Arthur Cotton Moore (April 12, 1935 – September 4, 2022) was an American architect who was notable for the restoration of Washington Harbour and modernization of the Thomas Jefferson Building.

Moore began his professional practice in 1965 and was best known for expanding the purview of the country’s nascent Preservation Movement, from the restoration of historic manor houses to re-purposing urban industrial structures. His first project––Canal Square, in Washington D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood––was the earliest recognized manifestation of combining an old mercantile building with major new construction.

Moore was also known for the Washington Harbour development on the Potomac River in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., the Goh Annex of the Phillips Collection also in Washington, D.C., and the renovation and modernization of the Thomas Jefferson and John Adams buildings of the Library of Congress, the Old Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue, and the renovation of Washington D.C.'s tallest residential building, the Cairo Hotel.

Early life

thumb|"Tanglebank," Arthur Cotton Moore's childhood home.

Arthur Cotton Moore spent his early years at “Tanglebank,” his grandparents’ Victorian house off Connecticut Avenue in the Kalorama neighborhood of NW Washington, D.C., now the site of a new People's Republic of China building providing housing for its embassy personnel.

Moore’s father, Captain Charles Godwin Moore, Jr., served during both World Wars. His mother was the granddaughter of Thomas Monroe Gale, whose house in the Kalorama neighborhood is now the Myanmar Embassy.

Moore graduated in St. Albans School, Washington, D.C. In 1958, Moore graduated cum laude in Princeton University. Moore studied architecture Princeton University School of Architecture, M.F.A. before starting his career in 1965.

Career

  • Skidmore Owings & Merrill: New York. Summers (1956–1958)
  • Ketchum & Sharp: New York. (Summer 1959)
  • Satterlee & Smith: Washington, D.C. (1960–1961)
  • Chloethiel Woodard Smith & Associates: Washington, D.C. (1961–1965)
  • Arthur Cotton Moore/Associates: Washington, D.C. (1965–2022)

Style

Moore described his architectural style in his non-preservation work as Modernism with Baroque sensibilities. Some have referred to this style as “post-postmodernism.” It is a lighter, even an entertaining modern interpretation of the exuberant style that flourished in Europe from the middle of the 17th century to the early 18th century. <nowiki></nowiki>People are tired of endless grid-crunching,<nowiki></nowiki> Moore said. <nowiki></nowiki>Baroque deals with modern design's fear and loathing of the curve - just what I think is missing in modern design.<nowiki></nowiki> the Washington Business Journal (January 2018) and Washingtonian Magazine (May 2018).

  • Master Planning Policy Papers for New Towns. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (1969)
  • Master Planning Research on Urban Waterfronts. Project No. C-2141 (1971). Supported under the Title II provisions of the Water Resources Research Act of 1964 and funded by the Office of Water Resources, U.S. Department of the Interior. The goal was to introduce master planning to urban waterfronts, as an incentive to the then-awakening efforts to recharge the United States’ cradle of development. Bright, Breathing Edges of City Life: Amenity Benefits of Urban Water Resources was the first definitive look at this specific development effort, and was the best-seller on the list of Government Printing Office publications at that time.
  • Developer Master Plans for the ownership of the land, with the intention of phased implementation:
  • Camp Luckett. Route 7. Fairfax, Virginia: 200 acres
  • Davis Tract. Montgomery County, Maryland: 75 acres
  • Salt Pond. Bethany, Delaware: 1,000 acres
  • Forest Glen. Montgomery County, Maryland: 25 acres
  • The Palisades. Arlington, Virginia: 15 acres
  • Radnor Tract. Ballston, Virginia: 5 acres
  • The Portals. Washington D.C.: 10 acres
  • The Georgetown Waterfront. Washington, D.C.: 10 acres
  • Gwynebrook. Towson, Maryland: 75 acres
  • Warfield/Kline. Frederick, Maryland: 6 acres
  • Baker/Kane. Charleston, South Carolina: 50 acres
  • Baker Tract. Renley Point, South Carolina: 35 acres
  • Shirlington Tract. Arlington, Virginia: 30 acres
  • Shoreham Tract. Washington D.C.: 10 acres
  • Minglewood Farms. Nashville, Tennessee: 800 acres
  • 400 Block, Schenectady, New York:4 acres
  • The Rockefeller Estate. Washington, D.C.: 25 acres
  • Arts Council. Winston-Salem, North Carolina: 3 acres
  • Old Ford Plant. Alexandria, Virginia: 10 acres
  • The Thomas Cannery. Gaithersburg, Maryland: 3 acres
  • Fortune Parc. Montgomery County, Maryland: 48 acres
  • Doubleday Property. Garden City, Long Island: 18 acres
  • Central Business District Master Plansfor city governments and downtown business groups, with the intention of phased implementation geared towards economic revitalization. Included in most of these was identification of potential developers, and a detailed strategy to bring the plans to reality:
  • Baltimore, Maryland: 40 blocks
  • Petersburg, Virginia: 40 acres
  • Norfolk, Virginia: 50 acres
  • Fort Wayne, Indiana: 6 blocks
  • Rockville, Maryland: 420 acres
  • Columbus, Georgia: 100 blocks
  • Nashville, Tennessee: 162 acres
  • York, Pennsylvania: 100 acres
  • Colmar Manor, Maryland: 15 acres
  • Dearborn, Michigan: 6 blocks
  • Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: 70 acres
  • Tourism Master Plans for state governments. Large-scale projects done in the 1960s, all of which were geared to economic development through creation/invention of a tourism industry:
  • The Town of East St. Louis, Illinois
  • Ski industry for West Virginia
  • Cooperative Resort Town, Puente al Mar, Puerto Rico
  • Frank Holten State Park, Illinois
  • The South Texas Triangle
  • Nine Counties, Northeast Development District, Arkansas
  • Eureka Springs, Arkansas
  • Arkadelphia, Arkansas
  • Ten Year Development Plan of the Bahama Islands
  • Red Carpet Country, Oklahoma
  • Bourne, Massachusetts
  • Nassau, Bahamas

Painting

Solo exhibitions

  • 1990: Industrial Baroque (Painting and Furniture). Barbara Fendrick Gallery. New York. (February 22 to March 31, 1990)
  • 1990: Industrial Baroque (Painting and Furniture). Barbara Fendrick Gallery. Washington D.C. (April 5 to 28, 1990)
  • 1991–92: Facades (series). Hokin Kaufman Gallery. Chicago, Illinois. (November 1991 to January 1992)
  • 1993: Urban Stories (series). Galerie Gasnier Kamien. Paris, France. (April 6, 1993, to July 31, 1993)
  • 1995: Visions of the Future (series). National Technical Museum, Prague, Czech Republic in cooperation with the Fund for Arts and Culture in Central and Eastern Europe. (March 9 to April 30, 1995)
  • 1995: Visions of the Future (series). The Museum of Architecture, Wroclaw, Poland in cooperation with the Fund for Arts and Culture in Central and Eastern Europe. (September 7 to October 8, 1995)

These following articles on the solo exhibitions were published in newspapers and magazines between 1989 and 1995:

  • The New York Times. June 15, 1989 (Barbara Gamarekian)
  • Regardie’s Magazine. January 1990
  • The New York Times. March 15, 1990 (Suzanne Slesin)
  • The Washington Post. April 5, 1990 (Jane Stonesifer)
  • The Washington Post. April 7, 1990 (Benjamin Forgey)
  • Dossier Magazine. June 1990
  • Trump’s Magazine. June 1990 (Lesa Griffith)
  • Architectural Record Magazine. September 1990 (Karen D. Stein)
  • Washington Home & Garden Magazine. Winter. 1990
  • Avery Library Centennial Drawings Archive. 1991. “Retrofitted Window.” San Francisco:
  • Pomegranate Press.
  • Art & Antiques Magazine. November 1991 (Carol Vogel)
  • Gay Chicago Magazine. December 19, 1991 (Justin H. Sunward)
  • Le Generaliste. June 1993 (Chantal de Rosamel)
  • Jardin des Modes. June 1993 (Nicole Bamberger)
  • Demeures Chateaux. June/July 1993 (Michel de Loye)
  • Listings: D’Architectures. April 1993
  • Le Moniteur Architecture. April 1993
  • Connaissance des Art. May 1993
  • L’Oeil. May 1993
  • BAT Magazine. France. May 1993
  • The Washington Post. “Big Sky Motel.” October 14, 1993
  • Frontier Magazine. “Big Sky Motel.” Winter 1994
  • Prace. March 13, 1995
  • Express. March 13, 1995
  • Svobodne Slove. March 14, 1995
  • Dobry Vecernik. March 15, 1995
  • The Washington Post. March 16, 1995
  • Dobry Vecernik. March 20, 1995
  • Dobry Vecernik.March 30, 1995
  • Prace. March 31, 1995
  • Zn Noviny. April 5, 1995
  • In: Hospodarske.April 7, 1995
  • Kvety. April 7, 1995
  • Atelier. April 13, 1995
  • Vystrizek Z Tisku. April 21, 1995

Group exhibitions

  • 1990: National Building Museum, Washington, D.C., “Industrial Baroque” Furniture. Side Table (October 1990)
  • 1991: Columbia University, New York, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery. Retrofitted Window (April 1991)
  • 1991: Chicago International Art Exposition
  • 1992: Chicago International Art Exposition
  • 1993: "Art by Architects", Washington, D.C., AIA/Share our Strength Auction.Big Sky Motel (October 21, 1993)
  • 1993: The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Friends Auction. Washington D.C. Wet Paint (November 5, 1993)
  • 1993: "East/West Tangent", Cologne, Germany. Curated by Francoise Friedrich. SoHo Art Gallery and In the Eighth Year (November 10 to 20, 1993)
  • 1994: "Art by Architects", Los Angeles. AIA Convention. Balcony Supported by Ganged Metal Tube Brackets (May 13, 1994)
  • 1994: American Embassy Kuwait. Art in Embassies Program: Lookout Tower and Wide Flange Cornice with Pipes and Sheet Metal Dentils (June 1994)
  • 1994: The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Friends Auction. Washington, D.C. Ready to Talk (October 28, 1994)
  • 1995: The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Friends Auction. Washington D.C. Seaside Motel (October 27, 1995)

Writing

Books

  • 1973: Foreword to Historic Buildings of Washington, D.C. Pittsburg: Ober Park Associates, Inc.
  • 1998: <!-- quote=The Powers of Preservation: New Life for Urban Historic Places. --> The Powers of Preservation: New Life for Urban Historic Places, New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • 2015: Interruption of the Cocktail Hour. A Washington Yarn of Art, Murder, and the Attempted Assassination of the President, Create Space Independent Publishing.
  • 2017: Our Nation’s Capital: Pro Bono Publico Ideas, Washington, D.C.: International Arts & Artists.
  • 2018: Washington Comiks: An Irreverent Look at the Absurdities of Our Nation's Capital, as Portrayed in 50 paintings, to be published by International Arts & Artists. 2018

Magazines

Journal of the American Institute of Architects:

  • 1965: “Politics, Architecture and World Fairs.” Cover article. (April)
  • 1979: Book Review. “The Revolutionary New Corridor-Free Systems.”
  • 1979: “Adaptive Abuse”
  • 1980: “The Retreat into Architectural Narcissism”

“The Pennsylvania Avenue Plan.” St. Albans Bulletin, May 1965

“Advise and Consult.” Library of Congress Information Bulletin. Vol. 56, No. 9, 5-11. May 1997.

The Weekly Standard:

  • “Storm Warnings. Architectural Change is Coming–and It ain’t gonna be pretty.” (Venice Biennale), February 7, 2005.
  • “Lines in the Sand. Art and Commerce in Sunny Florida.” (Art Basel Miami Beach), March 12, 2007.
  • “China by Design. On a clear day you can see the People’s Architecture” April 28, 2008

Washingtonian Magazine: (Contributing Editor on Urban Affairs, 1965–1978)

  • 1965: “Last Resort Architecture”
  • 1965: “Subways are for People”
  • 1966: “Wanted: A HUD with Vision”
  • 1966: “The Architecture of Zoning”
  • 1966: “The Washington National Airport boondoggle”
  • 1967: “Sound and Fury at the FAA”
  • 1967: “The Restoration Game”
  • 1967: “Transportation to Dulles Airport”
  • 1967: “The Day Commissioner Tobrinop saw a Kiosk”
  • 1967: “A Proposal to Solve the National Airport Problem: The Airline Terminal Building”
  • 1969: “Washington’s Waterfronts: 44 Miles down the Drain”
  • 1970: “Economic Home Rule for the District of Columbia”
  • 1972: “A No-Cost Solution to the Airport Problem”
  • 1972: “An Offer to Buy National Airport”
  • 1973: “Take this New York”
  • 1974: “Saving the Willard”
  • 1986: “The Bunkerization of Washington”

Personal life

Arthur Cotton Moore's son is Greg Moore, a theoretical physicist at Rutgers University. Moore died of Pulmonary fibrosis on September 4, 2022 at the age of 87. His remains are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

References

Further reading

  • Louis G. Redstone (1973). New Dimensions in Shopping Centers and Stores. New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • Sherban Contacuzino (1975). New Uses for Old Buildings. London: The Architectural Press Limited.
  • Tony P. Wrenn and Elizabeth D. Mulloy (1976). America’s Forgotten Architecture. Washington, D.C.: National Trust for Historic Preservation.
  • Walter C. Kidney (1976). Working Places: The Adaptive Use of Industrial Buildings. Pittsburg: Ober Park Associates, Inc.
  • C. Ray Smith (1977). Supermannerism: New Attitudes in Post-Modern Architecture. New York: E.P. Dutton.
  • Sylvia Hart Wright (1983). Highlights of Recent American Architecture. New York: The Scarecrow Press Inc.
  • Sylvia Hart Wright (1989). Sourcebook of Contemporary North American Architecture. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
  • Arthur Cotton Moore ()
  • Arthur Cotton Moore, from Caroun.com
  • "Arthur Cotton Moore '58 GS '60. An architectural dream comes into focus." The Daily Princetonian. October 10, 2000.
  • "The Visionary: Inside Arthur Cotton Moore's Ideas to Remake the Capital." Washington Business Journal. January 5, 2018. Vol, 36, No. 37.
  • Our Town with Andy Ockershausen, Podcast. April 2018.
  • "Mr. Moore's Unsolicited Suggestions." Washingtonian Magazine. May 2018.