Last modified: 2022-08-27 by rick wyatt
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![[Department of Housing and Urban Development]](../images/u/us_hud.gif)
image by Randy Young, 12 January 2015
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The Department of Housing and Urban Development has probably the most esthetically atrocious series of flags of any US executive department, which is entirely appropriate, since the department is responsible for some of the most esthetically atrocious architecture in the United States, not to mention the "renewal" (read destruction) of the downtown areas of countless American cities.
Anyway, after the Department was created in the mid-1960s, it approached the Army Institute of Heraldry (TIOH) to design a seal, as many agencies had done before. The Institute came up with a traditional heraldic design--not terribly inspired, in my opinion, but not horrible, either. The Commission of Fine Arts, the panel from the arts world that serves as a watchdog over the appearance of the federal areas of the District of Columbia, rejected the TIOH design, saying that its heraldic symbolism was "complicated and out of context, and its meaning, although presumably based on traditional associations, would be understood by few, if any, people." The Commission went on to recommend that the task be approached in contemporary terms "by an artist of recognized talent."
So HUD contracted with a designer, who came up with the emblem seen on the images of the flags. Charles C. Shinn, the director of "Graphics and Visual" for HUD then wrote to the Institute of Heraldry asking for a formal description of the new seal so that it could be published in the Federal Register. On 16 December 1966, Colonel Ed V. Henderson, the Institute's commander wrote back: "In a sincere effort to comply with your request, I discussed the seal with my
Creative Heraldry and Design and Illustration people. They are in agreement that we cannot do you justice in this matter without knowing what the artist had in mind when he created the design."
HUD Secretary Robert C. Weaver approved the seal notwithstanding, and it was promulgated in Federal Register, vol. 32,
No. 8, 13 January 1967, codified to 24 Code of Federal Regulations 11.1, where it was described as an eagle and two stars, the upper six bars and the star to the right of the eagle blue and the lower bars and the star to the left of the
eagle green.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development flag is white with the seal in color on the center. This flag flies in front of the department headquarters in Washington.
I have seen nothing definitive that the personal flags were ever officially adopted, but there is an extensive correspondence in the files of the Institute of Heraldry, dated in 1972, in which HUD directed TIOH precisely how the flags were to be designed, as well as drawings and paintings of the flags prepared by TIOH. All are 52 x 66 inches with 2 1/2
inch yellow fringe. The green is specified as PMS 370 and the blue as PMS 542, but I have followed the colors in the images of the department seal on various HUD web pages (home page: http://www.hud.gov).
Source: TIOH, File 840-10b, Heraldic Item: Seal and Flag, Department of Housing and Urban Development
Joe McMillan, 17 December 2001
![[Department of Housing and Urban Development]](../images/u/us_hud-w.gif)
image by Sergio Horta, 12 February 2001
The HUD flag has apparently changed to a gray background:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_908w/2010-2019/Wires/Images/2014-07-31/Bloomberg/200236011.jpg&w=1484
Dave Fowler, 11 January 2015
I found a "New York Times" article that includes a photograph of the
First Lady visiting HUD. In the background behind Mrs. Obama are a mix of
American flags and HUD flags with a grey background.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/michelle-obama-visits-hud/?_r=0
I found a second article on the NBC News website regarding the swearing
in of HUD Secretary Julian Castro. The photograph in the article shows
Secretary Castro taking the oath of office in front of an American flag and
what I believe is probably the flag of the Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development. It appears to be a white flag with the HUD seal in the center
and light blue stars in the corners.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/julian-castro-sworn-new-hud-secretary-n167141
I found a photograph of President George W. Bush congratulating the
recently-sworn in HUD Secretary Steve Preston in June 2008. The two men were
photographed standing in front of a mix of American and HUD flags with white
fields.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2162094/posts?q=1&;page=101
I found a video of former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan giving a speech
about changes to the American housing market. Secretary Donovan is seen
standing on a stage in front of American and HUD flags with grey fields.
http://article.wn.com/view/2014/09/15/Council_adopts_Mundamia_Urban_Release_Area_Development_Contr/
The photographs and video seem to indicate that there probably has been
a change in the field of the HUD flag from white to grey sometime between
the Bush Administration in 2008 and January 2010 when the video of Secretary
Donovan's speech was published.
Randy Young,
12 January 2015
![[Department of Housing and Urban Development]](../images/u/us_shud.gif)
image by Joe McMillan, 17 December 2001
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - The departmental flag with a tar in each corner, the upper hoist and lower fly blue, the lower hoist and upper fly green.
Joe McMillan, 17 December 2001
The secretary's flag remains the same in 2021, with a white field with 2
green and 2 blue stars.
Dave Fowler, 28 April 2021
Here are the Institute of Heraldry drawings for the HUD secretary, deputy
secretary and assistant secretaries, confirming the color schemes that I
observed: seal; flag.
Interestingly, the date
on the drawing is 16 June 1993, meaning that the illustrations that we have had
on FOTW since December 2001 have not been accurate.
I would also mention that the HUD departmental flags in
use do appear to be white. I remain unsure if there actually was a gray variant,
or if it was just the lighting in the photos.
Official colors of HUD
green and blue on flags are:
Mosstone green, Pantone 377
Old China
blue, Pantone 542
Dave Fowler, 29 April 2021
Construction sheet: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Created 16 June 1993. Supersedes drawing created on 10 February 1967.
Base: White (Cable 65005)
Stars 1 and
4: Old China Blue (Cable 80131)
Stars 2 and 3: Mosstone
Green (Cable 80143)
Fringe: Air Force Yellow (Cable 67103)
![[Department of Housing and Urban Development]](../images/u/us_dshud.gif)
image by Joe McMillan, 17 December 2001
Under Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - The same as the Secretary's but with the blue and green reversed. Not exactly the easiest pair of flags to tell apart!
Joe McMillan, 17 December 2001
The position of undersecretary no longer exists, and was replaced by a deputy
secretary.
Dave Fowler, 28 April 2021
![[Department of Housing and Urban Development]](../images/u/us_hud-sec.jpg)
image located by
Dave Fowler, 28 April 2021
The position of undersecretary was abolished in 2018, and was replaced by a deputy
secretary, who has a different flag, which is medium blue with 4 white stars.
Dave Fowler, 28 April 2021
Construction sheet: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Created 16 June 1993. Supersedes drawing created on 10 February 1967.
Base: Old China Blue (Cable 80131)
Stars: White (Cable 65005)
Fringe: Air Force Yellow (Cable
67103)
![[Department of Housing and Urban Development]](../images/u/us_ashud.gif)
image by Joe McMillan, 17 December 2001
Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Blue with the seal and stars as for the under secretary, but piped in white, the words around the seal also white.
Joe McMillan, 17 December 2001
![[Department of Housing and Urban Development]](../images/u/us_hud-asstsec.jpg)
image located by
Dave Fowler, 28 April 2021
The flags of assistant secretaries and equivalent positions are now medium
green with 4 white stars.
Dave Fowler, 28 April 2021
Construction sheet: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Created 16 June 1993. Supersedes drawing created on 10 February 1967.
Mosstone Green (Cable 80143)
Stars:
White (Cable 65005)
Fringe: Air Force Yellow (Cable 67103)
