Too Ugly to Preserve?

As D.C.'s J. Edgar Hoover Building reaches the end of its 40 years of service as the headquarters of the FBI, one of the city's last examples of Brutalist architecture is getting little love from preservationists as discussion begin over its fate.

2 minute read

October 29, 2012, 12:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Several prominent preservation efforts of late (see the Orange County Government Center and Prentice Women's Hospital) have centered on the fate of Brutalist masterpieces of the 1960s and 70s. As preservationists, architecture critics, public officials, and the public debate the merits of saving these notoriously hard to love buildings, Jonathan O'Connell reports that preservationists in Washington D.C. are unlikely to put up much of a fight to save one of the iconic buildings of the Brutalist era. 

The Hoover building was recently named the ugliest building on Earth by a travel Web site, and you won't find much argument from D.C. preservationists, many of whom are "still smarting from a very public and contentious debate to protect
another [Brutalist] D.C. building, the Third Church of Christ, Scientist, which they ultimately lost."

"There's not a lot of love for [the Hoover] building," said Rebecca Miller, executive director of the D.C. Preservation League. "And it's
such a primary piece of real estate that saving the building would be a
very difficult endeavor."

"Indeed, the [Preservation League's] chairman, John D.
Bellingham, president of Falls Church-based Monarc Construction, said
there was unlikely to be a similarly fierce battle for the Hoover
building as there was for the church," notes O'Connell.

"Is it a building that a lot
of people like? Probably not. Is it a building that people will try to
preserve? My instinct tells me probably not," he said.

 

Sunday, October 28, 2012 in The Washington Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight