A reader wrote RECORD last year arguing that architecture is a ­political-free zone, and that any discussion that touched on politics didn’t belong in this magazine. We can agree to disagree on that—broadly, politics is about the public interest, and that is where architecture almost always resides.

But in the past month, we have seen the politicization of architecture to an extent that few of us imagined possible. RECORD first broke the story that a proposed executive order (EO) was circulating in the White House that would dictate that “the classical architectural style shall be the preferred and default style” for most new and upgraded federal buildings. The response from the media, architects, and professional organizations was immediate, with most of the outcry against any top-down prescription of “style” for government buildings. The objections came from some surprising corners. For example, Michael Lykoudis, FAIA, dean of University of Notre Dame’s architecture school, which emphasizes classical architecture and traditional urbanism, expressed dismay in the Washington Post at the proposed order: “Classical architecture is not a style,” he wrote. “It is a dedication to principles of community, resilience, and beauty.” Read more about reactions across the profession. (As RECORD went to press, the proposed EO had not been issued.)