Greek Revival Style Architecture
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GREEK REVIVAL c. 1820 - 1860's
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All drawings are by Kim Turner of Kim Turner Custom Drawings, Marine City
Phone: (810) 765-8746 Email: katgut360@gmail.com
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| Greek Revival c. 1820 - 1860's |
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- a style based on ancient Greek architectural Orders (Doric, Ionic and Corinthian), especially the somewhat reserved, masculine Doric Order and the more decorative, feminine Ionic Order
- expect a low pitched roof and gabled ends (a triangle shape) very similar to a Greek temple
- columns often support a projecting portico (porch cover) and are frequently fluted (cut into vertical troughs and ridges)
- window framing is simple with flat lintels on top
- the facade (face) has a symmetrical design
- a partial or full width portico dominates the facade
- Greek decorative motifs such as bead and reel, Palmate band (Anthemion band) and tongue and dart are employed
- wood painted a crisp white with black or green shutters completes the simple color scheme
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The illustration on the right shows one of the three Greek architectural Orders, the Doric Order. The Greeks were the only culture to develop Orders, or ideal design constants, for formal architecture. Roman architects embraced the Orders and added the Tuscan style to the repertoire. Early Christian and medieval builders rarely employed the orders but they were revived by the Renaissance and have been in use ever since.
The Doric Order is the first order the Greeks developed and examples survive from c. 700 bce. It is a plain, strong design with a masculine sobriety to it. The most famous Doric temple built by the Greeks was the Parthenon Temple dedicated to the Goddess Athena, goddess of learning, wisdom and war, on the Acropolis in Athens. In the United States this order was used for the very first bank of the nation, started in Philadelphia in 1818.
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| The Doric Oder |
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| The Ionic Order |
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The Ionic Order was the second order invented by the Greeks. In its development it went through a number of changes. The mature design featured an "unrolled scroll" effect in the capital (head) of the column. The
portion curled back on itself is called a volute. The Ionic Order uses many carved decorations that the Greeks ephasized with paint made of pigment mixed into hot wax. These "decorative motifs" are still very popular today. The egg and dart motif, bead and reel, palmate (or Anthemion Band), and Greek Key can be found in any lumberyard today in the molding display.
The Ionic Order always was more expensive, elaborate, and in some designs, feminine in character. A famous example of this order is found in Washington D.C. in the United States Treasury Building of 1836.
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The Corinthian Order was the last order to be developed by the Greeks, It is a large, imposing, elaborate and expensive order. Ironically the Greeks may have found it too rich for their more classical taste for they used it very sparingly. The order was a great favorite of the Romans. It proved just as popular with nineteenth century architects in Europe and America. Two well known examples of its use are the Supreme Court and the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
The Corinthian Oder has the most elaborate capital which combines volutes with a leafy plant design called the acanthus leaf motif. The acanthus plant grows wild in the Mediterranean basin and is a waxy, rich green with large. curled, frilly leaves. Ionic Oder carved decorations are added to this order as well.
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| The Corinthian Order. |
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| 433 N. Main St. |
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| 610 S. Main |
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