International studio (35.1908)

Classic Revival


The modern use of the archi-
tecture OF THE CLASSIC RE-
VIVAL
BY AYMAR EMBURY, II
During the earlier portion of the Nineteenth
Century architecture throughout the civilized
world was strongly influenced by a revival of classic
forms. The French Revolution intensified, by
its adoption of Roman nomenclature and customs,
so far as they were understood, interest in the
monuments of classical antiquity, and, while in
manners and laws the Classic Revival was often
meaningless and grotesque, in architecture its
brief course was vigorous and natural.
Too often in the United States the work of the
Classic Revival is included with the earlier archi-
tecture under the title “Colonial,” but the use of
this title is incorrect from the points of view of both
time and style. Almost all the work of the Classic
Revival in this country dates from long after the
Revolution, between the years 1800 and 1840, and
the architecture is very easily to be distinguish-
ed from the true
Colonial by the
greater strength of
the details and the
close adherence to
the Classic propor-
tion of column and
entablature.
Much of the finest
work in the coun-
try dates from this
period, including
the largest part of
the public build-
ings at Washing-
ton, the old Cus-
toms House at
New York, the
magnificent Uni-
versity of Virginia,
and much private
work both North
and South.
The compara-
tively slight
sources of infor-
mation concerning
the Greek style
available to Amer-
ican designers
were greatly added mathers farm house Charles barton keen, architect

to by the publication at the close of the Eighteenth
Century of Stuart and Revett’s monumental work
on the “Antiquities of Athens.” This, being in
English, was more readily accessible to our design-
ers than the older books, most of which were in
French or Italian. This book came as a revela-
tion to the designers of that day, who, though
fairly familiar with Roman architecture, marveled
to find a classic architecture older, purer and
more beautiful than that of Rome.
Both the Greek and Roman buildings were of
very simple design, and almost uniform in type,
but the architects of a hundred years ago used the
old classic styles with a freedom undreamed of by
their originators, and from the many and varied
buildings which they built our modern architects
have been drawing their inspiration, verifying,
as it were, the details of the Classic Revival with
those of the original sources, and using the
whole with still greater freedom and disre-
gard for the more or less stereotyped temple form
of the ancients.
The use of the pediment as a portico against the

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