AMERICAN

NEOCLASSICAL
ARCHITECTURE
AMERICAN NEOCLASSICAL
ARCHITECTURE

There were two basic variants of American Neoclassical

architecture between 1776 and 1850:

Federal Style
Greek Revival Style
 FEDERAL STYLE OF NEOCLASSICISM

• The term 'Federal-style architecture' describes a loose classicist style which

flourished up to 1815.
• Characterized by the addition of new antique features - including Greek and
Byzantine elements.
• Influenced by archeological discoveries uncovered at the ancient Roman sites of
Pompeii and Herculaneum;
• The Scottish architect Robert Adam (1728-92) and his influential book The Works
in Architecture of Robert and James Adam (1773).
 FEDERAL STYLE OF NEOCLASSICISM

• Differed from Georgian architecture in its preference for fewer pilasters/columns,

and plainer surfaces with less detail, usually set within panels, tablets and friezes.
• Other characteristics included bright interiors with large windows, and a
decorative but restrained appearance.
NOTABLE AMERICAN ARCHITECTS WHO
PRODUCED FEDERAL STYLE DESIGNS

Charles William Asher

Bulfinch Thornton Benjamin

Samuel Alexander
McIntire Parris
 EXAMPLES OF
FEDERAL
ARCHITECTURE
Massachusetts State
House, MA
Old Town Hall, MA
Hamilton House, MA
 GREEK REVIVAL OF NEOCLASSICISM
• Involved closer adherence to the values and stylistic models of Greek art.
• The widespread use of neoclassicism in American as well as French architecture,
contributed to an association between Neoclassicism and republicanism, which
flourished until the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte.
• Can be interpreted as a monarchist or conservative reaction to neoclassical
republicanism.
• Late 19th century Neoclassical architecture was an expression of the American
Renaissance movement.
• Its final phase was Beaux-Arts architecture.
 GREEK REVIVAL OF NEOCLASSICISM

CHARACTERISTICS:
• Reflect the symmetry of ancient Greek structures and often resemble Greek
temples.
• Common characteristics include columns or pilasters (square columns) often
used on a portico, a covered entrance porch that might be small or run the entire
length of a building's front. The columns could be fluted or smooth.
• Sometimes they have Doric capitals.
 GREEK REVIVAL OF NEOCLASSICISM
CHARACTERISTICS:
• Gabled roofs, which have two sloping sides that meet at a ridge line on a roof.
• Below the roof and above the columns, there's often a wide band of trim. This
area, called the entablature, has three parts:
 Projecting border near the roof line called the cornice
 Decorative or plain horizontal band called the frieze
 Area below the frieze called the architrave
National Gallery, DC
Lincoln Memorial, DC
THOMAS
JEFFERSON
• Third President of the
United States and also an
architect.
• Used simplifications of
French Neoclassicism,
replacing the original
Corinthian style with the
more sober Ionic order, a
Virginia State Capitol,
Richmond, VA
Monticello House,
Charlottesville, VA
 MONTICELLO HOUSE
• A UNESCO World Heritage site
• Based on the central-plan buildings of the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea
Palladio
• Jefferson's interpretation of English country homes
• Is a monumental and elegant building.
 MONTICELLO HOUSE
• Its classical white portico with four Tuscan columns stands out sharply against
the red fabric of brickwork of which the entire building is composed.
• A dome on the top of an octagonal drum indicates the heart of the building, an
ample central hall illuminated from above by circular windows.
• Balance and symmetry and the composite articulations of columns, tympana,
and trabeations skillfully emphasized by the use of the red/white colors were to
become enduring terms of reference for the American classical movement.
BENJAMIN
LATROBE
• A leading exponent of the
Greek revival style of
Neoclassical architecture,
and was a strong advocate
of stylistic purity.
• Latrobe's creativity
extended to the smallest
details of such buildings;
to give one example, in
presenting Corinthian
capitals he replaced the
Bank of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PA
 BANK OF PENNSYLVANIA

• The first example of Greek Revival architecture in the United States.

• An austere building modelled on a Greek Ionic temple with porticoes around a
central domed space.
United States Capitol, DC
Baltimore Cathedral, MD
 BALTIMORE CATHEDRAL

• The first Roman Catholic Cathedral in America

• Considered to be his masterpiece
 UNITED STATES CAPITOL

• The home of Congress - the US Senate and House of Representatives

• Designed by William Thornton, Benjamin Latrobe and Charles Bulfinch.
• Modelled on the Greek Corinthian order, the most ornate Greek style complete
with slender columns decorated with acanthus leaves and scrolls, its exterior is
made entirely out of marble.
• The Statue of Freedom was erected on the top of the dome in 1863.
RICHARD MORRIS
HUNT
• Best known for designing
the pedestal for the Statue
of Liberty.
• Design of the
Metropolitan Museum of
Art
• Instrumental in
introducing Beaux-Arts
architecture to America.
RICHARD MORRIS
HUNT
• Strongly influenced also
by Renaissance art, he
specialized in designing
luxurious homes for
wealthy clients like the
Astors and the
Vanderbilts, such as The
Breakers, an opulent neo-
Renaissance mansion built
Statue of Liberty’s pedestal, NY

93 m
HENRY HOBSON
RICHARDSON
• Noted for his Romanesque
architecture inspired by
Vaudremer.
• Charles Follen McKim,
another graduate of the Ecole,
founded the highly influential
firm of architects McKim,
Mead and White, along with
William Rutherford Mead
and Stanford White.
Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail,
Pittsburgh, PA
Boston Public Library,
Boston, MA
Rhode Island State Capitol, RI
Columbia University, NY
Pennsylvania Station, NY
Jefferson Memorial, DC
Architect: John Russell Pope
FAMOUS LATE
NEOCLASSICAL
BUILDINGS
Washington Monument, DC
 WASHINGTON MONUMENT

• An Obelisk erected in honor of George Washington, America's first President.

• Designed in 1838 by Robert Mills
• Approximately 555 feet (169 meters) tall
Lincoln Memorial, DC
 LINCOLN MEMORIAL

• Designed by Henry Bacon

• Constructed from marble and white limestone, it is modelled on a Doric Order
Greek temple.
• The thirty-six columns were intended to represent the 36 states in the Union, at
the time of Lincoln's death.
Jefferson Memorial, DC
 JEFFERSON MEMORIAL

• Designed by John Russell Pope, Otto R. Eggers and Daniel P. Higgins

• Inspired by the Pantheon in Rome
• The monument features a unique round dome, a circular colonnade, and
Corinthian order.