Explore neoclassical design and American neoclassicism. See examples of neoclassical architecture in America and key neoclassical architecture characteristics.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Neoclassical Architecture in America | Design & Buildings
Table of Contents
- What is Neoclassical Architecture?
- Neoclassical Architecture in America
- Examples of Neoclassical Buildings in America
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the inspiration of neoclassical architecture style?
The ancient Greek and Roman classical architectural styles and characteristics of tall columns, symmetry, minimal ornamentation, evenly spaced windows, elaborate doorways, remarkable roofing, the use of stone or brick, and white exteriors are the inspiration of the neoclassical architecture style.
What are examples of neoclassical architecture in the United States?
Examples of neoclassical architecture in the United States include Federal buildings in Washington DC such as the U.S. Capitol Building, The U.S. Supreme Court Building, and The White House. Various state capitol buildings and local city hall buildings are also modeled after this same style. Also, cultural buildings, universities, and museums such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York are all designed in the neoclassical style.
What are examples of neoclassical architecture?
Examples of the neoclassical style can be seen worldwide. Some famous buildings include Buckingham Palace in England, Le Petit Trianon and Opera Nouvel in France, and Sydney Town Hall in Australia.
Table of Contents
- What is Neoclassical Architecture?
- Neoclassical Architecture in America
- Examples of Neoclassical Buildings in America
- Lesson Summary
Neoclassical architecture is a style of architecture that evolved in the 18th and early 19th centuries and is used in the present day. It is heavily influenced by the classic Greek and Roman geometric styles with the use of orders. Unlike the classic style, the neoclassical style involves a grander scale with greater simplicity and symmetrical proportions rather than overly ornate details within the elements of the structure. This design can be seen in various examples of buildings and homes within North America, mainly the United States, which were developed to rival those in Europe. The Neoclassical style house became prominent during the same time to display wealth and was used metaphorically to transcend the foundations of government, institutions, and influence.
Neoclassical Architecture Characteristics
While neoclassical architecture is resemblant of ancient Greek structures with traditional column orders, stone facades, and geometric lines, there are specific characteristics of the style which include the following:
- Symmetry: Proportions, angles, and balance are essential to the neoclassical style.
- Tall or High Columns: The signature element of the neoclassical style are tall columns, usually in Doric style, which typically reach the full height of the first level of the structure and are always an even number.
- Lack of Ornamentation: The neoclassical style is simplistic in that the ornate facades of classical Greek and Roman architecture were not used. Likewise, the styles used in the 17th century, such as the rococo style which was overly gaudy and ornate, were now over with the emergence of the emphasis on form in the neoclassical style.
- Remarkable Roofing: The roofing of the neoclassical style is notable for the circular rooms or rotundas, which are marked with a dome-shaped roof. Anyone inside can gaze at the top of the structure within this room. At the same time, the frontal roofs are triangle in shape with long rectangular bands which usually have some type of sculpture or carving.
- Elaborate Doorways: The doorways of the neoclassical style are large and placed within the balance of the symmetrical columns and triangle roof façade.
- Evenly Spaced Windows: In homes, the neoclassical style presents evenly spaced windows across the front of the home and is typically edged by shutters.
- Use of Stone or Brick: Deriving from the structures of the Ancient Greeks who built using stone materials, the neoclassical style is also built using stone such as marble or granite, brick, or a combination of the like.
- White Exterior: Neoclassical architecture and design display simplicity and undisturbed logic and rationale, which is represented through pure white exteriors.
Neoclassical Architecture Examples
Neoclassical architecture examples can be seen around the world. Some of the most famous examples are that of government buildings, places of worship including churches and cathedrals, specially commissioned buildings for entertainment and art, such as museums and cultural centers, universities, and private homes.
The following are examples of neoclassical architecture outside of the United States:
- Saint Isaac Cathedral: in St. Petersburg, Russia. An Orthodox church showing the grandeur of the neoclassical style in Europe.
- The Pantheon: in France, this church was designed by the neoclassical architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot.
- Buckingham Palace: A world-known building in London, England of the United Kingdom. Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 with later work which was completed in 1850.
- Academy of Athens: This building was built by Theophil Hansen in Athens, Greece, started construction in 1859 and was completed in 1885. It is part of a group of three buildings that make up Athens University and the National Library.
- El Capitolio: With initial construction starting in 1926 and completed in 1929 in Havana Cuba, the national Capitol of Cuba was used to house the Cuban Congress until 1959, which then was changed to become the Cuban Academy of Sciences and the National Library of Science and Technology in 2013.
- Villa Tittoni Traversi: in Desio, Italy, architect Giuseppe Piermarini designed this residence. It was built in 1776 and renovated to add the facade in the 1840s.
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While the neoclassical design produced landmark buildings all over the world, the popularity of the style produced some of the most recognized buildings in the United States. After the neoclassical design emerged in France and Italy in the late 18th century, as it spread through Europe, it became highly used in American design motifs among government buildings, institutions, and private properties during that time and into the 20th century.
American Neoclassicism in the 18th and 19th centuries
American neoclassicism first became popular because of the appearance of neoclassical buildings in Europe and brought to replicate the Greco-Roman forms. This style was significant in that it was a representation of the principles of justice and democracy. The American and French Revolutions centered on the messaging of the Roman Republic to show the ideas of a representative government. Thus, the neoclassical design was an intentional effort to emulate the influence of democracy and representative government in the newly founded United States.
For example, the federal architecture on Capitol Hill is all neoclassical Greek revival architecture and inspired by the public buildings which the ancient Greeks and Romans used in their democratic societies and temples for their religious purposes. The designs of symmetry and balance of such style could signify the American balance of government powers and simplicity about a diversion away from a monarch structure of rule. At the same time the scale to which the neoclassical design is built displays the greatness of presence and influence of American institutions and individuals, such as that of the branches of government, or the prominence of the role and Office of the President of the United States.
Modern Neoclassical Architecture in the U.S.
While neo-classicalism first emerged in the United States in the 17th century, the design style is still prominent in the modern era of the 20th and 21st centuries. The juxtaposition of new and old or timeless classic appeal of tradition allows the neoclassical style to be evolving through time since the classical ancient Greek architecture. Using the same characteristics of neoclassical architecture continues to perpetuate consumer appeal and architectural tradition in designing grand structures, especially those in which the ideals of law and order are carried out within.
The appeal to grand and large-scale structures allows neoclassical styles to be relevant and timeless, allowing structures to be a statement within themselves. Likewise, the symmetrical elements are appealing and have a natural calming and structured esthetic to the eye. The geometric shape of structures is easy to manipulate and build in most spaces. In the modern era, the neoclassical style has emerged into a New Classical movement, despite the same name, in architectural design, again rooting from the ancient Greek and Roman influence to display elements of moderation and rationale.
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Neoclassical architecture in America is easy to see, as every major city in the United States has prominent buildings that display clear elements of the signature style. While some of the most famous examples are government and federal buildings, other private properties date back to the original date of the emergence of the neoclassical style in the United States.
The White House
Located in Washington DC, The White House was designed by architect James Hoban, and it was completed in 1800. The White House is a prime and most famous example of the neoclassical style displaying the characteristics of symmetry, an elaborate doorway between an even four tall columns, a roof which entails simplistic rectangular sides with a triangular façade over the columns, and windows with carved shutters aligned with four groups on each side of the center entryway.
The United States Capitol Building
Designed by William Thornton and built from 1793 to 1800, this building is instantly recognizable with the rotunda center focal point to which the symmetrical four wings of the building disperse. The traditional tall columns line the center with staircases and even windows and structural facades outlining windows and doors. Many other state capitols were later built to replicate the U.S. Capitol building in structure and using the neoclassical design.
Monticello
Monticello is the home of Thomas Jefferson, in the state of Virginia. It was designed by Thomas Jefferson himself and started construction in 1769 and was completed by 1809. The house displays symmetry with two wings centered by a rotunda with a dome-shaped roof. The tall columns and large doorways also display the elements of the style.
University of Virginia Rotunda
Designed by Thomas Jefferson, the rotunda was built in four years, starting in 1822 with completion in 1826. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this building was modeled after the Pantheon of Ancient Rome with a dome roof shape encapsulating the rotunda and symmetrical even six tall columns supporting the triangle roof facade over the large entryway.
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Neoclassical architecture focuses on the revival of Greek and Roman styles. While a calm and rational sense of order, the use of columns, and the monochromatic use of white were all embraced by American architects, the function of the structures as religious temples were not of relevance in the design and purpose were used for secular government. Among prominent neoclassical architects of the time was Thomas Jefferson, a founding father, president, and designer of his home of Monticello and the University of Virginia Rotunda. Other architects such as William Thornton designed the U.S. Capitol Building. While Thornton was an amateur winning a contest for the design challenge, the U.S. Capitol Building is one of the best examples of American neoclassical architecture displaying the message of logic and rationale in using tall columns, symmetrical layout and design, and a white exterior.
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Additional Info
Neoclassicism
If something is classic, it's implicitly sort of old. If something contains the prefix 'neo-' then by definition it is new. So, neoclassicism is the artistic style of new old stuff. Okay, there's a bit more to it than that. Classical art refers to the traditions of ancient Greece and Rome. Those are the cultures that set the foundations for European aesthetics. Art changed over the years, but by the 18th century a revival movement appeared that encouraged the return of Greek and Roman artistic ideas, something that hadn't happened since the Italian Renaissance. This was also a political gesture, as growing European kingdoms and early nation-states looked to the past for legitimacy. So it was an old style, but made new for new purposes. Neo. Classical.
Neoclassicism in America
Neoclassical art was common across many parts of Europe, particularly in architecture. However, where it really grabbed root and took hold wasn't in Europe, but in a brand new nation called the United States of America. The Americans became quickly obsessed with Neoclassicism, both before and after their revolution, and it became a symbol of the American nation.
Why? Well, the founding figures shared an obsession with ancient Rome. The reason for this was simple: ancient Rome was the only true example of a major republic in Western history. As the founding figures debated the American republic, they focused on the Roman Republic. The founding figures read Roman texts, shared Roman legends and stories, and began to fill the new nation with Roman-styled art and architecture to communicate that they were taking up Rome's mantle as a great republic in a world of tyranny.
American Neoclassical Architecture
So, the Neoclassical movement was pretty important to early Americans. One of the most important American architects to first embrace this style as a link between the American ideas of republican government and the legacy of ancient Rome was Thomas Jefferson. Many remember him for his role in drafting the Declaration of Independence, but Jefferson was a respected architect as well. His personal home, called Monticello, is one of his earlier attempts at a neoclassical design. Begun in 1769, it echoed a Greek Doric temple with the four simple columns and triangular pediment. Now, the brick walls, that was very American, and it's important to remember that Neoclassicism was never about simply imitating the ancient Romans and Greeks. It was about using their ideas on art and architecture in a new (neo) way.
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After the American Revolution, Jefferson continued exploring the use of Neoclassical architecture in the new American republic. One of his most-lauded structures is the Virginia State Capitol building. Jefferson was a Virginian, very proudly so, and in 1788 designed the first formal capitol building for the state. Tossing all subtlety aside, Jefferson directly modeled it after the Maison Carrée, a 1st-century BCE Roman temple in France. The rows of columns, mathematically-determined proportions of columns, and overall sense of order, stability, and rational logic capture the spirit of Roman architecture.
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Perhaps the best-known example of American Neoclassical architecture, however, wasn't actually designed by Jefferson. It was just sponsored by him. In 1792, Jefferson (then Secretary of State) opened a design competition for a building to house the United States Congress, called the US Capitol Building. The government was being relocated to a new location along the Potomac River, more centralized between the 13 original states, and needed new structures. In 1793, the results were in and the winner was an amateur American architect named William Thornton. Thornton's design featured a white exterior, rows of columns, and a sense of rational, calm logic. It was a stunning neoclassical design, which was tweaked and amended over the years into the structure that houses the national legislature today.
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The Spread of Neoclassicism in America
The Capitol Building would be only one of many neoclassical structures in Washington DC. The Supreme Court was also designed with a neoclassical façade, as was the presidential residence, now called the White House. Appropriately enough, Thomas Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in the new national capital, surrounded by American Neoclassical architecture.
The designing of Washington DC came around the same time that the United States was starting to grow, economically and physically. From roughly 1800 through 1840, the nation saw a boom in the number of churches, universities and government buildings that were constructed. As the nation's capital was filling itself with neoclassical architecture, the states did the same. By 1840, neoclassicism was the national aesthetic, which is why we still find columns covering state government buildings and universities to this day. As long as the republic stands, neoclassical architecture will likely continue to stand with it.
Lesson Summary
Neoclassical art is that which embraces themes from ancient Greece and Rome, but interprets them for modern purposes. It was developed in Europe, but really became popular in the United States around the time of the American Revolution. America's founding figures saw it as a way to connect their new republic to the legacy of the Roman Republic, and it was quickly embraced by people like Thomas Jefferson. His plantation of Monticello and his design for the Virginian State Capitol reflect the use of Classical motifs (such as columns) to create a sense of ordered, rational logic. Perhaps the most famous example of American neoclassicism is the US Capitol Building, originally designed by William Thornton. As Washington DC dedicated itself to this aesthetic in the early 19th century, the states followed suit and it became a national aesthetic. It was an old style, but still completely new. Just like the concept of a republic. Maybe we should just call ourselves the Neoclassical States of America.
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Neoclassical Architecture in America | Design & Buildings
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