Based on the work of H.H. Richardson, Romanesque Revival homes are grand and imposing. Learn to recognize the style by examining the Cupples House.
Can you name the historic house style that looks like a medieval church? Learn the characteristics that define Richardsonian Romanesque homes.
Take a tour of one of Portland, OR's greatest architectural masterpieces: a Richardson Romanesque-style landmark mansion in the historic Alphabet District.
Beyond Front Door Richardson Romanesque Home via
Richardsonian Architectural Style is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson
This item is a professionally-produced art print of my original sketch illustrating Henry Hobson Richardson's Romanesque Revival masterpiece, Trinity Church in Boston, Massachusetts. My sketches are done with pencil, ink, and colored pencil with minor digital touch-ups done for printing purposes. Prints are done on premium matte paper, with the subject labeled on the reverse side. I personally sign each print in the lower right corner. The watermark will not be present on the print itself. Other sizes are available by request. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about this item!
Richardsonian Romanesque was Henry Hobson Richardson's adaptation of Romanesque and Medieval motifs and constructions to the modern building practices of his day.
Image of Trinity Church designed by Henry Hobson Richardson in 1877.
What makes St. Louis’s architecture so stunning, and worthy of documentation? In many ways, St. Louis followed all of the trends of stylistic change that every American city saw over the last…
Richardsonian Romanesque was Henry Hobson Richardson's adaptation of Romanesque and Medieval motifs and constructions to the modern building practices of his day.
Explore jfred60606's 37 photos on Flickr!
Richardsonian Romanesque was Henry Hobson Richardson's adaptation of Romanesque and Medieval motifs and constructions to the modern building practices of his day.
Richardsonian Romanesque was Henry Hobson Richardson's adaptation of Romanesque and Medieval motifs and constructions to the modern building practices of his day.
Circular Congregational Church in Charleston, founded in 1681, features one of the oldest graveyards in the city with monuments dating back to
The Mount St. Mary's campus was once L.A.'s wealthiest gated community.
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It’s an experience like no other: here’s what’s waiting for you at the Castle La Crosse Bed and Breakfast.
Richardson Romanesque mansion designed by Canadian-American Brooklyn architect, Frank Freeman (1861-1949) • Freeman article -Brownstoner.com • canopy over front door is 20th c. alteration • enlarged, 1919 when it became Palm Hotel, which evolved into a notorious brothel • former residence of "Happy Hooker" Xaviera Hollander • later became residence for Franciscan brothers affiliated with St. Francis College • became apartment building, 1977 • sold for $10.98mm, 2008 • Wikipedia • Brooklyn Heights Historic District, National Register of Historic Places #66000524, 1966
Toronto's Old City Hall at 60 Queen St W was completed in 1899 and took over 11 years to build. The National Historic Site was designed by...
Romanesque Revival: 1820-1860 Richardsonian Romanesque: 1860-1900 Corbel tables and round arches distinguish buildings in the Romanesque Revival or the Round-arched Style, which originates in Germa…
The Legislative Building in Queen’s Park officially opened in 1893. The historic landmark features Romanesque Revival style architecture and...
First United Methodist Church sits where Shadyside, East Liberty, Friendship, and Bloomfield all meet. It would be hard for a building to get much more Richardsonian without having been designed by…
This is one of many fine rowhouses in Washington's Capitol Hill neighborhood. I want to say the stone, rounded features, and unevenness in the design make this one Romanesque, although it does not quite appear Richardsonian to me. It was one of my favorites that I saw around Capitol Hill, and more in this style seem to be located around the Logan Circle area.
Romanesque mansion designed by Chicago Architects Henry Ives Cobb (1859 -1931) & Charles Sumner Frost (1856-1931). (Cobb & Frost), for attorney and politician, Perry H. Smith Jr. • Perry H. Smith House in designslinger • Astor Street Historic District declared Chicago Historic Landmark, 1975
Image 4 of 5 from gallery of Spotlight: Henry Hobson Richardson. Thomas Crane Public Library. Image © Wikimedia user Daderot licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Henry Hobson Richardson (29 September 1838 – 27 April 1886) was known across North America as the father of the Romanesque Revival.
The City Bank of Wheeling Building. In the downtown Wheeling historic district. On the National Register #79002597. For how it originally looked: wheeling.weirton.lib.wv.us/history/landmark/business/cban...
Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886) one of the most prominent architects of the 19th century. He left an important mark not only on our country's cities, but also on the architectural styles of the world. Much of the work he created late in his career is in Pittsburgh.Most well known is the Allegheny Courthouse & Jail (1883-1886). Richardson died before its completion (at age 47 of kidney failure) but considered this his finest work and a culmination of his lifes' work. Built of huge chunks of gray granite (some pieces weighing up to 5 tons!), in 2007 the AIA named it the 35th favorite building in the country. Sure, not in the top 5 but this was NATIONALLY -so thats pretty high considering the millions of buildings to chose from!Notice anything odd in this photo above? You can see the line where the original grade or ground was when the building was built. This was initially built on a hill downtown which was later removed to create flat streets for streetcars and ease of traffic. So for many buildings, the former basement became the first floor! Hence all the stairs going up to the main level. You can see this below in the entrance to the courtyard above as well. See the tiny windows on the first floor? They're almost like portals! The beautiful interior courtyard. The fountain is original. The term for the style 'Richardsonian Romanesque' was coined to describe the heavy, rusticated stone buildings he was known for: with square byzantine columns supporting arched openings, , symmetry and clear beaux arts planning, occasional gothic elements and often a French Renaissance influence. Thats a whole lot going on! He was the 2nd American Architect to study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris (after William Morris Hunt, whom I blogged about in a 4 part series back in February. You can read the first of these posts HERE). The interior stairway is especially grand -fitting for a public building of justice.These beautiful frescos decorate the main lobby.The entrance to the old law library is especially grand. The scale is so huge as to make it seem almost modern.If this structure below, the jail, looks familiar, it's because it was used in "The Silence of the Lambs" for the jailhouse scenes. This bridge which cleverly connects the courthouse to the old jail (seen above) was modeled after 'the bridge of sighs' in Venice. Easy commute to your prison cell from the courtroom! Interesting fact, Pittsburgh has the most bridges of any city in the world second to Venice. front facade of Emmanual Episcopal church Less well known, but very unusual for his work and this time period is the Emmanual Episcopal church in the Allegheny West neighborhood I mentioned yetserday. Built in 1884, it was created a national historic landmark in the year 2000. The exterior is extremely simple with a gabled front but with an extermely unusual rounded nave. Richardson used arches here even in plan! the facade above is the left hand side of this picture, you can see it curving to the right. This is a view of the back of the building facing the alley. You can see how a future architect put an addition on - he met curve with more curve! Because of the simplicity, it was way ahead of its time and hinted at the modernity to come.look at this intricate brickwork at the front arches this side gate into a courtyard with parsonage was added later, but i just thought it was so pretty that I had to post it! You see examples and copies of this style all over the country, it was so popular. Even in this neighborhood, Allegheny West, are many examples of Richardsonian Romanesque, probably not by Richardson (but who knows!). I saved the best for last, some beautiful houses!This house is a pretty clear example, don't you think? Notice how the front wall at the first floor is set back 2' from the arch. Pretty dramatic! This is split into apartments and I nearly rented the first floor apartment here years ago had I stayed in Pittsburgh and not moved to DC.This one is richardsonian too! I've been inside on a housetour, it's positively spooky and Victorian inside!I've been inside this home as well, it's beautiful and very Victorian with heavy atmosphere with lots of curiosities.I love how this old stone agesI just wanted to post this front door with wreaths!Lastly, this house isn't really Richardsonian Romanesque, but you can clearly see the influence in the rusticated stone and arched windows. I post this house last to pique your interest -it also had a very famous inhabitant that I'll blog about later this week!!
The Norman William Public Library Woodstock, VT. 1884 When I was a young boy I became fascinated with all things medieval. Knights, heraldry, castles, Renaissance faires, you name it! As a young artist the aesthetic of the middle ages was extremely formative in my stylistic development. As an American student however my exposure to medieval art was limited to photographs in books, and relics behind glass in museums, with one very dramatic exception: Romanesque Revival Architecture. Steinheim Castle (abandoned 1953. restored 1996) Alfred University. Alfred, NY 1886 I remember discovering the Woodstock Vermont Library (above) as a young man where my family often vacationed. The distinctively Romanesque Revival stylistic hallmarks of the low round arches with stout pillars, rustic stone work and high gabled roof immediately put me in a mind that this was medieval. Rainy afternoons in the library reading Tolkien, I could imagine being in the library at Minas Tirith or Rivendell. Later, when I went to college at Alfred University I was inspired by the ever present Victorian stone tower of Steinheim Castle that loomed like a Romantic ruin over the campus. (above) Romanesque Revival was a brief and often overlooked nineteenth century architectural movement that took place between 1870 and 1890 which replicated the European medieval architectural styles of the Romanesque period (1000- 1350). The heavy, austere and imposing silhouettes of the style did not lend itself to many applications, and this aesthetic was usually limited to armories, libraries and churches while the more popular and decorative Neo-Classical style was used for landmarks like the US Capitol and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. After WWII many Romanesque buildings were torn down for being out-dated, dark and ugly, to make way for new, modern, light, climate-controlled office buildings. Romanesque Revival and other Beaux-Arts Revival styles were disparaged as fancies, appropriate only for theme parks, their forms having completely trumped their functions. (Does any building in Manhattan need arrow loops and a portcullis?) Ironically, what has saved many of these buildings over the past fifty years has been urban decay. In cities where development and economic growth was not robust many of these old edifices were left derelict, with no budget for demolition, restoration or replacement. Subsequently there are few examples of this style to find in their original condition, but when you do it is a real treat. New York Asylum for the Insane (National Register of Historic Places 1973. abandoned 1994) Buffalo, NY H.H. Richardson 1870 Although Romanesque Revival was adopted in Europe, Americans took a particular liking to the style, and the most influential champion of this movement was the architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886). In 1870 Richardson completed the New York State Asylum for the Insane in Buffalo. This towering medieval citadel exuded strength, power, austerity and security. The Insane Asylum would launch Richardson's career, and make him synonymous with American Romanesque Revival Architecture, creating "The Richardsonian Romanesque Style". Trinity Church Boston, MA H.H. Richarson 1877 Woburn Public library Woburn, MA H.H. Richardson 1879 Thomas Crane Public Library Quincy, MA H.H. Richardson 1881 While Richardson would go on to design many more Romanesque buildings, The Richardsonian Style would inspire hundreds of Victorian architects all over the United States. The Medieval Revival Movement championed by such artists as Sir Walter Scott, William Morris, Burne-Jones and the Pre-Raphaelites who sought to return art and architecture to a more genuine time of art-making, using rustic techniques and styles, and combining exterior design with interior applied arts like ceramics, furniture and textile design. This Arts-and-Crafts movement was influential up until the turn of the century, and even inspire 20th century architects like Frank Lloyd Wright. It is ironic that this movement which tried to re-examine genuine artistic themes was later disregarded as inauthentic. Next time you're walking through the city or you pass an old church or university, take a closer look, and you'll probably find the influence of Richardson in the buildings that brought a touch of Medieval Europe to America. Alexander Hall Princeton University. Princeton, NJ W.A. Potter 1894 Union Station Hotel (restored 1985) St. Louis, MO T. Link 1892 Lovely Lane Methodist Church (National Register of Historic Places) Baltimore, MD S. White 1884 First Presbyterian Church (partially demolished 1936; NRHP 1979) Detroit, MI G.D. Mason 1889 Old City Hall Toronto, Canada E.J. Lennox 1899 Kingbridge Armory Bronx, NY 1917
If you've been to Boston once, you've most likely set foot in Copley Square. Located at the heart of the city, it is dedicated to that most illust ...
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