April is Architecture Month, so we’re taking a look at Brutalism – the style that you either love or hate that dominated much of D.C.’s imagination in the 1960’s and 70’s.
Even if you are not a fan (many of us are!), here are some things about the buildings to appreciate:
The views
Many Brutalist buildings are structured so that there are interesting layered views and perspectives.
The windows
Brutalist buildings have windows that are a perfection of symmetry.
The details
Every detail in a Brutalist building is designed to complement the starkness and functionality of the whole.
The eeriness
At night, Brutalist buildings have a wonderful ominous look.
Metro
And of course there’s Metro, where the concrete and Brutalist lines extend everywhere.
List of Brutalist buildings
There are a lot of Brutalist buildings in D.C. and varying opinions on which are the best and the worst. Here’s a good sample of the range of Brutalist buildings:
Hirshhorn Museum
Architect: Gordon Bunshaft
Completed 1974
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Completed 1976
Architect: Marcel Breuer
The Farragut Building
900 17th St NW
Completed 1963
The Robert S. Strauss Building
1333 New Hampshire Avenue
Completed 1978
D.C. Jail
1901 D St. SE
Completed 1976
National Presbyterian Church
4101 Nebraska Avenue NW
Architect: Harold E. Wagoner
Completed 1969
Wah Luck Apartment Building
800 6th St. NW
Architect: Alfred H. Liu
Completed 1982, in less than a month, built out of pre-fab components
Johns Hopkins School of Advance Studies
1740 Massachusetts Avenue
Completed 1962
UDC Campus
Completed 1976-1981
Russian Embassy
2650 Wisconsin Avenue
Architect: Michael Posokhin
Completed 1985
DCFC Engine 2 Rescue 1
500 F St. NW
Completed 1979
Washington Hilton
1919 Connecticut Avenue
Architect: William B. Tabler, Sr.
Completed 1965
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
1900 E St NW
Architects: Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum and Loebl, Schlussmann & Bennett
Completed 1963
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue
Architect: Charles F. Murphy
Completed 1975
Arena Stage
6th and M. St. SW
Architect: Harry Weese
Completed 1961
Watergate complex
Virginia and New Hampshire Avenue
Architect: Luigi Moretti
Completed 1971
Metro
Initial construction 1969-1976
Primary architect: Harry Weese
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
1700 G St. NW
Completed 1976
Gelman Library at George Washington University
2130 H St. NW
Architect: Mills, Petticord & Mills
Completed: 1971
L’Enfant Plaza complex
Overall design created by I.M.Pei & Partners
L’Enfant Plaza South Building
490 L’Enfant Plaza SW
Architect: Araldo Cossutta, at I.M. Pei
Completed 1965
Forrestal Building/Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue SW
Architect: Curtis and Davis
Completed: 1970
Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Completed 1977
Architect: Marcel Breuer and Associates
Housing and Urban Development
451 7th St. SW
Completed 1968
Architect: Marcel Breuer and Associate
Beautiful images!
Thanks!
Completely agree – not being a DC regular, I would never have appreciated the design or the resultant architectural gems that exist within these buildings…
Instead, as a tourist driving through the area (not walking much, except in the heart of the mall, for example) we could never have appreciated the stairs, pathways, views…
now with more time and not carrying toddlers or adolescents, we will look again!
Thanks for reading the article, and hope you enjoy seeing more Brutalism!
Any idea where the name “Brutalism” came from?
The term Brutalism was coined by a British architecture critic, referencing the term “beton brut” (meaning raw concrete in French), which characterized the work of Le Corbusier. It was not meant favorably.
Thanks! I’d always wondered…