About the Classical Style
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Classically inspired architecture traces its roots back to ancient Greek and Roman architecture. Prior to the 20th Century, aspiring American architects typically trained at the École des Beaux Arts (School of Fine Arts) in France. This school taught classical-style architecture based on the forms and orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture.
Although the École traces its origins back to the French Academie, which was founded in the 17th Century, the Classical styles discussed here are usually associated with the teachings at the École during the 19th century. This movement was very strong in the eastern part of the United States. It also experienced a significant influence in the midwestern United States as a result of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 that took place in Chicago.
Daniel Burnham, a Chicago School architect, was put in charge of construction for the fair. He chose east coast architects to be in charge of design for this world's fair. Consistent with their schooling, they used this classical style for the majority of the buildings at the fair.
This particular fair drew people from throughout the United States and around the world. The people who visited the fair, particularly architects, liked the classical design, which helped bring about a resurgence of this movement.
Classical architecture styles includes:
- Beaux Arts
- French Renaissance
- Italian Renaissance
- Greek Revival
- Gothic Revival
Design elements of these Classical architecture styles include:
- Symmetry: Designed to be pleasant to look at and relied on symmetry for a sense of order
- Classical design elements: A series of Greek or Roman columns, known as a colonnade, topped by a wide, low-pitched gable known as a pediment, were very common at the entrances to these buildings
- Proportional: Carefully planned in terms of proportion that tied to the symmetry
US architects known for their work with Classical styles include:
- Richard Morris Hunt
- McKim, Mead & White
- Graham, Anderson, Probst & White (successor firm of D. H. Burham & Company)
Since skyscrapers were a new building type that now existed during this period, the classical design had to be adapted for a tall structure. This was often achieved by building a tall, plain tower over the typical colonnade and pediment.