G. Martin Moeller, Jr.
Senior Curator
Phone: 202.272.2448, ext. 3451
Email: mmoeller@nbm.org
Will accept inquiries about:
Architecture of Washington, D.C.
General architectural history
Exhibition topics (see below)
Exhibitions

Unbuilt Washington
November 19, 2011 - May 28, 2012

Detour: Architecture and Design along 18 National Tourist Routes in Norway
January 28, 2009 - May 25, 2009

Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future
May 3, 2008 - August 24, 2008

Lasting Foundations: The Art of Architecture in Africa
October 6, 2007 - January 13, 2008

Reinventing the Globe: A Shakespearean Theater for the 21st Century
January 13, 2007 - October 8, 2007

Liquid Stone: New Architecture in Concrete
June 19, 2004 - January 29, 2006

The Turner City Collection: Rendering a Century of Building
April 22, 2002 - November 3, 2002
Exhibitions
|
Unbuilt Washington | |
|
Detour: Architecture and Design along 18 National Tourist Routes in Norway | |
|
Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future | |
|
Lasting Foundations: The Art of Architecture in Africa | |
|
Reinventing the Globe: A Shakespearean Theater for the 21st Century | |
|
Liquid Stone: New Architecture in Concrete | |
|
The Turner City Collection: Rendering a Century of Building |
Additional Exhibitions
Frank Lloyd Wright: Windows of the Darwin D. Martin House
Big & Green: Toward Sustainable Architecture in the 21st Century
Building America (online exhibition)
D.C. Builds: The Anacostia Waterfront
Give Us Your Best: An Exhibition of Washington Architects' Work
The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design
Hugh Newell Jacobsen, Architect: A Retrospective
Masonry Variations
Monuments, Mills, and Missile Sites: Thirty Years of the Historic American Engineering Record
Newer Orleans—A Shared Space
El Nuevo Mundo: The Landscape of Latino Los Angeles
OPEN: New Designs for Public Space
See the U.S.A.: Automobile Travel and the American Landscape
An Urban Experiment in Central Berlin: Planning Potsdamer Platz
Visions of Home
Visions/Revisions: The Second DC/AIA Biennial Exhibition
Washington: Symbol and City
The White House in Miniature
Articles
The City Imagined on Film
February 7, 2012
The Museum is partnering with the American Film Institute to present ten films depicting futuristic views of city life and urban design.
Read Article
The Modern Era
February 6, 2012
In the final installment of the curator’s special series on the exhibition Unbuilt Washington, G. Martin Moeller, Jr. considers recent proposals for the capital by such architects as Santiago Calatrava, Daniel Libeskind, and Edward Durell Stone.
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Aspiring to Beauty
January 10, 2012
Curator G. Martin Moeller, Jr. continues his series on the exhibition Unbuilt Washington with a look at a attempts to aggrandize the capital city and focus on its beautification.
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The Problem of Memorials
December 6, 2011
G. Martin Moeller, Jr., curator of the exhibition Unbuilt Washington, describes "The Problem of Memorials," using the Washington Monument as a case in point. The structure’s magnificent simplicity belies its tortured history. Monuments and memorials often generate public controversy and elicit impassioned proposals from designers.
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What Should a Capitol Look Like
November 3, 2011
In this 4-part series, G. Martin Moeller, Jr, curator of Unbuilt Washington, comments on proposals for a few of the city’s prominent buildings and sites.
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An American Palazzo
June 18, 2010
In 1881, when the federal government commissioned General Montgomery C. Meigs to design a new headquarters for the Pension Bureau, few people could have imagined that the military engineer would produce a version of an Italian Renaissance palace. This article reveals that, while the Pension Building—now the National Building Museum—certainly owed a debt to Renaissance Rome, it was nonetheless an innovative design bearing the personal stamp of Meigs.
This article is part of an ongoing series celebrating the National Building Museum and its origins in recognition of the Museum’s 30th anniversary.
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The Lay of the Landscape
January 1, 2009
In an interview, landscape architect Len Hopper discusses his profession's inherent commitment to sustainability and growing involvement in large-scale planning efforts.
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Toward A National Academy of Environmental Design
September 1, 2008
Michael Monti, the executive director of ACSA, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, discusses the efforts of a coalition of architecture and design organizations to establish a new National Academy.
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Selling Modernism
June 1, 2008
Americans are famously conservative in their domestic tastes, but this interview with three real estate brokers from Chicago, Los Angeles and the San Francisco area reveals an enthusiastic subculture of homebuyers eager to go modern.
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The New Face of Preservation
January 1, 2008
Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and recipient of the ninth Vincent Scully Prize, reflects on the evolution of the American preservation movement.
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African Threads in the American Fabric
September 1, 2007
Architect and architectural historian Richard K. Dozier, Ph.D., discusses the influence of African building traditions on American architecture.
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Contemporary Architectural Practice in Africa
September 1, 2007
Mashabane Rose Associates, an innovative firm based in Johannesburg, South Africa serves as a case study of architectural practice in modern-day Africa.
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The Tell-Tale Drawing
June 1, 2007
Architect and scholar Marco Frascari discusses the sometimes hidden meanings of drawings and what they reveal about those who drew them.
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Toy Story
April 1, 2007
No matter what age you are, you will surely find something delightful among the several thousand architectural toys that the Museum recently added to its collection. An interview with collector George Wetzel reveals fascinating details from the history of such toys.
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An Actor's Perspective on Theater Design
January 1, 2007
Holly Twyford, winner of three Helen Hayes Awards as outstanding lead or supporting actress in Washington-area-plays, discusses how the design of theaters and sets influences dramatic performance.
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Architecture & Dance: Intersections & Collaboration
January 1, 2007
Architect and dance enthusiast Frances Bronet talks about her work on performance projects and teaching strategies that bring together these two disciplines.
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Shakespearean Theater: It's Not What You Think
January 1, 2007
Michael Kahn, artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, explains why he had no interest in replicating the famous Globe Theatre when commissioning the new Sidney Harman Hall.
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The Art of Building Lightly
September 1, 2006
In an interview, "paper architect," Shigeru Ban shares his views on green design, post-disaster construction, and the architectural culture of his native Japan.
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The Marden House
June 1, 2006
James Kimsey, a co-founder of America Online and current owner of the Marden House, shares his views on Frank Lloyd Wright, the story of how he came to acquire the well-known property, and the importance of its preservation.
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No Ordinary Clients
June 1, 2006
An in-depth look at a home situated on the Potomac River, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the highly accomplished couple, Luis and Ethel Marden.
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Education
Master of Architecture, Tulane University
Bachelor of Architecture, Tulane University
Foreign Study Program, University of Manchester, England
Research Interests
Architectural education
Architectural history of Washington, DC
Architectural history of New Orleans
Architecture and design of the 1930s
Concrete technology and design
Contemporary architecture and design
Design for commercial aviation
Design of ocean liners
Urban history
Selected Publications
Liquid Stone: New Architecture in Concrete, Princeton Architectural Press, 2006, co-editor
AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, DC, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006, author
Blueprints, 2001-present, editor
ArchitectureDC, 2007-present, editor

