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Identifying feature

Round arch

An arch shaped as a half circle, often built from wedge-shaped blocks called voussoirs. It is used over doors, windows and between columns in Roman, Romanesque, Renaissance and Richardsonian Romanesque buildings.

a sign of these styles

Pantheon, Rome, Italy: an example of Ancient Roman Ancient Roman c. 500 BCE–476 CE Round arches, concrete domes and vaults, and half-columns decorating huge public buildings. Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Vagharshapat, Armenia: an example of Armenian Armenian c. 300–1400 Compact stone churches with a drum and conical dome, carved relief walls and upright cross-stones called khachkars. Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey: an example of Byzantine Byzantine c. 330–1453 A central dome floating over a square room, round arches, plain brick outside, gold mosaics inside. Westminster Cathedral, London, England: an example of Byzantine Revival Byzantine Revival c. 1840–1930 Central domes on round-arched churches, red brick banded with white stone, bell towers, and mosaics, built after 1840. E. V. Haughwout Building, New York City: an example of Cast Iron Cast Iron c. 1850–1880 Prefabricated iron facades: slender columns, huge windows, and identical arched bays repeating by the dozen. Hermann-Grima House, New Orleans, Louisiana: an example of Creole Townhouse Creole Townhouse c. 1790–1850 Stuccoed brick row buildings on the sidewalk, with iron balconies, arched openings and a carriageway to a rear courtyard. Florence Cathedral, Florence, Italy: an example of Early Renaissance Early Renaissance c. 1400–1500 Round arches on slender columns, flat wall pilasters, and calm, measured symmetry. Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Paris, France: an example of Empire Empire c. 1800–1830 Triumphal arches, victory columns and temple-front porches with tall Corinthian columns, decorated with eagles and bees. Greystone three-flat on Emerald Avenue, Chicago, Illinois: an example of Greystone and Two-Flat Greystone and Two-Flat c. 1890–1930 Flat-roofed Chicago two- and three-flats with limestone fronts, projecting bays, and round arches or classical trim. Osborne House, Isle of Wight, England: an example of Italianate Italianate c. 1840–1885 Low roofs on deep eaves with ornamental brackets, tall round-topped windows with heavy hoods, and square cupolas. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami, Florida: an example of Mediterranean Revival Mediterranean Revival c. 1920–1940 Stucco walls under red clay tile roofs, arched windows, wrought iron balconies, courtyards, and bell towers on hotels and villas. Durham Cathedral, Durham, England: an example of Norman Norman c. 1050–1200 Massive square towers, very thick walls, and round arches carved with zigzag patterns. Azadi Tower, Tehran, Iran: an example of Pahlavi Pahlavi c. 1925–1979 Symmetrical government buildings with Persepolis-style columns, Sasanian arches, reliefs, and plain brick or marble walls. Basilica of St. Josaphat, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: an example of Polish Cathedral Style Polish Cathedral Style c. 1880–1930 Large brick or stone parish churches with two towers, a dome, and heavy exterior ornament and statuary. Boston Public Library, McKim Building, Boston, Massachusetts: an example of Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival c. 1840–1915 The Italian palazzo reborn as banks, clubs, and brownstones: rough stone bases, orderly window rows, and a heavy top cornice. Trinity Church, Boston, Massachusetts: an example of Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque c. 1870–1900 Muscular rough-cut stone, huge low round arches on stubby columns, and round corner towers. Speyer Cathedral, Speyer, Germany: an example of Romanesque Romanesque c. 800–1150 Fortress-thick walls, small deep-set windows, and round arches over doors and arcades. Trinity Church, Boston: an example of Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival c. 1840–1900 Round arches revived in heavy rough-cut stone: squat columns, cave-like entrances, and deep-set windows. Santa Barbara County Courthouse, Santa Barbara, California: an example of Spanish Colonial Revival Spanish Colonial Revival c. 1915–1940 Romantic white stucco under red clay tile: arcades, patios, carved doorways, and wrought iron balconies.

also seen on

Beaux-ArtsCatalan ModernismeChicago SchoolChurrigueresqueCommercial VernacularCzech CubismHigh Renaissance / PalladianItalian RationalismMission RevivalNational RomanticismNoucentismePostmodernismRussian OrthodoxRussian RevivalSeljukSpanish Colonial

often seen with

Arcade A row of arches carried on columns or piers (thick square supports), often forming a covered walkway along a… Carved stone relief Figures or patterns carved into stone so they project from a flat background, called low relief when shallow… Dome A rounded roof shaped as half a sphere, often raised on a drum (a circular wall). Cornice A deep, overhanging ledge that caps the top of a facade. Symmetrical facade A facade, or main front, whose left and right halves mirror each other, usually with the main door at the… Deep-set window A window set far back into a thick wall of stone, brick or adobe, leaving a deep reveal, the side of the… Rustication Wall surfaces cut with deep grooves so each block reads as heavy and distinct. Courtyard An open-air space enclosed by the walls of a building or group of buildings.