Arthur Cotton Moore


Arthur Cotton Moore is an American architect who has achieved national and international recognition for his contributions to architecture, master planning, furniture design, painting, and writing.
Moore began his professional practice in 1965 and is 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 is 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 maternal grandfather was Admiral Ridley McLean. His 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 is a relative by marriage of Senator James McMillan of Michigan, Chairman of the 1900 McMillan Commission, which authored the second Master Plan of the National Mall.

Education

Style

Moore has 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

Since 1965, Moore has received 70 Design Awards including:
Moore has served as chairman and member on design award and architectural-commission award juries throughout the United States, across the spectrum of design recognition programs, including:
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:

Solo Exhibitions

These following articles on the solo exhibitions were published in newspapers and magazines between 1989 and 1995:

Books

Journal of the American Institute of Architects:
“The Pennsylvania Avenue Plan.” St. Albans Bulletin, May 1965
“Advise and Consult.” Library of Congress Information Bulletin. Vol. 56, No. 9, 5-11. May 1997.
The Weekly Standard:
Washingtonian Magazine:
Over the decades, memberships have included: The American Institute of Architects and its Washington Chapter; Committee Against National Airport; Georgetown Planning Council; Committee of 100 on the Federal City; Bicentennial Assembly of the District of Columbia; City Council Special Citizens Committee on Urban Renewal; The National Mall Coalition; Metropolitan Washington Planning & Housing Association; Urban Land Institute; Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni; Princeton Club of Washington; Princeton Club of New York; National Trust for Historic Preservation; Society of Architectural Historians; American Planning Association; Institute for Urban Design; The Columbia Historical Society; the Architectural League of New York; the Chevy Chase Club; and the Metropolitan Club.

Personal life

Arthur Cotton Moore lives with his wife, Patricia Moore, in Washington, D.C.

Travel

Per the Travelers’ Century Club official list as of January 1, 2018, Moore has traveled to the following 139 countries, most multiple times, to study and photograph their Architecture, Urban Design, and Urban Waterfronts:
Abu Dhabi, Alaska, Amsterdam, Anguilla, Antigua, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bali, Barbados, Barbuda, Belgium, Belize, Bequia, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Herzegovina, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Chile, Cuba, Curaçao, Czech Republic, Denmark, Domenica, Dubai, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Estonia, French Polynesia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Grenadines, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Hawaiian Islands, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Leeward Islands French, Leeward Island Netherlands, Macau, Malaysia, Mallorca, Mexico, Minorca, Martinique, Pierre & Miquelon, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Nevis, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Prince Edward Island, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Rhodes, Romania, Russia, Saba, Scotland, Serbia, Sharjah, Sicily, Singapore, South Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, St. Barts, St. John, St. Kitts, St. Croix, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Martin, St. Thomas, St. Vincent, Sumatra, Sweden, Switzerland, Tahiti, Tasmania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey in Asia, Turkey in Europe, Ukraine, Ulster, Vatican City, Venezuela, Turkey in Asia, Turkey in Europe, Vietnam, Virgin Islands British, Virgin Islands U.S., Wales