The house that will be the subject of my project, I will call the "Beckett Residence". The Beckett Residence has a mixture of two styles of architecture, that are both very similar, and go very well together. They are called Colonial Revival, and Neoclassical. It would be easy to combined the two and just call the house one or the other, however there are small differences with into the two styles that I don't want to ignore. Just to get it out of the way, that difference is that Neoclassical architecture is know for being more elaborate because it is inspired by Greek and Roman architecture (ie ionic pillars). Neoclassical, although known for it's symmetry, often adds side extensions to the house, as well as bay windows. These additions are there to add to suggest importance, most of the other features of neoclassical houses are the same as colonial revival homes, their histories are also very related.
Here is a brief history of the two styles:
Colonial and Neoclassical revival homes became popular in 1880 and remained popular until 1955. This style is like the grandfather of many American houses, because so many different styles branched out from it (including neoclassical). The styles were inspired by Greek and Roman buildings, and were inspired loosely on Federal and Georgian houses. Many historians believe that they marked the end of the Victorian style period, because the simplicity was a rebellion from the excessively elaborate Victorian style.
The simplicity was seen as a comfort to many Americans as the country became more industrialized. I found an article that said if you had one of these houses you were tradition, with solid values. Even though I don't know how a house can say that people felt like the style broadcast their patriotism.
A major factor of the Neoclassical style's sudden popularity was the Colombian Exposition in Chicago in the 1890s. Now I got really excited because I love the history of The Chicago World's Fair. To keep it short it was in 1893, and was made to show off America's progress in the world. It was done through creating spectacular architecture that represented an ideal
urban culture. It was was supposed to celebrate the 400th anniversary of
Christopher Columbus' journey to America. The architecture
in the fair was called the "White City". It was called the White City because of the white stucco the buildings were made out of, the same material the Beckett Residence is made out of.
The World's Fair created the desire to own a Neoclassical house, it was seen as a symbol of wealth, and upper class status. It also helped that some of the most recognizable American buildings are Colonial and Neoclassical revival styles, such as the U.S Supreme Court build, and the Lincoln Memorial.
The two styles of architecture have a lot in common, and in building the home he did Dr. Berkett reviled a little about himself. Although I can only assume this, I think Berkett wanted to show off his wealth by building the home. However he also wanted to show off the power be had, and the elegant lifestyle he had. Berkett was not a young man when he built it, he had a wife, and wanted a family; so he settled on building a distinguished looking mansion that could say "I'm rich, but also have taste".
Source-
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,332355-2,00.html
http://www.antiquehomestyle.com/styles/colonial-revival.htm
http://architecture.about.com/od/periodsstyles/ig/House-Styles/colonial-revival-jpg.htm
http://www.frontdoor.com/home-styles/neoclassical-architecture
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