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Pennsylvania Avenue – White House Preservation [2]
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Pennsylvania Avenue – White House Preservation [2]
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Melanne Verveer's Subject Files
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JOHN CARL WARNECKE FAIA
file
ARCHITECTS AND PLANNING CONSULTANTS
300 BROADWAY SUITE 16 SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA 94133 TEL (415) 397-4200 FAX (415) 397-4207
November 20, 1995
Melanne Verveer
Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Melanne,
The Warnecke Institute of Design, Art and Architecture is dedicated
to a comprehensive approach to design which embraces an
architecture of continuity and diversity while seeking unity with
our man-made and natural environments. This is the philosophy of
architecture that I pioneered in the 1950s and utilized while
working with President and Jacqueline Kennedy in the design of
Lafayette Square in 1962. This is the philosophy of design I
proposed in 1963 for uniting Lafayette Park and the White House.
Following the closing down of Pennsylvania Avenue, the Warnecke
Institute decided to move forward and complete my earlier concepts
which embraced this philosophy of architecture. What better way to
express the Warnecke Institute goals than to apply its design
philosophy to this important project originally conceived thirty
years ago.
Attached is a summary of quotations from outstanding historians,
writers, and architects familiar with the functions and
requirements of this project entitled, "Capturing the Spirit of the
Design." In addition, I have added quotations of my own writings
based on clarifying this philosophy of architecture as applied to
this design. It is hoped that you will pick up the theme and
spirit of this design that embraces this philosophy of
architecture.
Also attached is an outline of the index of the full report on the
design now being completed. This report will soon be presented to
Roger G. Kennedy, the Park Service group, and others responsible to
President Clinton for undertaking this work.
Sincerely,
Jack JCW/bb:301
The Saga valls the m
John Carl
Warnecke, FAIA
enclosures
som appor Frust indy knowlyn this.
Jhoney to seeng have Let like the
SAN FRANCISCO NEW YORK WASHINGTON
HISTORY COMPLETES THE
VISION OF THE
WHITE HOUSE
Index and Nature of John Carl Warnecke's report that
relates the evolution of these historic environs while
developing a process of design that unites the White
House with Lafayette Park.
NOVEMBER 20, 1995
PREFACE
In 1994 the Warnecke Institute was undertaking studies on the
unique role of President and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the
1962 design of Lafayette Square and their joint interest in the
architecture of our Capital and country and the impact that this
design has made on the architecture in Washington and other areas
throughout this country.
At a time when Modern design dominated architecture throughout the
United States, Lafayette Square was the first major restoration
project in America to be sponsored by the Federal government. This
project was also the first project to utilize restoration with a
new type of adaptive reuse of the older buildings. At the same
time, the design developed a new land use strategy that combined
both historic and new buildings on the same site, The design also
utilized a contextual approach which integrated and related the new
buildings to the older historic buildings. This contextual
approach was a part of my comprehensive philosophy of architecture
which I evolved in the late 1940s and 1950s early in my career. It
is an approach to design and a philosophy of architecture that
embraces continuity and diversity while seeking unity of our man-
made and natural environments.
In 1994 and in early 1995, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was most
interested to hear of these studies of the Warnecke Institute and
was thrilled to hear that the Lafayette Square project was being
talked about by architects and critics as the most important
projects in Washington since World War II and how the design of the
project had influenced the architecture of the Capital more than
any other project during the last 30 years.
These studies of the role of the Kennedys were temporarily halted
with the several 1994 shootings at the White House and the Oklahoma
City bombing which led President Clinton to close down the Avenue.
Instead, the Warnecke Institute concentrated on completing a phase
of the original Lafayette Square project that had never been
completed. In January 1995, the Institute undertook the completion
of the earlier proposal embraced by the Kennedys to construct a
tunnel under Pennsylvania Avenue and construct a beautiful grand
plaza and promenade to view the White House.
After closing down the Avenue, I decided to move ahead and modify
my earlier design of this space without the tunnel while the Park
Service continued to study alternate means of handling traffic.
The Warnecke Institute is dedicated to a multiple comprehensive
approach to design and architecture which, among other diverse
approaches, embraces contextual design for important historic
environments. Because of their commitment, the Institute decided
to move forward and study how this philosophy would affect the
design of this space and to demonstrate how this approach to design
is essential in the redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue. What better
way could be found both for completing the vision of the Kennedys
and the Warnecke Institute's dedication to this comprehensive
approach than to design a project that would display this approach
to design and help clarify this philosophy of architecture.
Attached is the index of the three sections of a report now in the
process of being finalized that incorporates this contextual
approach to design for the redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue. This
report will be submitted to Roger G. Kennedy as a plan to be
critiqued, studied, altered, and hopefully adopted as a part of the
planning process now being undertaken by the National Park Service.
Included in this report is the restudying of the history of the
White House which is essential in order to capture the spirit of
the new design of the Avenue. In this process, I have collected
certain phrases and quotations that capture this spirit of design
that I and other historians, writers and architects have expressed
in different and perhaps more powerful ways. In addition, I have
added quotes from my own writings which I believe are essential to
understanding this architectural philosophy and approach to design.
I hope that this document will help clarify the project's
philosophy of design and set a clear direction for those
responsible to President Clinton for carrying out this design task
in the highest and best manner possible.
John Carl Warnecke, FAIA
November 20, 1995
HISTORY COMPLETES VISION OF THE WHITE HOUSE
SECTION I
THE PLAN THAT WILL UNITE THE WHITE HOUSE & LAFAYETTE PARK
INDEX
I.
FORWARD
II.
INTRODUCTION
III.
REQUIREMENTS AND FUNCTIONS
IV.
THE ROLE OF HISTORY
V.
DESIGNING IN HISTORIC CONTEXT
VI.
DEFINING PROJECT BOUNDARIES
VII.
THE PLAN THAT UNITES
VIII.
BASIC AND ALTERNATE CONCEPTS
IX.
ARRIVING AT THE BEST SOLUTIONS
X.
DESIGNING THE OUTER BOUNDARIES
SECTION II
THE DESIGN MUST RELATE TO OUR HISTORY
INDEX
I.
PREFACE
II.
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION
III.
HISTORICAL PLAN OF THE NATION'S CAPITAL
IV.
ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF THE WHITE HOUSE
V.
HISTORY AND IMPACT OF ARCHITECTURAL STYLE
VI.
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE SQUARE
1
VII.
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE SQUARE PARK
VIII.
SYMBOLISM OF THE WHITE HOUSE
IX.
THE IMPACT OF CONTEXTUAL DESIGN ON ARCHITECTURE
SECTION III
THE FUTURE OF THE WHITE HOUSE
INDEX
I.
LOOKING BACK TO SEE THE FUTURE OF THE PRESIDENT'S HOME
AND WORK PLACE
II.
SECURITY - LOOKING BACK TO SEE AHEAD
III.
THE NEEDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE ARE SLOW IN EMERGING
IV.
LOOKING FAR INTO THE FUTURE
V.
MONUMENTALITY BRINGS STERILITY
VI.
FUTURE OF THE WHITE HOUSE -- PRESIDENT CLINTON'S DESIRE
FOR PUBLIC ACCESS CAN BE OBTAINED WITH A VISION OF
ARCHITECTURE THAT WILL GREATLY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF
VISITORS TO VIEW THE WHITE HOUSE
2
CAPTURING THE SPIRIT
OF THE DESIGN
A Book of Quotations
That Define the New
Pennsylvania Avenue
by
John Carl Warnecke, FAIA
November 20, 1995
CAPTURING THE SPIRIT
OF THE DESIGN
Quotations by historians, writers, critics
and architects that relate the essential
functions and character of the redesign of
Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White
House
THE FOLLOWING HISTORIANS, WRITERS AND
ARCHITECTS ARE QUOTED IN THIS DOCUMENT
Bruce Babbitt
Francis Baily
Jonathan Barnett
Peter Blake
Daniel J. Boorstin
Donald Canty
Grosvenor Chapman, FAIA
David M. Childs, FAIA
Douglas Davis
Benjamin Forgey
George Hartmann, FAIA
Ada Louise Huxtable
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Roger G. Kennedy
David McCullough
Warren A. Megrian, AIA
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Thomas Stokes Page
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Vincent Scully
William Seale
Harry S. Truman
Vitruvius
William Walton
John Carl Warnecke, FAIA
Gilson Willets
CAPTURING THE SPIRIT OF THE DESIGN
Over the past year I have written several items to those
responsible to President Clinton on the redesign of Pennsylvania
Avenue in front of the White House. During this time, I have
undertaken considerable research on the history of the White House
and its environs. This investigation included going back and
reviewing all the work we originally accomplished on the Grand
Plaza and Promenade for First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1963.
In this process I have collected key statements that caught my eye
that best expressed the spirit of this project and this design.
This is not an ordinary or normal design project. One way I
thought one might capture the philosophy and approach to design of
this important symbolic place would be to quote certain phrases
that caught the special qualities of this place and uniqueness of
this design. These would be the special historic insights that
other noted Americans familiar with the history and arhitecture of
the White House have expressed either in their writings or in
letters to me.
In addition, I have added quotes from my own writings which capture
the contextual approach and philosophy of architecture that
motivate this design. Although the work and efforts of everyone
involved are well-intended, it appears, however, that because of
the importance of this national shrine, a large cloud of confusion
has emerged as to how this task should be undertaken. What are the
real functions of this design, and how should this design be
carried out. As noted architect David Childs expressed in a recent
letter to me the answer lies in "the silver lining" within this
cloud. "It simply is the rejoining of the two areas surrounding
this space." "
As one reads these quotes, the design approach and philosophy of
design clearly emerges. One can quickly grasp the function, the
history and the essence of this place and this design.
My forthcoming report to Roger G. Kennedy for President Clinton and
all those involved in the National Park Service entitled, "History
Completes Vision of White House," relates the background and
history of my previous work on the design of Lafayette Square,
Lafayette Park, and the previous studies I have made on the design
of the grand plaza and promenade for President and First Lady
Jacqueline Kennedy.
I have broken the quotes into the three sections of this report as
follows:
Section I:
The Plan That Will Unite the White House and
Lafayette Park
Section II:
The Design Must Relate to our History
Section III:
The Future of the White House
The quotations follow in the above order.
THE PLAN THAT WILL UNITE
THE WHITE HOUSE AND LAFAYETTE PARK
SECTION I
The White House Comprehensive Design Plan is a
long-range plan that has been in progress over
the course of the last 3 years developing a
plan to guide the future management and use of
the buildings and grounds at the White House,
aiming to better serve the public and the
President, and to protect the historic
character of this national treasure.¹
Roger G. Kennedy, 1995
1 July 1995 letter to John Carl Warnecke, FAIA from Roger G.
Kennedy, Director of the National Park Service.
The simplest answer would be by far the best;
that the silver lining in this cloud is that
these two areas would be rejoined after having
been split by the major highway that
Pennsylvania Avenue has evolved into in this
area.2
David M. Childs, FAIA,
1995
2 David M. Childs, FAIA, in a letter addressed to John Carl
Warnecke on July 27, 1995.
Keep it simple
The starting point of any
design is to pay close attention to what is
already there. A house, a park and a street.
These three parts need to be tied together
into an elegant composition. 3
Benjmain Forgey, July 1995
3 Benjmain Forgey in his July 8, 1995 Washington Post article,
entitled "Caution Construction Ahead. "
The design of Pennsylvania Avenue is a
contextual problem that must unite today's
requirements of security with the history and
symbolism of the White House.4
John Carl Warnecke, FAIA
July 1995
4 John Carl Warnecke, FAIA, "History Completes Vision of the
White House," 1995.
All the parts and pieces are all there and all
that is needed is to integrate them into a
unified whole. It is like weaving together
two parts of a large beautiful tapestry. The
fabric, the threads with all their colors are
all there ready to be woven together.5
John Carl Warnecke, FAIA
June 1995
5 John Carl Warnecke wrote the Park Service and the
Enforcement Division of the Treasury Department in is June 19, 1995
article entitled, "Greater White House Access." "
A client and a designer create a sort of joint
persona. They express what they both want the
public to think of them.6
Roger G. Kennedy, 1989
6 Roger G. Kennedy, Orders from France (New York: Alfred A. Knopf,
1989), p. 13.
Subtle and simple things such as the historic
planting of the red Salvia flowers determines
the historic landscape character required to
complete the overall design.
John Carl Warnecke, FAIA
October 1995
Architecture very often comments upon its
circumstances by stating a desirable opposite:
for example, that aspect of their own epoch
which the contemporaries of neoclassical
architects felt most poignantly was its
turbulence. The quality most evident in the
work of those architects was tranquility. 7
Roger G. Kennedy, 1989
7 Roger G. Kennedy, Orders from France (New York: Alfred A. Knopf,
1989), p. 13, 426. JCW notes this condition exists following the
White House shootings and Oklahoma City bombing. Pennsylvania
Avenue is to emerge into a far more beautiful and peaceful setting
for the White House.
The basic elements of the design are all in
place. This is the original four-block area
set aside by L'Enfant which is the view one
looks out to from the front door of the White
House. The White House, Lafayette Square
Park, the historic buildings surrounding the
square President and First Lady Jacqueline
Kennedy and I helped save, and the new
Executive Office Building and Court of Claims
Building, that I designed in 1962, all serve
as backdrops to the older historic buildings
and the White House. The design of the grand
plaza and promenade will tie all of these
historic elements into a unified whole.⁸
John Carl Warnecke, FAIA
January 1995
8 John Carl Warnecke's report to President Clinton in Janaury
1995 prior to closing down the traffic of Pennsylvania Avenue.
II SECUTING
BE IN CONTEXT WITH THE HISTORY AND SYMBOLISM OF THE WHITE HOUSE
THE REDESIGN OF PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE AND ITS NEW BOUNDARIES MUST
TO OUR HISTORY
THE DESIGN MUST RELATE
They come in ever increasing numbers, by the
tens of millions every year. They climb the
sweep of marble steps at the Supreme Court,
pose for a picture by the Grant statue. They
move slowly, quietly past the fifty-seven
thousand names in the black stone wall of the
Vietnam Memorial. They pour through the Air
and Space Museum, the most popular museum in
the world now, craning their necks at the
technical marvels of our rocket century. We
all do. We all should. This is our capital.
It speaks of who we are and what we have
accomplished, what we stand for. 9
David McCullough, 1986
9
David McCullough, "Why I Love Washington," American Heritage,
April/May 1986.
Architecture depends on Order. Arrangement,
Eurythmy (Beauty, Symmetry, Propriety, and
Economy.) 10
Vitruvius
10 At the time of Caesar, Vitruvius wrote his ten books on
architecture and described the fundamental principles of design and
architecture. Architecture continues to develop and change as it
adapts to new eras of time, but the definition of architecture
established by Vitruvius is still a most helpful guide in defining
architecture today.
The private buildings go on but slowly. There
are about twenty or thirty houses built near
the Point, as well as a few in South Capitol
Street and about a hundred others scattered
over in other places: in all I suppose about
two hundred: and these constitute the great
city of Washington. The truth is, that not
much more than one-half the city is cleared: -
the rest is in woods: and most of the streets
which are laid out are cut through these
woods, and have a much more pleasing effect
now than I think they will have when they
shall be built; for now they appear like broad
avenues in a park, bounded on each side by
thick woods; and there being so many of them,
and proceeding in so many various directions,
they have a certain wild, yet uniform and
regular appearance, which they will lose when
confined on each side by brick walls. 11
Francis Baily, 1796
11 In the fall of 1796 Francis Baily also recorded his
impressions of the embryonic city. He admired the President's
house, the Capitol, and the view from the point where the Potomac
and Anacostia join. However, very little in the way of a city was
to be seen, as Baily soon discovered.
In 1803 Latrobe is named Superintendent of
Public Buildings and he soon designed the
first formal entrance for Pennsylvania Avenue
to the White House. He also encircled the
White House grounds with its first wall, a
stone boundary intended more to control
livestock than to provide security. Latrobe's
drawings show a circular turn around on the
north front of the White House and the main
formal entrance of 16th Street continuing on
right up to the White House circular entry
point. 12
William Seale, 1992
12 William Seale, The White House: The History of an American Idea,
(Washington, D.C.: The American Institute of Architects Press,
1992), p. 38.
The actual number of Secret Service guards in
attendance upon the President is never made
public. But certain it is that at all
receptions a number of such guards are on duty
within the house, while several more are
stationed outside. The President never steps
outside the White House, never travels even
the shortest distance, without being followed
by one or more officers of the Secret
Service. 13
Gilson Willets, 1908
13 Gilson Willets, Inside History of the White House (New York: The
Christian Herald, 1908) p.183.
The McMillan Plan (1901) projected a
remarkable transformation that would give
dramatic emphasis to a greatly elaborated
series of axes, based upon those planned by
L'Enfant. Each vista was to terminate in a
fine example of neoclassical architecture. As
in L'Enfant's plan, the principal feature was
to be the Mall, the Capitol at one end, a
memorial to Lincoln at the other, and along
sides large neoclassical buildings for the
federal offices. The cross-axis, having the
White House at its northern end, was
lengthened south of the Mall, with space
reserved for a monument of an undesignated
character. 14
William Seale, 1986
14 William Seale, The President's House, Volume II (Washington, D.C.:
White House Historical Association, 1986), p. 656.
The artistic lines of the White House
buildings were the creation of master builders
when our Republic was young. The simplicity
and strength of the structure remain in the
face of every modern test. But within this
magnificent pattern, the necessities of modern
government business require constant
reorganization and rebuilding.
The architects and builders are men of common
sense and of artistic American tastes. They
know that the principles of harmony and of
necessity itself require that the building of
the new structure shall blend with the
essential lines of the old. It is this
combination of the old and the new that marks
orderly peaceful progress--not only in
building buildings but in building government
itself. 15
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1935
15 F.D.R. relates to the nation in one of his fireside chats
prior to adding on to the east and west wings of the White House.
No work is proposed in scope or detail that
will alter the architectural or cultural
features or impair the integrity of the
building in its role of a National Shrine. In
all respects the historic and traditional
symbolism of the Nation's most revered mansion
must be preserved to the greatest degree
consistent with the use of modern materials
and equipment that will be incorporated into
the project.¹⁶
President Harry Truman's Proposal to
Congress, 1948
16 For eighty years Congress had opposed demolishing the White
House. Finally in the late 1940s, President Truman stepped forward
to undertake the complete reconstruction of the President's House.
These words by which_formed the proposal to Congress assured the
government that this would be undertaken with the greatest of care
and respect.
History Continues
THE SQUARE IS RETURNED
TO L'ENFANT'S VISION
For nearly 60 years, the 1901 McMillan Plan moved forward to create a monumental
government office building square surrounding the White House. The following are
quotations that describe John Carl Warnecke's 1962 concept for the design of Lafayette
Square and relate how this design returned the square to L'Enfant's vision and how the
impact of this design altered architecture throughout Washington and America.
Because the design of Pennsylvania Avenue in
front of the White House must unite the White
House with Lafayette Park and the Square
surrounding the park, it is important to
understand how Warnecke's contextual approach
to design and philosophy of architecture was
first accepted by the public and architectural
critics at the time he designed the Lafayette
Square project for President and First Lady
Jacqueline Kennedy and how later this project
altered and changed the direction of
architecture in the Nation's Capital and in
other cities throughout America. Now, thirty
years later, the project's design and the
several new directions that were first set in
design and architecture is more fully
understood. The following quotations by noted
historians, writers, and architects trace the
story of this evolution and describe the
design and its impact in design and
architecture.
Warnecke Institute of Design, Art
and Architecture, 1995
Because the redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue is
a design task of contextual design, it is most
important to understand the roots of how
contextual design emerged in the period of
Modern design in the middle of the 20th
century. It is important to go back and see
exactly where and how it started, how it
emerged, and exactly what its impact will be
on the future of architecture and the environs
of the White House.
Warren Megrian, AIA
Both Kennedy and Walton gave up and concluded
that the old buildings would have to go. Only
Jacqueline held out. 'The wreckers haven't
started yet' she said, 'and until they do, it
can be saved. ,17
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., 1962
17 Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. recalls in his book on JFK entitled
A Thousand Days.
I consider our history to be a source of
strength to us here in the White
House
Anything that dramatizes the story of
the United States is worth the respect of
Americans who visit here and who are a part of
our history.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1962
The important thing is to preserve the 19th
century feeling of Lafayette Square I so
strongly feel the White House should give the
example in preserving our nation's past. Now
we think of saving old buildings like Mt.
Vernon and tear down everything in the 19th
century
but in the next hundred years, the
19th century will be of great interst and
there will be none of it left, just plain
glass skyscrapers Before you know it,
everything is ripped down and horrible things
put up in their place. I simply panic at the
thought of this and decided to make a last-
ditch appeal. 18
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, 1962
18 In a letter to Bernard Boutin, head of the General Services
Administration (G.S.A.), Jacqueline Kennedy wrote on March 6, 1962.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
October 15, 1962
Dear Bernie:
I would like to tell you how pleased Mrs. Kennedy and I are with the
preliminary architectural studies of Lafayette Square.
I have been reflecting on the significance of this work, not only in
the terms of the importance of it to the environs of the White House
and our capital, but tc what it means in a broader sense to other
cities and comunities throughout America.
As you know, I am fully cognizant of the progress made by American
Architects and Planners in their contribution to our country in
contemporary design. This coupled with equal progress made in our
cities by their respective governing bodies in forging ahead with
vast programs of urban renewal and redevelopment leads me to comment
on the manner in which these plans are actually carried out. There
are throughout our land specific areas and specific buildings of
historical significance or architectural excellence that are threatened
by this onward march of progress. I believe that the importance of
Lafayette Square lies in the fact that we were not willing to destroy
our cultural and historic heritage but that we were willing to find
means of preserving it while still meeting the requirements of growth
in government. I hope that the same can be done in other parts of our
country.
I am particularly pleased that in this case you and the architects
were able to express in the new buildings the architecture of our times
in a contemporary manner that harmonizes with the historic buildings.
I congratulate you on this fine start.
for
The Honorable Sernard L. Soutin
Administrator of General Services Administration
Washington 25, D.C.
19 In this letter JFK steps forth and adopts JCW's approach to
design and philosophy of architecture. This letter was drafted by
John Carl Warnecke just prior to the public presentation of the
design of Lafayette Square on October 15, 1962. JFK added one
sentence, "I hope that the same can be done in other parts of our
country."
The man who will design John Fitzgerald
Kennedy's tomb in Arlington National Cemetery
and who is being considered for the commission
of the Kennedy Library at Harvard is the
architect who has done the most to bring a new
design frontier to Washington. John Carl
Warnecke was one of the first architects to be
given an important Federal job under the
Kennedy administration, the redesign of
Lafayette Square.
The work of the Warnecke office is marked by
an obvious consideration of the traditional in
local architecture and respect for the nature
of the site and landscape. At the same time
stresses the most advanced contemporary
design, materials and construction. In
Washington, where a strong classical tradition
must be fused with new building needs it is
hoped that this will produce a superior kind
of official architecture and a suitable
memorial for Mr. Kennedy. " 20
Ada Louise Huxtable, 1963
20 Ada Louise Huxtable writes about John Carl Warnecke in the
November 30, 1963 issue of the N.Y. Times following the death of
JFK.
In historic places such as Washington, the
needs of the present must show respect for the
past. In showing respect for the past in the
design of new buildings, basic plans, forms
masses, materials, colors and textures should
be designed in sympathy with the place and its
history. At the same time each building
should be planned to solve the problems of the
present and to express the continuity that
provides a link to the future as well as to
the past. Although each design grows out of
its unique place in history, strong threads of
continuity should run through all major works
of architecture.. The timeless values of
unity, order and clarity and the disciplines
of structure and economy underlie any
particular design. These together with a
profound respect for the universal needs of
human beings -- will help us develop an
architecture which will provide visual
testimony to the dignity, enterprise, vigor
and stability of the American government. 21
John Carl Warnecke, FAIA, 1965
21 In June 1965, John Carl Warnecke wrote an article entitled
"The Federal City: A Practitioner's View" for the AIA Journal. In
this article he spells out the qualities of design that he feels
are essential for any government building constructed in
Washington, D.C.
in their partially completed state, one
can, I think, see the bones of an architecture
which is as American as the New England
saltbox and yet completely new to the United
States. It may prove to be the pace setter
for a revival of an indigenous architecture.²²
Grosvenor Chapman, 1966
22 Grosvenor Chapman, "Lafayette's Neighbor, " Washington Post,
March 16, 1966. A 1966 article in the Washington Post by Wolf von
Eckardt, outlining Vincent Scully's objections to Warnecke's new
buildings, which were mostly centered around the harsh appearance
of the dark red brick used in the two tower buildings. The article
elicited a defense of Warnecke's plans by Grosvenor Chapman.
"ON THE SQUARE
For almost two years Washington has watched
two modern blood-red brick office buildings
slowly rise incongruously behind the small
historic Federal-era houses of Lafayette
Square across from the White House.
The first of the buildings, the new Federal
Courthouse, was dedicated last week by Chief
Justice Earl Warren amidst a well-aired
controversy. When Chief Judge Wilson Cowen,
of the U.S. Court of Claims, praised the
'imaginative decision' of the architect, a
scattering of titters rose from the outdoor
audience. Already some critics have blasted
the buildings as a 'noble failure,' a
'terrible disappointment,' and as 'hulking
forms with strange protuberances.'
'The purpose of my design was the saving of
the old historic building.' explains Warnecke.
'The filling in of the holes and the adding of
color are yet to come. It's like a painting
that hasn't been finished.'
'I think people are tired of the dullness of
reproducing historic buildings,' says
Warnecke. 'When the square is complete,
you're only going to see the top half of the
new buildings. The small houses, some natural
brick, some painted, will become the dominant
visual aspect of the square.
The Newsweek story ended with Bill Walton coming to JCW's rescue,
"He is a creative guy and one of the better
U.S. architects. No other architect had the
solution to the difficult problem of Lafayette
Square.
23 In the October 2, 1967 issue of Newsweek, a story was
written in which most of the story was a criticism of the design.
The first thing that Warnecke did, which seems
clearly a correct decision, was to treat both
the east and west sides of the Square in a
similar way. On the east side of the square
he designed a new low building, in red brick,
to replace a false-front theater building put
up in the 20's. The new building serves to
link the Treasury Annex with a row of houses
(including the Dolly Madison House) which the
Boston architects had planned to remove. On
the west side of the square, Warnecke
unabashedly chose to fake new versions of the
houses that had been replaced by bigger
buildings during the 20's, giving a more or
less consistent row of facades along the whole
west frontage. 1124
Jonathan Barnett, 1968
24 1968 article on Lafayette Square by Jonathan Barnett for the
magazine, Architectural Record.
The color was obviously chosen to harmonize
with the mellow brick of the old houses on the
west side of the Square. The photograph shows
how successful this color harmony turned out
to be The other question-- - the problem of
architectural expression--was essentially the
familiar one of 'keeping in keeping. /
Warnecke's design, with its bay windows and
mansard roofs, certainly captures something of
the crankly silhouette of the 19th century
buildings near the square; and, from a
scenographic point of view, is quite a
successful composition.
Jonathan Barnett, 1968
25 1968 article on Lafayette Square by Jonathan Barnett for the
magazine, Architectural Record.
The result is probably the most successful
large-scale historic restoration in the United
States. Unlike Colonial Williamsburg in
Virginia, which is really a kind of
architectural museum, Lafayette Square is an
efficient working office complex right in the
center of the nation's capital. One may
question some of the details employed in the
new buildings Warnecke designed to fill in the
existing rows of town houses, and some of the
details in the new tall buildings behind them.
But these are questions of taste.
The success of Lafayette Square lies in the
fact that few people really notice the massive
new construction surrounding it.26
Peter Blake, 1975
26 Peter Blake's 1975 article entitled, "John Carl Warnecke-
Architect," for the Soviet magazine Amerika, Blake summarized
Lafayette Square.
The Lafayette Square scheme was one of the
most neglected and innovative urban design
concepts in contemporary architecture
I
think that it's an accomplishment that
deserves wide replication
These were very radical ideas in those days.
Many of the things that he was doing you just
didn't do in those days. You didn't think
much about saving nice little old stuff like
those houses Much less did. you think of
replicating anything old. Everything was
novel; everything was modernist
I think it
was admirable, remarkable for its time, and
has remained admirable
27
Donald Canty, 1981
27 Donald Canty, editor of the AIA magazine, Architecture,
subsequently stated in April 1981 some 19 years after JCW had
designed the project in a retrospective review of the design of the
Square in a meeting of the National Building Museum entitled
"Washington Revisited. "
We then go on to the execution of the scheme,
and this too was controversial. There was a
softness even to the large buildings which was
not a part of my creed in those
days
Building with brick, incidentally, is
the new material, the vernacular in
Washington
And now we're in the brick era,
but this was 19 years ago; and Jack used brick
for what I think were very good reasons
The
other thing was the modesty of fenestration in
this building which was almost unprecedented
then
And then there were what we now, in post-
modern parlance, would call historicist
touches, that were put on the building in
addition to the materials design to give it an
identity toward the old, for which it was now
a new backdrop These were fairly widely
criticized at the time
28
Donald Canty, 1981
28 Donald Canty, editor of the AIA magazine, Architecture,
subsequently stated in April 1981 some 19 years after JCW had
designed the project in a retrospective review of the design of the
Square in a meeting at the National Building Museum entitled
"Washington Revisited. "
The architectural profession gave the public
fifty years of modern architecture, and the
public's response has been ten years of the
greatest wave of historic preservation in the
history of man.
In Washington alone Lafayette Square's direct
influence can be seen in dozens of buildings
put up in the last decade. In the Federal
Home Loan Bank Building, the historic Winder
building, whose facade is at home with the
nearby Old Executive Office Building, has been
incorporated into a complex of shops,
restaurants, a skating rink and the necessary
office space. In the recently completed Old
Post Office, the historic shell is preserved
while the interior has been used for new
office and commercial space.
The grandiose Pennsylvania Avenue project born
in the 1960's has clearly shifted toward the
idea of preservation, as seen in the saving of
the Willard Hotel.
George Hartman, FAIA, 1983
29 Two decades after the design of Lafayette Square in 1983,
noted Washington, D.C., architect George Hartman, FAIA, wrote at
the time of the Renwick Museum Exhibit, "Lafayette Square
Restoration, Architect, and the Presidency."
Lafayette Square today is so pleasant a part
of the city we tend to forget that it took the
actions of three presidents, and a very
determined president's wife--Jacqueline
Kennedy--to make it this way.
Today, without even going there, we can call
to the mind's eye postcard views of the place:
the White House on the south, strikingly white
against the sky, and east and west, those tall
towers in red brick behind low rows of 19th
century buildings. An exhibition that went on
view yesterday at the Renwick Gallery reminds
us that this happy ending was, for more than
half a century, highly unlikely.
The Lafayette Square project, designed by John
Carl Warnecke, was an important milestone in
preservation, and the urban design strategy of
massing large new buildings behind attractive,
smaller, older buildings remains highly
relevant today. 30
Benjamin Forgey, 1983
30 Twenty years after Warnecke completed his design of
Lafayette Square, Benjamin Forgey, in reviewing the exhibition of
Lafayette Square 1963-1983 - Architecture, Preservation and the
Presidency, at the Renwick Museum, wrote in an article in the
Washington Post October 22, 1983.
George Hartman considered Lafayette Square to
be the most important architectural work in
Washington since World War II.³¹
Thomas Stokes Page, 1992
31 Thirty years later Tom Page stated in his letter to JCW of
November 7, 1992 that George Hartman, now Washington, D.C.'s
leading designer who had recently been on an architectural jury
with Benjamin Forgey had said this to him.
Warnecke's 1979 addition (Fannie Mae) hidden
from the street, is handsome and adroit--it
adjures the colonial detailing but matches the
materials, layout and scale of the original
building, and enclosed two shady, commodious
formal courtyards. This pleasant, humane
result is hardly surprising--Warnecke's mid-
'60s work around Lafayette Square, saving the
19th-century texture of the place while adding
two new government buildings, contributed
significantly to the contextualist movement
here and nationwide.32
Benjamin Forgey, 1993
32 Benjamin Forgey said in his August 21, 1993 Washington Post
article, "Fannie Mae and Revisionist History."
Such musings were prompted this week as I
walked around and about Lafayette
Square Here is a place, a historic place,
that has changed, and stayed the same.
The fact that it has 'stayed the same,' that
today it looks something like it did a century
ago, is due to provident inaction and, three
decades ago, to wise human intervention. More
than most places in Washington, one can read
the square's history in the layers of its
architecture. 33
Benjamin Forgey, 1994
33 Benjamin Forgey's January 28, 1994 article entitled, "The
Well Rounded Square.' "
Cities change, They do and, as the
redoubtable urban theorist Jane Jacobs has
pointed out, they must. But unless the
changes are cataclysmic, as during an
earthquake or a war, we tend almost willfully
to ignore them Warnecke saw right away there
as no need to demolish the old buildings on
Lafayette Square. He devised a plan to
replace the big new buildings behind the rows
of houses and thereby, almost incidentally, to
create very nice outdoor courtyards between
the new and old pieces
Conceived in 1963, the Warnecke design proved
to be a healthy example--countless Washington
projects since then have adopted the same
basic tactic. As a result, the downtown area
has been able to increase in density in accord
with economic demand and, at the same time,
much of its architectural history has been
preserved.
34
Benjamin Forgey, 1994
34 Benjamin Forgey's January 28, 1994 article entitled, "The
Well Rounded Square."
The courtyard and garden space which has been
created between the old and the new on the
Jackson Place side, I think, is one of the
very nicest enclosed spaces in Washington.
I'd love to have a party there. It's
absolutely lovely, and, the rear of the old
buildings look even more inviting than the
front. It's just marvelous. If you've never
been there, just wander in. It's absolutely
marvelous and inviting and comfortable and the
best of Washington.35
Donald Canty, 1981
35 Donald Canty, editor of the AIA magazine, Architecture,
subsequently stated in April 1981 some 19 years after JCW had
designed the project in a retrospective review of the design of the
Square in a meeting at the National Building Museum entitled
"Washington Revisited."
Critic Vincent Scully got it just right last
week when he asked for a solution that would
"remind people we are a nation of laws, and
peace." This sounds like the gentle, arcadian
L'Enfant-Kennedy-Warnecke plan. We should all
ask Clinton to take personal charge of this
crisis, reviving both the dream and the words
of President Kennedy who inspired him as a
young man. Let him appoint a broad-based
citizens' committee to assist him, if
necessary, but let's get the change made,
fast, while the mood is ripe. If we can
jointly take this step, the "people's house"
and "the president's park" will become one at
last--and democracy will find at once its
final symbol and its final security.36
Vincent Scully
Quoted by
Douglas Davis, 1995
36 Newsday article, entitled "Viewpoints," June 16, 1995 by
Douglas Davis. Davis was architectural critic for Newsweek for
eighteen years.
THE FUTURE
OF THE WHITE HOUSE
LOOKING BACK A CENTURY TO HELP OBTAIN A
CLEAR VISION OF THE PRESIDENT'S HOUSE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
SECTION III
What is the future role of the White House in
American life and culture? In my view, its
role nowadays as a historic place and monument
of our traditions is more significant than
ever. 37
Daniel J. Boorstin, 1994
37 Daniel J. Boorstin, Cleopatra's Nose, 1994.
Where once we ran away from context, we now
embrace it. Where once we would have taken a
wrecking ball to an historic building, now we
pause and ask: Can we restore it with new,
stronger, materials? Can we make it relevant,
not as just a monument, but as a functioning
part of the community?- I believe not only
that we can, but that we must."
Today with ever greater challenges of limited
time, space and budgets, we must find ways to
work this concept into every building and
community we design. We must create tools
that encourage this connection. "
Historic preservation has moved from focusing
on a single building to emphasizing a
building's neighborhood and community to the
integration of history, culture, and the
natural environment. 38
Bruce Babbitt, 1995
38 Remarks from a speech delivered by Secretary of the Interior
Bruce Babbitt in the 1995 AIA Convention of the American Institute
of Architects in Atlanta.
By placing the new buildings behind the
historic buildings, we were able to maintain
the 19th century character of the square,
which he and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy
felt was most important. By designing the new
buildings in a simple contextual manner, we
saved enough money to restore all the old
buildings at no additional cost to the
government. Now, this gift and these
buildings should be shared with the people to
use and learn about our democracy. 39
John Carl Warnecke
July 30, 1995
39 Washington Post, Sunday, July 30, 1995, article by John Carl
Warnecke entitled "Completing the Plan for Lafayette Square."
There is room for excitement and discovery--
what (Roger) Kennedy calls 'genius' if it is
applied with true sensitivity and skill. The
design is a thrilling challenge in which we
all have a stake. A splendid new foreground
to this centerpiece of the democracy would be
a most satisfying prelude to the beginning of
a new millennium. 40
Benjamin Forgey
September 1995
40 Benjamin Forgey, "A Touch of Grass: On Pennsylvania Ave.,
a step in the Right Direction, " Washington Post: Cityscape, (9/30/95), p.
D1.
Red, white and blue are the colors of our flag
that flies high over the White House.
Red symbolizes the life and needs of the times
we live in. The red of our blood reminds us
that this moment of time is brief. The red
flowers planted in front of the White House
are seasonal.
White symbolizes our past. The strength of
past eras, the images and symbols that remind
us of all that came before us. The
President's House is White. The White House
is a symbol of our history.
The blue sky on a clear day symbolizes our
vision of tomorrow. Blue is the vision of
continuity that leads us forward to a vision
of a future time. This is a vision of unity
that links our past, present and future.
John Carl Warnecke, FAIA
October 1995
The conservation of historic environments is
increasingly recognized as critical to the
economic, social, and cultural well-being of
our urban and rural communities. By the turn
of the century, 75% of construction dollars
will be spent working on existing buildings.
41
University of Southern California,
1995
41 The School of Architecture at the University of Southern
California, third summer program on Critical Issues in the
Conservation of Historic Buildings, Landscapes and Communities.
Co-sponsored by The California State Office of Historic
Preservation, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Freeman
House, Gamble House, American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles
and Pasadena/Foothill Chapters, American Planning Association--Los
Angeles Section, Pasadena Heritage, Los Angeles Conservancy,
Society of Architectural Historians, Southern California Chapter;
and the California Preservation Foundation.
Because of this earlier commitment to
President and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, I
have continued to feel obligated to follow up
on their courageous efforts and overall
concept of the square that we jointly created
thirty years ago. This is a simple direct and
beautiful solution that will unite the White
House with Lafayette Park and Lafayette
Square.
John Carl Warnecke, FAIA
July 1995
I look forward to an America which will not be
afraid of grace and beauty, which will protect
the beauty of our national environment, which
will preserve the great old American houses
and squares and parks of our National past,
while building handsome and balanced cities
for our future. 42
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
42 Quote from speech at Amherst University, October 1963.
The Warnecke Institute is dedicated to a more
comprehensive multiple approach to design and
architecture created to meet man's ever-
changing needs in the 21st century by
embracing both continuity and diversity while
seeking unity with our man-made and natural
environments.
The Warnecke Institute of
Design, Art and Architecture,
1995
file
THE WHITE HOUSE
Penny lomic
WASHINGTON
are
July 24, 1995
Mrs. Clinton,
Attached is a copy of the letter advising me of the names and
disciplines of the professionals included in the early
discussions for the permanent design of the closed portion of
Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House.
The first report to Mr. Panetta by the Secretary of the Interior
and the Director of the Park Service took place last week.
The next meeting of the National Park Service led group will take
place this Friday, July 28. The meeting will further the process
of deciding the interim solutions making Pennsylvania Avenue more
pedestrian friendly and also address the aesthetics of the police
controlled intersections around the White House.
Two issues that are yet to be resolved are the decisions
concerning the closure of Pennsylvania Avenue between 15th Street
and Dolley Madison Avenue in front of the Treasury Department and
the firmness of the date in Mr. Panetta's letter to the Secretary
of the Interior concerning the permanent design completion date.
Gary J. Walters
TAKE
THE NTERIOR OF THE
United States Department of the Interior
PRIDE IN
AMERICA
U.S.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MARCH 3, 1849
P.O. Box 37127
Washington, D.C. 20013-7127
IN REPLY REFER TO:
D22 (NCA-WHL)
JUL 17 1995
Mr. Gary Walters
Chief Usher
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Gary:
Thank you for your suggestions on participants for the charrette to
begin the Pennsylvania Avenue permanent design process. As
discussed at our meeting on June 20, we are seeking a small group
of the best minds in the country representing a wide variety of
design related professional fields.
Enclosed is a list of the suggestions we received from you and
others who attended the meeting. If you have any strong feelings
about those suggested, beyond the ones we have already received
from you, please contact Mr. Denis Galvin, Associate Director,
Professional Services at (202) 208-3264. We would appreciate
having your views by July 31.
Your involvement in this project is highly valued. I look forward
to our work together.
Sincerely,
Roger G. Kennedy, FAIA
Director
Enclosure
PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE DESIGN PROJECT
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Suggestions for Permanent Pennsylvania Avenue Design Charrette
During their meeting on June 20, 1994, members of the Executive Committee for
the Comprehensive Design Plan for the White House were asked to suggest
participants for a charrette which would begin the permanent Pennsylvania Avenue
design project. The following individuals have been suggested as of July 7, 1995:
Landscape Architects:
Diana Balmori
Landscape Architect
Balmori and Associates
New Haven, Connecticut
Joe Brown
President,
EDAW
San Francisco, California
Everett Fly
Landscape Architect
San Antonio, Texas
Carol Franklin
Landscape Architect
Andropogon Associates, Ltd.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Paul Freeberg
Landscape Architect
New York, New York
John Hall
Landscape Architect
LDR International
Columbia, Maryland
Doug Hayes
Landscape Architect
Arlington, Virginia
Lawrence Halprin
Landscape Architect
Lawrence Halprin and Assciates
San Francisco, California
Mark Johnson
Landscape Architect
Civitas
Denver, Colorado
Dan Kiley
Landscape Architect
Charlotte, Vermont
Debra Mitchell
Landscape Architect
Johnson, Johnson and Roy
Washington, D.C.
Laurie Olin
Landscape Architect
Hanna Olin Landscape Architects
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nicholas Quennell
Landscape Architect
Quennell Rothschild Associates
New York, New York
2
Herb Schaal, FASLA
Landscape Architect
EDAW
Fort Collins, Colorado
Hideo Sasaki
Landscape Architect
Sasaki Associates
Waterton, Massachusetts
John Simonds, FASLA
Landscape Architect
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
James Urban
Landscape Architect
Urban and Associates
Annapolis, Maryland
Morgan Wheelock
Landscape Architect
Morgan Wheelock Incorporated
Palm Beach, Florida
Architects:
Harold Adams, FAIA
Architect
RTKL Assciates, Inc.
Baltimore, Maryland
Charles Atherton, FAIA
Secretary
The Commission of Fine Arts
Washington D.C.
3
Robert Berkebile, FAIA
Architect
Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell, Inc. (BNIM)
Kansas City, Missouri
Walter Scott Blackburn, FAIA
Architect
Blackburn Associates
Indianapolis, Indiana
J. Max Bond, FAIA
Architect
Davis Brady and Associates
New York, New York
M.J. "Jay" Brodie, FAIA
Architect/City Planner
RTKL Associates, Inc.
Washington, D. C.
Jean Paul Carlhian, FAIA
Architect
Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson and Abbott
Boston, Massachusettes
Warren Cox, FAIA
Architect
Hartman Cox Architects
Washington, D.C.
Joe Esherick, FAIA
Architect
Esherick Homsey Dodge and Davis
San Francisco, California
Pliny Fisk
Architect/Landscape Architect
Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems
Austin, Texas
4
Jan Frankina
Architect
Director of Design and Planning
Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation
Washington, D.C.
Joan Goody, FAIA
Architect and President
Goody, Clancy and Associates
Boston, Massachusetts
Harry Gordon
Architect
Burt Hill Kosar Rittleman Associates
Washington, D.C.
Hugh Hardy, FAIA
Architect/educator
Hardy Holzna Pfeiffer Associates
New York, New York
George Hartman, FAIA
Architect
Hartman Cox Architects
Washington, D.C.
George Homsey, FAIA
Architect
Esherick Homsey Dodge and Davis
San Francisco, California
Hugh Newell Jacobsen, FAIA
Architect
Washington, D.C.
Fay Jones, FAIA
Architect/Educator
Fayettesville, Arkansas
5
David Lee, FAIA
Architect/Urban Designer
Stull and Lee, Inc.
Boston, Massachusettes
Robert P. Madison, FAIA
Madison Architects
Cleveland, Ohio
Susan Maxman
Architect
Susan Maxman Architects
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
William McDonough
Architect
New York, New York
Cesar Pelli, FAIA
Architect/Urban Planner
Cesar Pelli and Assciates
New Haven, Connecticut
Harry G. Robinson, III, FAIA
Architect
Dean, School of Architecture and Planning
Howard University
Washington, D.C.
Richard Shepard
Architect
Shepard Quraeshi Associates
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
John H. Spencer, FAIA, ASLA
Chairman, Department of Architecture (retired)
Hampton University
Hampton, Virginia
6.
Donald Stull, FAIA
Architect
Stull and Lee
Boston, Massachusetts
John Carl Warnecke, FAIA
Architect
John Carl Warnecke and Associates
San Francisco, California
William Warner
Architect
William Warner Architects
Exeter, Rhode Island
Harry Weese, FAIA
Architect
Harry Weese and Associates
Chicago, Illinois
Richard Weinstein
Professor of Architecture
School of Environmental Design
University of California
Urban Planners/Designers:
Maxine Griffith
Urban Designer
Member, New York City Planning Commission
New York, New York
William Hollingsworth Whyte
Urban Planner
New York, New York
7
Historical Architect
Dr. Richard Dozier
Historical Architect
Florida A & M
Historians
Daniel Boorstin
Librarian of Congress Emeritus
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Simon Schama
Historian/Educator/Author
Department of History
Columbia University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Vincent Scully
Architectural Historian
Humanities and Social Sciences
CALTECT
Pasadena, California
William Seale
Architectural Historian
Alexandria, Virginia
Lighting Designers:
Nancy Clanton
Lighting Engineer and President,
Clanton Engineering
Boulder, Colorado
8
William Lam
Architect/Lighting Designer
William Lam Inc.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Christopher Ripman
Lighting Designer
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Sculptors:
Ed Dwight
Sculptor
Seattle, Washington
Jonathan Fairbanks
Sculptor
Boston, Massachusetts
Event Programmers:
Karin Bacon
Events Planner
Karin Bacon Events Inc.
New York, New York
Colleen Jennings-Roggensack
Executive Director, Special Events
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona
9
Others:
Ralph Appelbaum
Exhibit Designer and President
Ralph Appelbaum Associates
New York, New York
J. Carter Brown
Chairman
The Commission of Fine Arts
Washington, D.C.
Nash Castro
Consultant on Natural and Historic Management
Sutten, New York
Bernadette Cosart
Greening of Harlem Coalition
John Knott, Jr.
Chief Executive Officer
Dewees Island
Isle of Palm, South Carolina
Georges Jacquemart
Transportation planner and traffic engineer
BF&J Buckhurst Fish and Jacquemart, Inc.
New York, New York
Gail Lindsey
Design Harmony, Inc.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Amory Lovins
Engineer
Rock Mountain Institute
Snowmass, Colorado
10
Patricia O'Donnell
Landscape, Inc.
George White
Architect of the Capitol
Washington, D.C.
11
file Penna Are
JOHN CARL WARNECKE & ASSOCIATES
ARCHITECTS AND PLANNING CONSULTANTS, 300 BROADWAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94133 397-4200
July 5, 1995
Mellane Verveer
Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Ms. Verveer,
President Clinton's main concern on closing down Pennsylvania
Avenue was about restricting access to view the White House. The
theme of my enclosed piece is how history will bring ever greater
numbers of visitors to view the President's House. The more we dig
in our archives, the more fascinating the potential use of this
historic area becomes. I will send you more items as we complete
them.
Americans love the history of the White House, and this expanded
historic place could quickly become a quality attraction. The old
historic buildings President Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, and I
saved from demolition thirty years ago have all been restored and
they are all there in place. Now is the time to start to use them
for the benefit of visitors coming to view the White House. This
can be achieved at very little cost. We have already completed
ninety percent of integrating this historic area with the White
House.
Why reinvent the wheel? Now is the time to complete the grand
plaza and promenade that President Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline
Kennedy, and I envisioned in the design studies I made thirty years
ago. Most important we will achieve President Clinton's wish that
ever greater numbers of Americans will want to come and view the
White House from this far more beautiful place. Now is the time
for President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to
review this design work and quickly authorize its completion.
Sincerely,
J John JCW: bb: told Carl 189 Warnecke, enclosures me FAIA at
Millane and Day the Davis fart 300)
has This politan Jin clib of mee in The twenty Pennly lady I is Kenndy weythe in
SAN FRANCISCO you NEW first tudy BOSTON the in jut salving way
GREATER WHITE HOUSE ACCESS
BY JOHN CARL WARNECKE, FAIA
Copyright
June 19, 1995
With Pennsylvania Avenue closed, President Clinton now has the
opportunity of enhancing the beauty of the White House in a far
more beautiful and interesting historic place. Equally important
the front of the White House will now be a far more secure area not
only for our Presidents--but for all people. The media and
enlightened politicians were far more concerned about visual access
than the uncontrolled traffic. How can President Clinton bring
ever greater numbers of Americans to view the White House? It is
a simple matter of completing the plan of Lafayette Square that I
conceived with President and Mrs. Kennedy over 30 years ago.
With the Avenue closed, we can now unite the Lafayette Square Park
and historic buildings with the White House. This can be quickly
accomplished because we have already achieved most of it. All we
need to do now is finish it. Pennsylvania Avenue can now be
transformed into the attractive mall with flower beds and fountains
while promenading and viewing the White House that I proposed to
Jacqueline Kennedy as part of my design of the square.
President Kennedy said, "I consider our history, to be a source of strength to us here
in the White House Anything that dramatizes the story of the United States is worth the respect
of Americans who visit here and who are a part of our history." Instead of focusing
only upon the White House, visitors can also view and study the
historic buildings surrounding the President's Park. It is this
historic area which gives the White House much of its power and
special sense of place. In recent years, our eyes have been opened
to the power of historic tourism that have brought families
together. When I think of the interest and joy I had visiting
historic Williamsburg with my children, I can quickly understand
how educational and popular a visit of this type can become.
Many of these historic buildings surrounding Lafayette Square have
never found a real and vital use. Many are used for administration
of commissions and groups that meet only periodically. These
historic buildings that we restored 30 years ago are all in place
and many should be returned to the people as part of their heritage
to visit and learn more about the story of this historic place.
The historic Decatur House has already indicated how effectively
these buildings can be used. One can imagine a visitor center and
1
museum that would relate and exhibit the continuous, ever changing
use of all these historic lands and buildings. Restaurants and
sidewalk cafes would make this visit ever more pleasant and
enjoyable for families. As architectural critic Donald Canty
stated, "The courtyard and garden space which has been created between the old and the
new on the Jackson Place side is one of the very nicest enclosed places in Washington. It's
absolutely lovely and the best of Washington." With very little cost to the
government, this could quickly become one of America's greatest
tourist attractions.
In 1962, I had the opportunity to tell President Kennedy how he
could design the proposed new large office and courts buildings
that were about to be built on both sides of the square, and by
placing the new buildings behind the historic buildings, we could
maintain the 19th century character of the Square which he and
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy had been valiantly fighting for. By
designing the new buildings in a more simple contextual manner, we
saved enough money to restore all the old buildings at no
additional cost to the government. Now, this gift and these
buildings should be shared with the people to use and learn about
our democracy.
President and Mrs. Kennedy would be most pleased to know these
historic buildings we saved would someday be put to such good use.
President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton should
review and approve the last remaining design work of Pennsylvania
Avenue and quickly order its completion.
4023NO3:6/19/95
2
U
DAHLSTRAND
JOHN.CARL WARNECKE FAIA 5/15/95
UNITED STATES SENATE
OFFICE OF THE MAJORITY LEADER
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Boa DOLE
February 6, 1995
KANSAS
Dear Jack:
Many thanks for sending Elizabeth and me
a copy of your proposal. While not an
architect or planner, I was certainly
impressed with your vision.
I can't begin to imagine the maze of
hoops that such a proposal must jump through,
and hope you will keep me informed of the
White House reaction to the plan. If you
have not done so already, I would also
suggest contacting the National Capital
Planning Commission.
Best of luck, and please keep in touch.
regards
BOB DOLE
John Carl Warnecke
300 Broadway
San Francisco, California 94133
COMPLETING THE DESIGN OF LAFAYETTE SQUARE
IN FRONT OF THE WHITE HOUSE
John Carl Warnecke, FAIA
The essence of the design that must replace the street surface of
Pennsylvania Avenue on the north front of the White House is that
it must stress continuity and be in context with this historic
place. The result must feel as if it has always been there. It
must incorporate the traditional forms and ways that gates, low
walls, open entrance points, fountains, and flowerbeds were
designed in the 19th century. It must not be a personal expression
of the mid and late 20th century calling attention to itself. It
must be subtle, quiet and fit into its historic surroundings. It
must unify all the existing historic aspects of this special place.
The White House, the 200-year old feature of the design, is there
and in place. The landscape space within the White House grounds
is also there and in place. The President's Park, for the people,
in the heart of Lafayette Square is there. The historic buildings
surrounding the square have all been saved and restored and are
there and in place. The new Executive Office Building and Court of
Claims, that I designed in 1962 are both there as backdrops to the
older historic buildings. All one needs to do now is complete this
composition with a beautiful new plaza and promenade and other
details that tie all of these loose ends into a unified whole.
In contrast to this contextual approach, it has even been suggested
that we have a competition for this design as was done for the
Vietnam Memorial in which 1400 architects competed in a design
competition. This was an excellent approach for this type of
memorial because it was new and the sole object in which a design
was sought. In addition, it would be totally surrounded with a
natural landscape. The personal design and expression of Maya Lin
produced an outstanding design that has received worldwide
recognition.
The conditions surrounding Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the
White House are entirely different. Anything that is added should
take a position that fits into this scenario in the more quiet way
we designed the new large buildings in context with the older
historic buildings. All the elements of the landscape should fit
quietly into this area as it had always been there.
This contextual approach to design that I utilized in the design of
the large new Executive Office Building and the Court of Claims is
an approach that I pioneered in the mid twentieth century, and it
was an approach I had utilized in other historic environments on
college campuses and state capitols for a decade and a half before
President Kennedy asked me to help him find a solution to this
problem of renovation and design he was facing in 1962. As a well-
known architect in the modern period of design, I was alone in this
approach. However, President and Jacqueline Kennedy both
understood it, and they were quick to accept my concept of placing
2
the new large buildings to the rear of the older historic
buildings.
One month before JFK was assassinated, the President spoke at
Amherst University in which he carried out the new design theme of
Lafayette Square and his hopes for a better America. He stated in
his speech, "I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace and beauty,
which will protect the beauty of our national environment, which will preserve the great old
American houses and squares and parks of our National past, and which will build handsome
and balanced cities for our future."
Today contextual design and restoration are major forces in
architecture both in the United States and throughout the world.
4025: 06/07/95
3
&
DANC
John Carl Warneeke DAA.
Washington, D.C. Hillary Rodham Clinton august 2. 1995
Wear George,
Thank you /or your followup wemo
about the future of Pennsylvania Gvenue.
d agree with your Wise Counsel and
Milliness
melanne
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agree we we presented with an
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important opportunity Owthe White House
and the city. I have learned there
has been a Committee studying the
area around the White House /a
over three years, and have asked
for some information. at The appropriate
time, d will Want to Continue our
discussion. With appreciation, Hillary
Cc Melanne
let's drocuss
PHOTOCOPY
HRC HANDWRITING
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back to me
R to Go. 5
July 18, 1995
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Hillary Rodham Clinton
FROM:
George Stevens, Jr.
Since I outlined the idea about Pennsylvania Avenue in such short form last night - -
and since you seemed enthusiastic about it (or extremely polite, or both), I thought
I would summarize the idea in writing.
Your answer to the question of what François Mitterand will be remembered for
was the same as mine would be. "Great buildings" most notably, I.M. Pei's
brilliant modernization of the Louvre which addressed and solved the problem of
adapting a classic building and a public vista in a fashion that is both functional
and brilliant.
President Kennedy and Jackie are remembered in a cultural way for his deciding to
do something about Pennsylvania Avenue and for their determination in stopping
the planned destruction of the historic houses on Lafayette Square.
I believe the decision President Clinton found necessary to make concerning the
closing of Pennsylvania Avenue is like the Chinese maxim - the symbol for
misfortune is the same as the symbol for opportunity.
I see an opportunity here for a show of leadership and for an historic contribution
to the life of this city.
I believe if you were to invite I.M. Pei to lunch and were to take a brief walk with
him on Pennsylvania Avenue, he would have ideas about how to make the
necessity of closing Pennsylvania into an opportunity to make our Capitol city even
more beautiful and friendly to its citizens and visitors.
MEMORANDUM
July 18, 1995
Page Two
I know that you met I.M. Pei on your trip to Paris. I have known him since he was
chosen to design the Kennedy Library in Boston. He is, in my view, a perfect and
unchallengeable choice as a person from whom to seek advice from and to conceive
and execute a solution.
One of I.M.'s gifts, perhaps because of his Chinese birth and heritage, is a sense of
timelessness. He is the man who found the solution for putting a modern building,
the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, between the classic dome of the U.S.
Capitol and the original National Gallery building. And he designed the bold
pyramid at the Louvre and saw it through, notwithstanding his not being a French
citizen and the intense skepticism that stood in the path of the project.
One of I.M.'s great strengths is understanding the relationship between a building
and its surroundings. I am confident he would bring the right team together,
including the right landscape architect, and that he would invest it with the most
important quality of all - taste.
I went over to look at Lafayette Square and there are those huge cement abutments
blocking the street and the park. Right now the solution is somewhere in the hands
of the bureaucracy and the solution arrived at is likely to be ordinary.
As certain as I am that this is a wonderful idea for you and the President and for
the country, I'm equally certain that someone will say, "It's not that simple." Or,
"there may be a jurisdictional problem." That is what they said about Pennsylvania
Avenue and about Lafayette Square, but the interest of the President and First Lady
can move these projects in the right direction.
MEMORANDUM
July 18, 1995
Page Three
I believe this is an opportunity to show strong leadership and to achieve a lasting
legacy for generations to come. And, it is a winner politically.
All good wishes,
loye
GS:kb