Commission of Fine Arts CFA

Following the 1902 McMillan Plan to restore Pierre L'Enfant's vision for Washington and complete the National Mall, President William Howard Taft signed a law on May 17, 1910, creating the Commission of Fine Arts to advise the government on matters of design and aesthetics. Its seven members, typically architects, artists, landscape architects, and designers, are appointed by the President to four-year terms and serve without pay.

The Commission reviews and comments on the design of federal buildings, parks, and memorials in Washington, D.C., such as the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and it advises on the design of U.S. coins and medals. Under the Shipstead-Luce Act of 1930 and the Old Georgetown Act of 1950, it also reviews private construction near major federal sites and in the historic Georgetown neighborhood. It works alongside the National Capital Planning Commission, which reviews land use and planning.

Because the Commission shapes the look of the capital, presidents have sometimes sought to influence its membership: in 2021 the new administration asked members appointed by its predecessor to resign, and in 2025 the President replaced its members as he pursued new projects, including a White House ballroom, a triumphal arch, and a preference for classical architecture in federal buildings. In February 2026 the commission, by then made up entirely of his appointees, unanimously approved the ballroom design. Supporters of a more active presidential role say elected leaders should set the capital's architectural direction, while preservation and design groups argue that independent expert review protects the city's historic character.