Introduction

Abstract

Like many Federal buildings, it’s very square. Very flat. Very square. Four flat, square pillars frame the entrance to the building, which is almost entirely white. The entrance is embedded in a massive, alabaster cube—the head of the imposing structure—and, extending out from its level left and right cheeks, are two long, identical, rectangular buildings. These too would be completely white if it weren’t for the tall, black strips dedicated to office windows that run the length of each with perfect symmetry. Flanked by two square, carefully curated lawns, a narrow path, deep gray and direct, runs from the small steps at the edge of the property to the entrance. Bare of almost any ornament, the architecture’s lone flourish is the bone-white statue of an eagle that sits directly above its front door, overseeing the strict geometry and bleached colors of the Eccles Building, headquarters of the Federal Reserve.