The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts has named Thomas Luebke, AIA, its new secretary, replacing Charles H. Atherton, FAIA, who served in that capacity for 44 years and retired last May. Established by Congress in 1910, the Commission of Fine Arts’ mission “is to safeguard and improve the appearance and symbolic significance of Washington, D.C., for the benefit of citizens of the United States and foreign visitors.” The only independent agency with oversight of federal and District of Columbia design decisions, the commission also approves the siting and design of all American memorials, national and international.

Luebke was most recently employed by the City of Alexandria, Va., Department of Planning and Zoning. In his capacity as city architect, he represented the city on design issues for public development projects such as schools, civic buildings, housing, and urban planning initiatives. He also was responsible for the design and redevelopment of Potomac Yard, a 275-acre former rail yard that had been abandoned in the ’70s, and Carlyle, a 7-million-square-foot mixed-use development that borders Old Town Alexandria.

Luebke has worked for the federal government on the preservation of several landmark buildings in Washington, D.C., including the Old Executive Office Building (renamed the Eisenhower Executive Office Building) and the Treasury Department. In practice with Hartman-Cox and Leo A. Daly, where he led the design for the 45-story First National Tower in Omaha, Neb., completed in 2002 and winner of a 2004 AIA Nebraska Honor Award, his experience and interest centered on institutional, commercial, and high-rise structures. Other professional experience includes serving as executive director of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts that brings together architects, city planners, and mayors for 2-1/2 day symposiums to discuss design issues facing each mayor’s city.

A native of the Cornhusker state, Luebke was graduated in 1991 with a MArch from Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He has served on the board of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the AIA and was the chair of the design committee for the “Monuments and Memory” exhibit at the National Building Museum in 2001.

A brief history of the Commission of Fine Arts
Excerpted and adapted from http://www.cfa.gov

Inspired by the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and the City Beautiful movement, members of the AIA and the influential Washington, D.C., Cosmos Club formed the Public Art League and began a campaign to create a permanent art commission that could advise the federal government in matters of art and architecture, particularly in Washington, D.C. In 1897, legislation was proposed that called for a commission consisting of two presidential appointees and the presidents of the AIA, National Academy of Design, and the National Sculpture Society. The bill was defeated because Congress wanted an advisory commission composed solely of congressional and presidential appointees.

On January 18, 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt issued an executive order creating a 30-member Council of Fine Arts in response to an AIA committee initiative. The council successfully selected the location for the Lincoln Memorial, but was disbanded shortly after, because Congress refused to fund the council created by an executive order. President William Howard Taft, who supported creating a fine arts commission, agreed that it should be established by congressional legislation. He encouraged Senator Elihu Root of New York to introduce a bill in the Senate. Rep. Samuel W. McCall of Massachusetts sponsored the House version of the bill, and, on May 17, 1910, the legislation establishing the Commission of Fine Arts was signed into law.

The Commission of Fine Arts also administers the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs (NCACA) program. The U.S. Congress authorized the NCACA grant program to support artistic and cultural programs in the District of Columbia. Its purpose is to provide grants for general operating support to organizations whose primary mission is performing, exhibiting, and/or presenting the arts.

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