Adolf Cluss, Architect: From Germany to America--Shaping a Capital City Worthy of a Republic

The exhibit, "Adolf Cluss, Architect: From Germany to America: Shaping a Capital City Worthy of a Republic," portrays the life and work of the German-American architect, Adolf Cluss (1825–1905). Cluss designed many important buildings in Washington, D.C. from the 1860s to the 1890s; they were functionally state-of-the-art and stylistically picturesque. He also worked as a civil engineer for the city. Most of his buildings, along with the red-brick city they helped to shape, have disappeared. Held in a beautifully renovated, former school that Cluss designed, the exhibit was attractive and informative. But to really learn about Cluss, his work, and Washington during his lifetime, one should read the excellent book of essays that accompanies the exhibit.