A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The White House fired all six members of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts this week. The independent federal agency advises the president and Congress on design plans for monuments, memorials, coins and federal buildings, including projects such as the anticipated $300 million White House ballroom. The administration tells NPR it plans to appoint new members who are, quote, "more aligned with President Trump's America First policies." Bruce Redman Becker is an architect and developer. He was appointed to the commission in 2024 and was one of the six members who was fired. Bruce, did you think that this was coming, considering the results of the election?
BRUCE REDMAN BECKER: No. It came as a surprise. Historically, the commissioners serve at least four-year terms, and they actually continue on until their successors are appointed. So, yeah. No, we were caught off guard and didn't expect this.
MARTÍNEZ: Considering that Joe - President Joe Biden fired the members who had been appointed in President Trump's first term, I kind of thought that maybe you were expecting this, but you say no. So...
BECKER: Well, there were three that continued on into...
MARTÍNEZ: OK.
BECKER: ...The next administration.
MARTÍNEZ: So what makes the responsibilities of this group important?
BECKER: Well, we're sort of the guardians of design quality in Washington, D.C., both for public buildings and for private buildings. You know, we're volunteers. We meet monthly, and design teams present their projects to us that, you know, can range from a memorial for a fallen journalist - which we reviewed not too long ago - to the addition to the Air and Space Museum to smaller projects and military cemeteries. And, you know, the interesting thing that creates value is we have a lot of talented experience - seven members, some of whom are architects, landscape architects, planners. You know, they're - we look at it from all different perspectives, and generally, our - all of our comments are welcomed. We're - it's not - it's just an advisory role, so we're there to provide coaching and quality control. And I think over the, I guess, 115 years since we were federally chartered, there's general agreement that our advice and service have led to a more beautiful Capitol for our nation.
MARTÍNEZ: And at its core, the organization is not - is nonpartisan.
BECKER: Yeah. No, it's - typically, they're appointees from different parties that overlap, and part of the value of the CFA is the diversity of viewpoints. And, you know, whether - generally, when we're looking at projects, while, you know, people come to view art and architecture from different perspectives, there's a general consensus about whether the quality of something is good or not or how it can be improved, and it's not political.
MARTÍNEZ: So just because this group - or the fired group was appointed by President Biden, that wouldn't have necessarily meant that you wouldn't have approved the proposed ballroom project of President Trump.
BECKER: Well, you know, we actually don't have control to stop something or to issue a stop-work order. We just are there to coach and advise and ask questions to make sure whatever's being done doesn't cut corners in terms of its scale and its quality and materiality. I think we would've had plenty to say about it, but we wouldn't be able to stop it. You know, we're providing voluntary advice that can be ignored.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's Bruce Redman Becker, architect and developer. He recently served in the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Bruce, thanks a lot.
BECKER: My pleasure.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSEE MECANIQUE'S "CASTLE WALLS (INSTRUMENTAL)") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
