The Washington Metro is more than just a transit system; it’s a statement about government’s role in public life. We chat with Professor Zachary Schrag about the Washington Metro’s history, its stunning brutalist design, and the larger ideals it represents.

• LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE:

• Find Zachary Schrag at his website, Bluesky and Twitter

1. Metro Design Philosophy: The Washington Metro was designed with a sense of dignity, inspired by federal ideals of public architecture, aiming to create a system that would convey stability, enterprise, and aesthetic appeal for the nation’s capital.

Sponsored by:

Expedition Works

Hi. We’re a full–service design cooperative – let’s work together to make your journey with a purpose successful.

Zachary M. Schrag [silent c, rhymes with bag and flag] studies cities, technology, and public policy in the United States in the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries.

He is the author of four books: The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro; Ethical Imperialism: Institutional Review Boards and the Social Sciences, 1965-2009; The Princeton Guide to Historical Research; and The Fires of Philadelphia: Citizen-Soldiers, Nativists, and the 1844 Riots Over the Soul of a Nation.

“If this is going to be a subway for the federal city. It should look great. The station design for Metro has a couple of origins. One is the more idealistic sense of confidence in federal government confidence in the public realm that was expressed by the Kennedy administration in the famous guiding principles for federal architecture drafted by Daniel Patrick Moynihan that called on federal buildings, especially those in Washington to provide visual testimony to the dignity enterprise vigor and stability of the American government.”

This post came from our weekly-ish newsletter. Feel free to signup below.