Arthur Cotton Moore

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

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. ''People are tired of endless grid-crunching,'' Moore said. ''Baroque deals with modern design's fear and loathing of the curve - just what I think is missing in modern design.''

Notable projects

Canal Square in Georgetown, is a landmarked 19th-century warehouse and the former home of the Tabulating Machine Company, a direct precursor of IBM. It was re-adapted with new construction in 1970 at a cost of US$2.5 million. Located alongside the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in the then-neglected industrial waterfront area, the project repurposed the warehouse by joining it with a sympathetic modern addition, bringing new life to the area. This led to similar programs across the country in a practice that became known as “adaptive reuse,” using existing building equity in a strategic way as an alternative to the devastation brought about by urban renewal and other economic development programs. Eighty-four articles on Canal Square were published in national and international newspapers, magazines, and books. Washington Harbour on the Georgetown waterfront (Washington, D.C.) The US$80 million restoration and modernization of the Thomas Jefferson and John Adams Buildings of the Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.) Renovation of the Old Post Office building, completed in 1982 (Washington, D.C.) Madeira School, an early solar-energy building (Washington, D.C.) The Cairo Hotel, an 1894 building and the tallest privately owned building in Washington, D.C., remodeled for US$2.7 million from a neglected hotel to a profitable condominium The Foundry, along the C&O Canal in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., included an existing historic foundry together with new construction. The Phillips Collection renovation and the Goh Annex (Washington, D.C.) Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Center (Brooklyn, NY) Foxhall Crescents (Washington, D.C.) Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (Charleston, South Carolina) Lobby, entrance canopy, and Rizik’s Pavilion. 1100 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington D.C.

National awards for architecture and furniture design Since 1965, Moore received 70 Design Awards including:

1977: The American Institute of Architects, in accordance with the judgment of its Honor Awards Jury, presented an Honor Award to Arthur Cotton Moore/Associates for achievement of excellence in Architectural Design of Canal Square (June 1977) 1999: The American Institute of Architects, in accordance with the judgment of its Honor Award Jury, presented an Honor Award for Architecture to the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. for Excellence in Architectural Design by the Architect of the Capitol and Arthur Cotton Moore/Associates, Associate Architect. The Library of Congress, Owner. (May 1999) 1999: The American Institute of Architects and The American Library Association presented this Award of Excellence to the Architect of the Capitol and Arthur Cotton Moore/Associates, Associate Architect, for the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in recognition of Distinguished Accomplishment in Library Architecture. (June 1999) 1972: Architectural Record Magazine’s National Award for Residential Design for Avon Place, Washington, D.C. 1977: Architectural Record Magazine’s National Award for Residential Design for Harris House, Arlington, VA 1980: Architectural Record Magazine’s National Award for Residential Design for Bernstein House, Washington, D.C. 1990: Architectural Record Magazine’s National Award for Excellence in Design for the Industrial Baroque Furniture Series 2004: The Society of Professional Journalists, Dateline Award for Excellence in Local Journalism for the "Big Apple Attack" published in the Washingtonian Magazine

Group architectural exhibitions

1981/1982: Cooper-Hewitt Museum: Suburbs. Foxhall Crescents 1983: Columbia University Center for the Study of American Architecture. American Architecture: Innovation and Tradition 1985: The Catholic University of America, Architecture School: Current Work 1988: The Athenaeum, Alexandria, Virginia. A Decade of Washington Architecture 1988: The National Building Museum. Best Addresses 1990: The National Building Museum. Give us your Best 1991: The National Building Museum. Visions and Revisions 1991: Columbia University. Donations to the Avery Library Centennial Archive: Contemporary Architectural Drawings

Honors and distinctions

Projects have been published in over 2,800 articles in magazines and newspapers throughout the United States, Europe, the U.K., South Korea, Australia, Japan, and in several books Elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.) (1979) Included since 1980 in the international compilation Contemporary Architects, published by St. James Press, London Included in Wikipedia's List of Notable Architects, a list of well-known individuals with a large body of published work or notable structures Included in American Architects: A Survey of Award-winning Contemporary Architects U.S. Trade Mission: State Department Representative to Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands (1973) Listed in Who's Who in America since 1980 “Washingtonian of the Year,” Washingtonian Magazine (January 1981) “Washington D.C.: The Making of a Capital,” Honorary Advisor to The Columbia Historical Society (1986) The Power Elite: The 100 Most Influential People in Private Washington, Regardie's Magazine (January 1988) Distinguished Community Service Award, The Princeton Club of Washington (1988)

Lectures

1975: Smithsonian Institution. Seven Lectures on Architecture and Planning. Washington, D.C. 1978: Producer’s Council. “The Architect and the Developer Working Together.” Chicago, IL 1978: The Smithsonian Institution. “The Architecture of the Absurd.” Four-part series. 1979: Columbia University.Graduate School of Architecture and Planning. “Recent Work.” New York, NY 1979: AIA Grassroots North Meeting. “Recent Work.” Washington D.C. 1979: University of Maryland. Graduate School of Architecture and Planning. “Recent Work.” 1979: North Carolina State University. School of Architecture. “Recent Work.” Raleigh, NC 1979: Trinity College. Annual Guest Lecture. Dublin, Ireland 1979: University of Texas.School of Architecture. “Recent Work.” Austin, TX 1979: Smithsonian Institution. “Buildings Reborn.” Washington, D.C. 1980: AIA Nebraska. “Current Work.” Omaha, NE 1980: University of Wisconsin. “Current Work.” Milwaukee, WI 1982: University of Nebraska.“Current Work.” Lincoln, NE 1982: The Annual Henry Hornbostel Memorial Lecture. “Current Work.” Carnegie-Mellon University. Pittsburgh, PA 1982: Smithsonian Institution.“Squabbles in the City.” Washington, D.C. 1982: University of Kentucky. “Current Work” Lexington, KY 1982: Smithsonian Institution. “Residential Architecture.” Washington, D.C. 1983: Institute for Urban Design. Fifth International Conference on Urban Design. “Georgetown Waterfront.” Washington, D.C. 1983: The Metropolitan Club.“Book and Author Dinner.” “Current Work.” Washington D.C. 1984: Northern Virginia Builder’s Association. “Current Work.” 1984: Howard University School of Architecture. “Current Work.” Washington, D.C. 1984: Society of Real Estate Appraisers. “Old Post Office.” Washington, D.C. 1984: Washington-Alexandria Center for Architecture, Extension of Virginia Polytechnic Institute. “Current Work.” Virginia. 1985: Mid-Atlantic APA Regional Conference. “Waterfront Development.” Washington, D.C. 1985: The Hirshhorn Museum. “A Retrospective Lecture Marking 20 years of Practice.” 1985: Smithsonian Institution. Tour of Arthur Cotton Moore Projects 1985: The Board of Trade.“Current Work.” 1986: AIA Grassroots ’86. “Old Post Office.” 1986: D.C. Bar Association. (Real Estate, Housing and Land Use Division) “Current Work.” Washington, D.C. 1986: The Committee of 100 on the Federal City. “The Portals Project.” 1986: Capital Design Week. “The Washington Design Center.” 1986: American Planning Association. “The Portals.” 1987: Masonry Institute. “Current Work.” 1988: Purdue University School of Landscape Architecture. “Current Work.” Indiana, IL 1988: Tulane University School of Architecture. “Current Work.” New Orleans, LA 1988: American Society of Appraisers. “Waterfront Development.” 1989: Virginia Masonry Council. “Arthur Cotton Moore Projects.” Richmond, VA 1989: Landscape Architecture Magazine. “Forum on Urban Plazas.” Maryland 1990: Urban Waterfronts ’90. The Waterfront Center. 1991: Construction Specifications Institute. “Library of Congress Restoration Tour” 1992: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rotary Club. “Selected Projects.” Maryland 1993: Howard University School of Architecture. “Art, Architecture, Urban Design.” Washington, D.C. 1994: D.C. Building Industry Association.“Redoing Lobbies: Renovation Design Choices.” 1995: M-Day 1995.Masonry Institute of Michigan/AIA Michigan. “Masonry in Architecture.” Grand Rapids, MI 1995: Rosslyn Renaissance. “Rosslyn Waterfront.” 1996: Washington Building Congress. “Pennsylvania Avenue.” Washington, D.C. 1996: Chesapeake AIA. “Current Work” Annapolis, MD 1997: Rosslyn Renaissance.“Rosslyn Waterfront”

The international publicity generated by the many facets of the Washington Harbour Complex––Architecture, Urban Design, residential/office/commercial uses, a visionary flood control system, fountains, and its siting on the Potomac River––prompted requests from specific groups for a combination slide presentation, guided tour, and Q&A session: