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The Improvement of Washington City: Charles Moore and the Monumental Core
Series: Power, Architecture, and Politics: The Design of Washington and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts Symposium
Presented By: Pamela Scott, architectural historian
Date Recorded: May 19, 2010
Duration: :54:21
Charles Moore’s comprehensive knowledge of Washington’s pre-World War II urban development began with his 1889 appointment as Senator James McMillan’s secretary and ceased with his retirement from the Commission of Fine Arts in 1940. Moore’s background as a journalist, allied with his excellent managerial skills, were keys to his success as the secretary of the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia, of which McMillan was the chair from 1891 until his death in 1902. Privy to both the political conversations and aesthetic ideas that created the 1901 Senate Park Commission plan, Moore quickly assumed varied roles as its facilitator, promoter, chronicler, and historian.
