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!
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.