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Crumbling buildings
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06/25/09 02:35 PM ET
A tile detached itself from the ceiling of the Cannon House Office Building on Thursday, fell three stories and sliced into the arm of a U.S. Capitol Police officer. The cut was sufficiently bad that the officer had to go to the hospital.
The woes of the Cannon building, which is more than 100 years old, were reported by The Hill in May. The place is falling to bits. Its air conditioning is septuagenarian. Large chunks of limestone molding are breaking off and crashing to the sidewalk 90 feet below.
Some of the $787 billion stimulus bill that became law in February is being spent on federal buildings that are in dire need of repair.
Whether this stimulates the national economy is a matter for debate among economists, and we will leave it to them. But we wholeheartedly endorse the idea of keeping federal buildings in a decent state of repair.
The condition of buildings at the heart of a capital reflects the health of the civilization for which they stand. The National Mall, its surrounding buildings and its noble monuments have been compared to the Forum of ancient Rome — the hub of a once great and powerful civilization, but today a ruin.
Now, when people compare the United States to ancient Rome and wonder whether America has passed its zenith, it is not the time to let the dressed stone of our national buildings fall into disrepair; we don’t want comparisons with the rubble of the Forum to be so precise.
But the condition that federal buildings are in matters not just because they reflect national vigor or a lack of it. What’s inside matters, too. Federal buildings house the federal government, which needs to be a modern and high-functioning servant of its people, not a fusty, unhelpful relic.
When citizens of this great democracy pass through the echoing portals of their government buildings, they should not feel as though they are stepping back in time. The buildings should be energy-efficient, the agencies within should work, the computer systems should not be a joke and the data storage and services need to be helpful.
It is true that smart buildings, solar panels and expensive modern computers do not make for fine government, not any more than a Batman suit creates a superhero. But taking pride in and care of the federal capital’s infrastructure demonstrates a forward-looking confidence. Better that than neglect and creeping decrepitude.
The woes of the Cannon building, which is more than 100 years old, were reported by The Hill in May. The place is falling to bits. Its air conditioning is septuagenarian. Large chunks of limestone molding are breaking off and crashing to the sidewalk 90 feet below.
Whether this stimulates the national economy is a matter for debate among economists, and we will leave it to them. But we wholeheartedly endorse the idea of keeping federal buildings in a decent state of repair.
The condition of buildings at the heart of a capital reflects the health of the civilization for which they stand. The National Mall, its surrounding buildings and its noble monuments have been compared to the Forum of ancient Rome — the hub of a once great and powerful civilization, but today a ruin.
Now, when people compare the United States to ancient Rome and wonder whether America has passed its zenith, it is not the time to let the dressed stone of our national buildings fall into disrepair; we don’t want comparisons with the rubble of the Forum to be so precise.
But the condition that federal buildings are in matters not just because they reflect national vigor or a lack of it. What’s inside matters, too. Federal buildings house the federal government, which needs to be a modern and high-functioning servant of its people, not a fusty, unhelpful relic.
When citizens of this great democracy pass through the echoing portals of their government buildings, they should not feel as though they are stepping back in time. The buildings should be energy-efficient, the agencies within should work, the computer systems should not be a joke and the data storage and services need to be helpful.
It is true that smart buildings, solar panels and expensive modern computers do not make for fine government, not any more than a Batman suit creates a superhero. But taking pride in and care of the federal capital’s infrastructure demonstrates a forward-looking confidence. Better that than neglect and creeping decrepitude.
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