NATIVE PLACES: THE NEWSLETTER
A collection of thoughts and hand-drawn sketches that illustrate the value of looking closely at buildings and places.
Washington Report
Have you noticed that the Supreme Court building in Washington DC is now partly hidden by a veil? Contractors renovating the marble monument have flung scaffolding and scrim over the walls, obscuring the august temple front.
Cass Gilbert designed the Supreme Court building in 1929 in a splendid neoclassical style, a style that was thought to represent permanence, legitimacy, and republican values. Ironically, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Benito Mussolini also mandated the neoclassical style.
About the scrim: just as the Supreme Court uses the “shadow docket” to bypass normal procedures these days, shadows now cloak the supreme courthouse.
I like the appearance of the veil, though. It does the job. It doesn’t pretend to be something else
Contrast the modesty of the Supreme Court’s veil to the president’s proposed Trump Ballroom, which will dwarf the White House. And only last month the president redecorated the Lincoln bathroom, creating a marble majesty for bowel movements.
The veil at the Supreme Court is temporary. The gilded ballroom is not.
T.S. Eliot said that “humankind / cannot bear too much reality.” I tend to agree.
Inevitably, institutions are trusted for their actions, not for their marble columns.
Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See: A book by Frank Harmon. To learn more click here.
Frank Harmon is an architect, educator, and writer who is well known for designing buildings that cultivate the “native wisdom” of their place.
He sketches often, finding that the practice enriches his connection to the world. In his recently released book, Frank offers an invitation: drawing as a way to inspire curiosity, presence, and everyday joy.