Correlation between political power and completion of a politician's "grand headquarters"?

Question

Introduction:

In "Parkinson's Law, and Other Studies in Administration", in the "Plans and Plants, or The Administration Block" chapter, Cyril Northcote Parkinson elaborates that organizations have entered the phase of decay when they come to complete their perfect headquarters.

(Actual quote: "Perfection of planning is a symptom of decay. During a period of exciting discovery or progress, there is no time to plan the perfect headquarters.")

He supports his view with examples of the years of completion of various administrative buildings and the the state of development of the respective organizations for the same period of time.

(An excerpt: "The decline of British imperialism actually began with the general election of 1906 and the victory on that occasion of liberal and semi-socialist ideas. It need surprise no one, therefore, to observe that 1906 is the date of completion carved in imperishable granite over the British War Office doors. The campaign of Waterloo might have been directed from poky offices around the Horse Guards Parade. It was, by contrast, in surroundings of dignity that were approved the plans for attacking the Dardanelles.")

While his research is not a scientific proof per se, I think it provides enough substance to consider his point worth of further examination, so as to formulate a scientific hypothesis, at least.

I am particularly interested in historical examples about the rise/ decline in power of specific political entities (political leaders/ political organizations/ political regimes/ political ideologies) and the completion of their "perfect headquarters".

A specific case study

One specific example is even more interesting to me, albeit it is not historical one, as it is not complete yet - the reign of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Recep Erdogan completed his "perfect palace" - The Presidential Complex in Ankara. This is one of the most remarkable buildings of this kind ever built, in terms of its scale. Can we say that Erdogan's power is in decline, though? Despite the attempted coup and ongoing economic issues, he does not seem to be in any serious decline of power, especially on the geopolitical scene. Or am I wrong?

Question:

Could you point historical examples about the years of completion of "perfect headquarters" of political entities (political leaders/ political organizations/ political regimes/ political ideologies) and their state of political development (e.g. rise/ blossom/ decline/ demise) for the same period of time?

Answer 1

Dedicated palace building sometimes means that a specific monarch is distracted from important matters and lets them slip. Which may lead to a coup such as with Paul I of Russia and his Castle, or other troubles.

However, this does not seem to be the case with Erdogan. He is active in Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, Syria, and later in the Russia-Ukraine-Turkey triangle. Which means that in his case, building a palace is coincidental.

Answer 2

The observation is only half true.

During a period of exciting discovery or progress, there is no time to plan the perfect headquarters.

True.

For example, in the most turbulent parts of early U.S. history, there were temporary capital cities and federal government offices before a permanent one was established in Washington D.C.

Perfection of planning is a symptom of decay.

False.

An absence of exciting discovery or progress is not synonymous with decay. An organization can peak and stay there in a steady state that is neither progressing nor declining, or can progress incrementally, for a very long time.

Most of the key edifices in Washington D.C. were built before the United States was a global superpower. The Vatican was built centuries before anyone could reasonably claim that the Roman Catholic Church was in a state of decay. The Great Palaces of France were build long before the French Revolution and held fast for a long time. Many of the colleges in Oxford, England have buildings that are many centuries old, but Oxford University is not in decline.