its apogee at the time of the building’s completion in 1975. It was designed by Charles F. Murphy & Associates. Serving as the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), it is named after the FBI’s long-serving director, who died in office in 1972. Not only was the building’s styling controversial, so was J. Edgar Hoover himself. His one-time status a heroic and dogged pursuer of the Bad Guys had been called into question latterly. He is alleged to have committed many abuses of power, taking a prurient interest in the private lives of the eight US presidents he served, and of obstructing civil rights advances.
The row of flags (which inspired me to emulate Childe Hassam’s paintings of 1917-18) humanises the building’s façade, but it remains a widely-detested piece of architecture. It is reportedly in poor structural condition, but federal funds have not been allocated for its rehabilitation or replacement.