First Published Drawing: The Nixon Monument Reconsidered

Until the last 5 years I would never have believed a worse president could have been elected.

Nixon was the devil himself; ever since the McCarthy hearings, the Checkers speech, the Silent Majority and Southern Strategy, the bogus plan to end the Vietnam War, the lies, racism, antisemitism, and "your president is not a crook", Nixon has represented the nadir of political figures in the modern era. Not any longer.

Trump has made people like Nixon look positively liberal.
Nixon, who created the EPA, proposed universal health care, established relations with China, created the "war on cancer," the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Water Pollution Control Act, OSHA, the Office of Consumer Affairs, Amtrak and "revenue sharing" with local governments, gave 18-year-olds the vote...and I could go on. 

But this was hardly enough given his abhorrent Vietnam policies, the bombing of Cambodia, and the start of the election strategy that is still getting Republicans elected despite losing the popular vote and representing a minority of citizens with majorities in Congress.

Back then, as a potential draftee (saved by my now-favorite number 222, the lottery number that made it nearly impossible that I would be conscripted) I was outraged by Nixon. So when the Village Voice, the NYC downtown paper that was the source for all things subversive, held a competition, well after Nixon's resignation, but just months into the next era of US presidency (Jimmy Carter) to create a Nixon Monument I jumped at the challenge.

I was less than a year out of architecture school, not yet fully employed and on my way to a European tour on fellowship. I was enthralled with Oldenburg (in fact the airplane in the image is pulling a banner that read "apologies to Claes Oldenburg"), pop art and hating Nixon. 

The contest was to design a monument to Richard Nixon: first prize, a framed portrait of Richard Nixon; second prize, two framed portraits of Richard Nixon!
I was hoping for second prize, but the prizes weren't to be.

The idea, that may be a bit obscure today, was a reference to the 'domino theory' that claimed the existence of even a single communist country in Asia would create a domino effect of country after country falling like dominoes. The dominoes in my design slowly lowered and raised to simulate, well, you know. Running down the Mall and falling at the foot of the Washington Monument was really a genuflection to the nation's founding. Ironic as he nearly ended it (or so we thought). Turns out we had no idea what destroying America looked like!

I was thrilled to have my first published bit of architecture, in the official 'voice of the people', the furthest left tabloid I could imagine, and (it turns out) sponsored by Howard Smith, whose architect son Cass Calder Smith I ran into later in life. Howard turned out to be a very interesting guy.

I used the Oldenburg trope again, years later, designing the 'big button' in the Garment District, that after 25 years is about to be replaced by another giant button without the supporting kiosk below.
Apologies again, to the still living Mr. Oldenburg...