Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Contemporary architecture with greek influence
Contemporary architecture with greek influence
History of greek architecture
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Contemporary architecture with greek influence
When studying an ancient culture, it is important for one to comprehend the many unique elements that make up that culture. The study of architecture enables historians to deepen their understanding of a culture and identify the modern influences of that society. Architecture is an essential aspect of ancient Greek culture and its long lasting influence is evident in most cities today. The Greek Revival style dominated American architecture during the nineteenth century. Many prosperous citizens believed that the ancient Greece architecture embodied the spirit of democracy. When analyzing the architecture of New York City, one will find many examples of Greek Revival architecture, the most notable examples being the Old Custom House on 28 Wall Street, the first National City Bank building on 55 Wall Street, and Saint Peter’s Church at 22 Barclay Street.
The Old Custom House located on 28 Wall Street was built by Ithiel Town and Alexander Jackson Davis in 1833.It is made of stone and has a distinctive Greek Revival style of architecture. It was carved from marble in Westchester County, New York. The columns are of the Doric order and the building resembles a simplified version of the Parthenon. The building is of great historical significance because it is the sight of George Washington’s presidential inauguration. The strong Greek Revival style embodied the American spirit of democracy. Federal Hall has been the location of government activity for hundreds of years. In the years following the Revolutionary War, New York became the young nation’s capital. In 1789 the building was renovated and became the nation’s first Capitol building. Today’s Supremce Court, Department of State, Defense and the Treasury all trace their roots ba...
... middle of paper ...
...ies of the U.S.
Works Cited
Andrews, Wayne. Architecture, Ambition and Americans; a Social History of American Architecture. New York: Free of Glencoe, 1964. Print.
"Federal Hall National Memorial." Nyc-architecture.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
.
Fletcher, Tom. "New York Architecture." Http://nyc-architecture.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. .
"The Merchants' Exchange." Lookze.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
.
"Old St. Peter's Parish." Http://stpetersrcnyc.org/. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
.
"U.S. Custom House." GreatBuildings.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. .
Construction was resumed in 1803, with Latrobe as architect. Latrobe designed the central portion of the first building, and modified Thornton’s design so that committee rooms and offices would fit in the south wing. He also designed octastyle porticos for the west and east front of the building, and a colonnade behind the east portico that spanned the entire center section. In order to keep the view of his low dome uninterrupted, Latrobe designed the pediment of the central section to be shallow enough to not reach over the top of the entablature. Another thing that Latrobe designed were the columns in Corinthian style at the east front. Their capitals depicted corn cobs and tobacco leaves, as symbols of the country’s prosperity and the nation’s wealth,
The Parthenon in Athens, for example, is a dedication to Athena; the goddess of wisdom and the patron of Athens (OI). As depicted in The Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece (Doc6), this architectural piece is shown to have Doric columns that have a cylindrical shape seeming to be plain but sturdy. In comparison to the Doric style, the Ionic style was more elegant as it was taller and more decorative; engraved with vertical lines and topped with a curved rectangular shape. The Corinthian design is similar to the Ionic design because of the elaborate designs at the end of the pillars; it features more detailed designs that seem to be based around nature such as the inclusion of leaves and flowers. There are many buildings today that include these types of columns in their architectural design mainly in monuments and government buildings. According to the depiction of the White House in Greek Architecture (Doc8), the columns of the White House most closely resemble the Ionic style. Greek architecture are one of the many important legacies that Western civilization had inherited, influencing many architectural elements and building types used in art and architecture
Hemingway, Colette. "Architecture in Ancient Greece." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
Federal Hall is located at 26 Wall Street, New York, New York, 10005 and is right across the New York Stock Exchange. On April 30th, 1789, a month after the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives met to count the electoral votes and six years after the end of the Revolutionary War, George Washington was sworn into office by Robert L. Livingston, who was the Chancellor of New York, on the second floor balcony of Federal Hall. Under the balcony, witnesses gathered to observe “the historic event” as they watched Washington become the first President of the United States of
Grecian architecture formed its own conventions in the ancient world, buildings in Greece were built with meticulous mathematic design. Great buildings were believed to be symmetrical, and perfectly proportioned [Document 7]. Another prominent aspect of ancient Greek architecture is the extensive use of columns. There were three basic types used, Doric which were plain capitals, ionic in which the capitals were fashioned after ram’s horns, and Corinthian which were made to mirror acanthus leaves.
as a shelter or home for the cult statue and as a storehouse for offerings.
Throughout history, architecture has been employed in the service of politics, as symbols of the state. Architecture is therefore shaped by the national traditions in the pursuit of projects of identity, modernity, power, and prestige. A building is not merely a walled structure, but a metaphor for national ideology as it embodies the civic life of the citizens that it houses, as well as the ideals of the nation within which it resides. This paper will explore three varying architectural periods and examine the interaction between nationalism and the building styles that developed either as a means to express it.
Greek life was dominated by religion and so it is not unpredictable that the temples of ancient Greece were substantial and attractive . The structures also had a political purpose as they were often built to celebrate civic power and pride, or offer thanksgiving to the contributor of a city for success in war. The Greeks developed three architectural systems, called orders, which each had their own distinctive proportions. The Greek orders are: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.
We all look for our beginnings. Whether we look for them in our personal life or in our professional life, we still look for them. As I was looking around the theatre recently, I was looking at and wondering where the idea of the theatre came from. Rather, who built it and why it is built the way it is. Who made the first one? Where do the roots of the theatre lay? All very good questions that I hope will be answered.
For a great many years, architecture has been a breaking point for different artisticeras in history. Some of the most famous “works of art” have been chapels, temples, and tombs. Among the most dominant and influential eras of great architecture are the sophisticated, stoic Greeco-Roman periods and the more mystical, elemental Japanese eras. These two very distinct and very different eras have more in common than you may realize.
The end of the Geometric period resulted in the beginning of the Orientalizing Period, dated between 700-600 BC. Within this time frame, Greek introduced a new innovation, the Peripteral Temple. For many years prior, a row of colonnade was used on the interior primarily to hold up the roof of the building. In contrast, columns are seen being used on the outside, creating a visual wall around the building exposing parts of the interior. With in the temple existed the megaron style, carried forward from Bronze Age homes. It was also in eastern influenced period, the first real stone temples, and terra cotta roof tiles came to exist to hold the weight on these new stone temples. The population grew drastically, introducing new techniques and styles, which blended to form designs with balance and symmetry. It was during this period, two major Greek designs were developed, the Ionic and Doric order. (Pedley, 2012: pg. 180) The Doric order, being the first and most simple, consisted of baseless columns placed closely together as the Greeks did not know how much weight the shortened columns could hold. Reason behind this was the lack of length in the columns were believed to hold less weight and therefore forced into being placed closer together. This closely set arrangement created a very bold statement in the Doric temple. The Capital, which sat on top of the concaved shaped shaft, was left plain but when grouped alongside others, suggested a bold harmony. In contrast, the Ionic order was less bulky and more delicate than the Doric order. The top of the capital is decorated with two scrolls, also known as volutes, which could have resembled a shell or animal horns. Above the capital, held room for a surrounding frieze depictin...
of the three. It was only meant for sturdiness, not for beauty. The second order
Living in a place like New York in the twenty-first century is incredible. One gets to experience art from all over the world. One can enjoy amazingly designed facilities that bring a modern touch to ancient architecture. A young child can walk a few blocks to a library and let their mind wander through literature that has been written by masters of ancient time. Most importantly, society can enjoy a type of government that is designed to allow all people to have a say by a system of voting. However, something that most people do not realize is that lots of these joyus things are brought to us by ancient greek culture. Ancient greece has left lots of legacies that has affected the modern way of life. A few of these legacies include architecture,
Throughout history, there have been several significant architectural movements. The last, and perhaps most enduring movement is that of Classic Greece. Although for centuries, the architecture of ancient Greece has been admired, mimicked, and replicated, its beginnings are somewhat surprising to one unfamiliar with the history of the region. It is important to understand the history and mechanics of Classic Greek architecture in order to fully appreciate its form, function, and beauty. “Ancient Greek architects strove for the precision and excellence of workmanship that are the hallmarks of Greek art in general. The formulas they invented as early as the sixth century B.C. have influenced the architecture of the past two millennia” (metmuseum.org).
From the time of the ancient Greeks all the way to modern day, some part of humanity has almost always been interested in the past. For the ancient Greeks, it was discovering Mycenaean ruins and composing stories about them. Today, inspiration is still drawn from classical architecture. One has to look no further than the U.S. capitol building, or even the University of Michigan's Angell Hall to see remnants of this architectural style. This raises the question of why does it still persists? Logically, the best way to answer this is to examine the origins of classical architecture, and what it represented then and now. Furthermore, the study of ancient architecture can show insights into past civilizations which otherwise would have been lost.