Without Consultation: The Public Trust and the National Capital's Built Heritage
A presentaiton by Bryan Clark Green, Ph.D., Visiting Associate Professor of Practice, School of Architecture, Virginia Tech
Thursday, October 22, Virginia Museum of History and Culture, 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond, Virginia
5:30 PM: conversation and refreshments
6:00 PM: presentation by Bryan Clark Green
Sponsored by The Virginia Conservation Association
A 250-foot triumphal arch proposed for Memorial Circle, its historic review cut short by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in September. A Kennedy Center closed to the public while the Justice Department tells a federal court the building may have to come down. And at the White House, a ballroom rising where the East Wing stood, which the Supreme Court let proceed on standing grounds without deciding whether it is lawful.
The same pattern reaches ground conservators and preservationists know well: a granite office building slated for a coat of paint that preservationists know is likely to damage the stone, and a reflecting pool whose new coating began peeling within days of its refilling.
Architectural historian Bryan Clark Green, a former member of the National Capital Planning Commission, traces the strategy that links these projects. Two strands run through them: a narrow legal exception, most often national security, stretched well beyond its purpose, and the quiet removal of conservators and preservation architects from the rooms where decisions get made. The second, Green argues, is the precondition for the first.
Drawing on his forthcoming book, The Public Trust, and on his own service inside the federal review process, Green offers a diagnosis and a practical account of what remains open to citizen action from comment windows to pending litigation. Green will also discuss the administration’s current proposed sweeping changes to Section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act, which if enacted could jeopardize historic sites and public lands across the country. A talk for conservators, preservationists, and anyone concerned with what is happening to our nation’s built and cultural heritage.
All interested are invited to attend. No RSVP is required. We hope to see you there. For more information, contact president.vaconservation@gmail.com
About the Speaker:
Bryan Clark Green is an architectural historian, preservationist, and Visiting Associate Professor of Practice in Architecture at Virginia Tech. He was appointed to the National Capital Planning Commission by President Biden in 2022 and served until his termination in 2025. He is the author of the forthcoming book, The Public Trust: Federal Architecture, the Law, and America’s Capital.