Jun.30

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Notes on Fascist Architecture

The Arc de Trump and the space for Donald Trump's balls face an uncertain future. Trump is going to push to bring them to fruition, but the various ongoing lawsuits are a problem, and funding is a problem too. It's also not clear how much he really cares about building these things, as opposed to raising some "donations" to build these things, and then pocketing that money.

That means that the first exemplar of Trump architecture that is sure to be built is actually the new federal courthouse in Chattanooga, TN. This is the first project to be announced by the federal government's Public Buildings Service since Trump issued his executive order titled "MAKING FEDERAL ARCHITECTURE BEAUTIFUL AGAIN." Here's the preliminary design for the new building:

Not surprisingly, Trump hates modern styles. He also rejects the (common) modern-day idea that courthouses should be made of glass, so as to emphasize transparency. Clearly, he got what he wanted here.

Of course, what he also got is a building that is intimidating and speaks to the government's power, that has 1920s and 1930s art deco flourishes, and that otherwise recalls classical architecture (from white, European civilizations). Indeed, the general style of the building is referred to as Greco-Deco. And if you picked up this structure, and transported it to Germany, circa 1938, it would be right at home. It might be that the average person might not pick up on this, at least not consciously, but the people who know architecture are certainly picking up on it.

How about another example? Yesterday, Trump posted a bleat that implies he's about to make an addition to the Truman Balcony of the White House. Here's the picture he shared:

Whoops, wait. That's not it. How did that picture of the Reich Chancellery get in there? Here's the actual image Trump posted:

Trump has been roundly mocked on social media for the gaudy design, so hopefully, if he really did plan to make this "gift" to the American people, he won't go through with it. If he persists, on the other hand, then we'll know what the subject of the very first executive order from the next Democratic president will need to be.

Oh, and by the way, the Arc de Trump is also pretty fascist—non-modern, imposing, emphasizing military glory, referencing (in this case) the ancient Romans.

A person might inadvertently blunder into fascist style once. But when it keeps happening like this, there's got to be something going on. We can think of three basic explanations:

1. Trump is coming from the same basic place, philosophically, that the fascists of the mid-20th century were, and so it's no surprise he ends up at the same destination.
   
   
2. Trump has seen some quantity of fascist architecture and design in his life, and he subconsciously internalized it as the "right" way to do things.
   
   
3. Trump, either of his own volition, or at the urging of someone like Stephen Miller, is consciously and deliberately embracing a fascist aesthetic.

In any event, it is a subtle (but not that subtle) clue as the headspace that Trump is in these days. (Z)