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It has been said that in evolving the skyscraper, we have made the only original contribution to architecture since the Gothic. Certainly, in adapting architecture to the needs of modern conditions and crowded spaces, we have produced something that is expressive of human aspiration and human need. Judged by that standard, the Woolworth Building is a work of art, both because it is beautiful in itself and because it expresses the needs and aspirations of a great people. If we can give to our office buildings something of the beauty of Gothic cathedrals or model our banks and railroad stations after Greek temples, we shall, in time, provide a magnificent setting for the requirements of modern civilization. 

But we must remember that, just as these things are architectural expressions of the nation on its commercial side, so should the city of Washington, as President Coolidge has said, express the soul of America. We do well, therefore, to give to it that beauty and dignity to which it is entitled. In doing so, we are not only carrying out those plans in which Washington made so long ago for the city which he founded but, at the same time, we are justifying that faith which he had from the beginning in the future greatness of America.