Brutalism - Euram Building T-Shirt

Amid the Cold War, urban renewal efforts ushered in a “Brutalist” phenomenon that reshaped the nation’s capital in the mid-20th century.  Many high-profile public buildings were designed and constructed with exposed structural elements and building materials, including concrete, brick, steel, and glass.  They were viewed as cost-effective and efficient, but many haven’t aged well, and public reaction continues to debate their architectural significance.  This 100% cotton, black t-shirt features an image of the Euram Building by architectural photographer Ty Cole.

Hartman and Cox’s Euram Building, which addressed Dupont Circle as an important urban open space, was a minor triumph under restrictive circumstances.  Two brick towers form wedges that open onto a triangular court overlooked by glass-walled offices. Three concrete and glass bridges that contain executive offices are arranged as an inverted stepped pyramid and span the towers.  Interior courtyards were common in 1970s office buildings and hotels, and in the Euram they increase the sense of spaciousness, as views across the light-filled court seem to expand laterally the long, open-plan offices that have windows on the court as well as on the street. The Euram Building represents an embryonic return to contextualism in its response to the materials and color contrasts of Mihran Mesrobian’s Dupont Circle Building of 1931, which occupies the adjacent wedge to the west.

Code:  169025 (sm), 169026 (md), 169027 (lg), 169028 (xl), 169029 (2xl)

Member Price:  $34.20