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Identifying feature

Spire

A tall, tapering structure in the form of a cone or narrow pyramid, built on top of a tower or roof. Spires are most common on churches, especially Gothic and Gothic Revival ones.

a sign of these styles

Het Schip, Amsterdam, Netherlands: an example of Amsterdam School Amsterdam School c. 1910–1930 Brick walls laid in waves and curves, rounded corners, sculpture built into the masonry, small towers and wrought ironwork. St. Mary's Church, Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany: an example of Brick Gothic Brick Gothic c. 1200–1550 Pointed arches and buttresses in red brick, patterned with glazed bricks, under stepped gables and steep roofs. Saint Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, Russia: an example of Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodox c. 1000–1900 Onion domes in gold and candy colors clustered over white walls and steep tent-roofed towers. Church of the Savior on Blood, Saint Petersburg, Russia: an example of Russian Revival Russian Revival c. 1830–1917 Onion domes, steep tent-roofed towers, kokoshnik gables and patterned red brick or colored tile on churches and secular buildings. Moscow State University main building, Moscow, Russia: an example of Stalinist Classicism Stalinist Classicism c. 1933–1955 Soviet power in wedding-cake tiers: colossal colonnades, sculpted workers, and spired towers stepping into the sky.

also seen on

ChateauesqueGothicGothic RevivalPerpendicular Gothic

often seen with

Buttress A mass of stone or brick built against an outside wall to resist the outward push, called thrust, of the roof. Pointed arch An arch whose two curved sides meet at a point, called the apex. Stained glass Pieces of colored glass held together by strips of lead, called cames, to form pictures or patterns. Steep gable The triangular upper part of an end wall, framed by the two slopes of a steep roof. Bell tower A tall tower that holds bells or a clock, rising from or beside a church or public building. Belt course A flat horizontal band of stone or brick running across a facade between floors, also called a stringcourse. Carved stone relief Figures or patterns carved into stone so they project from a flat background, called low relief when shallow… Lancet window A tall, narrow window topped by a pointed arch.