Chronology
- 1820-1860 (Whiffen)
- 1840-1900 (Blumenson)
- 1845-1875 (Roth)
Description
The monochromatic brick or stone Romanesque Revival building is highlighted by the semi-circular arch for window and door openings. The arch is used decoratively to enrich corbel tables along the eaves and belt or string courses making horizontal divisions. The archivolt or intrados of compound arches and the capitals of columns are carved with geometric medieval moldings. Facades are flanked by square or polygonal towers of differing heights and covered with various roof shapes (Blumenson, 43).
Some authors refer to a single “Romanesque Revival” and do not distinguish an early phase from a later phase. Other names used include Richardsonian Romanesque, Victorian Romanesque,
Variations
Glossary
- monochromatic brick
- monochromatic stone
- semi-circular arch window
- semi-circular arch door
- arched corbel table
- belt course
- string course
- compound arches
- geometric medieval moldings
- square towers
- polygonal towers
- archivolt
- gabled nave
- blind arcade
- gabled tower
- tower with pyramidal roof
- wall buttress
- gablet
- corbel table
- splayed window openings
- corner buttress with obelisk-like pinnacles
- spandrel
- pier
- archivolt
- compount arch
- tympanum
- hood mold with corbel stop
- tower with parapets
- domed corner buttresses
- monochromatic stone finish
- round arched openings
- pronounced archivolt trim
- molded impost course
- battlemented parapet
Sources Cited
- Baker, John Milnes. American House Styles: A Concise Guide. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Ltd., 2002.
- Blumenson, John J.G. Identifying American Architecture: A Pictorial Guide for Styles and Terms, 1600-1945. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1981.
- McAlester, Virginia. A Field Guide to American Houses: The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America’s Domestic Architecture. New York, NY: Knopf, 2015.
Also see Architecture / Style index.