Summary: The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission, and the National Building Museum have teamed up to present the first annual Charles H. Atherton Memorial Lecture on April 10. The following day, the “Framing a Capital City” Symposium will guide the National Capital Framework Plan, a joint National Capital Planning Commission/Commission of Fine Arts initiative to plan for the 21st century in Washington, D.C.

“The National Capital Framework Plan will create important new places for cultural and commemorative attractions throughout the city and improve access and connections to these sites,” said NCPC Chair John V. Cogbill III. “Our goal is to provide ways to extend desirable attributes of the National Mall seamlessly to other areas of Washington.”

At the April 11 “Framing a Capital City” Symposium, experts and authors from across the country will discuss:

• The landscape of commemoration and symbolic narrative beyond the National Mall
• Creation of a more sustainable urban ecology
• Evolution of the use of public space and architecture in Washington
• Challenges facing local and federal authorities to build a capital city that honors our nation’s achievements while maintaining the qualities of a livable city for both residents and tourists.

Atherton Lecture honors former CFA secretary
Dedicated to providing a forum for discourse on the planning and design of Washington, D.C., the Charles H. Atherton Memorial Lecture series commemorates the life and legacy of Charles Atherton, who served for almost four decades as secretary of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The program examines the architectural, historical, and natural context of the city and its development to promote visionary planning and design excellence in the nation’s capital. In the inaugural program, David Childs, FAIA, will discuss the past, present, and future of the planning of Washington, D.C.

“The Charles Atherton Memorial Lecture program has been made possible by private donations made in his memory and reflects his love for Washington,” says Thomas Luebke, current secretary of the Commission of Fine Arts. “We see this lecture honoring his contribution to the city as a keynote event for the symposium.”

Architectural Record Editor in Chief Robert A. Ivy, FAIA, will moderate the symposium. Speakers will include:

• Lucy Barber, author, Marching on Washington the Forging of an American Political Tradition
• Larry Beasley, former director of planning for the City of Vancouver
• Timothy Beatley, Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities, University of Virginia School of Architecture
• Joe Brown, president and CEO of Landscape Architecture Firm EDAW
• Maurice Cox, associate professor, University of Virginia School of Architecture and city counselor, City of Charlottesville
• Judy Scott Feldman, chair, National Coalition to Save Our Mall
• Alex Krieger, professor in practice, Harvard Graduate School of Design, department of urban planning and design
• Dan Tangherlini, city administrator and deputy mayor, Washington, D.C.
• Lawrence Vale, professor of urban studies and planning, MIT
• Michael Z. Wise, author, Capital Dilemma: Germany's Search for a New Architecture of Democracy.