archie
Sign in Get the app

Identifying feature

Symmetrical facade

A facade, or main front, whose left and right halves mirror each other, usually with the main door at the center. It is standard on Georgian, Federal, Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts buildings.

a sign of these styles

Governor's Palace, Williamsburg, Virginia: an example of Colonial Revival Colonial Revival c. 1880–1960 America quoting its own past: symmetrical fronts, shuttered windows, and a front door dressed with fanlight, sidelights, or a small columned porch. 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. Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut: an example of Egyptian Revival Egyptian Revival c. 1810–1930 Walls that lean inward as they rise, columns topped with lotus or papyrus, and winged sun disks over doorways. Massachusetts State House, Boston: an example of Federal Federal c. 1780–1830 Refined American Georgian: oval fanlights over doors, slender proportions, and delicate garland ornament. Royal Crescent, Bath, England: an example of Georgian Georgian c. 1714–1830 Disciplined brick symmetry: sash windows in even rows, a paneled door with a fan shaped window above, and quiet classical trim. Villa La Rotonda, Vicenza, Italy: an example of High Renaissance / Palladian High Renaissance / Palladian c. 1500–1600s Temple fronts applied to villas and civic buildings, strict symmetry, and triple windows with an arched center. Casa del Fascio (Como), Como, Italy: an example of Italian Rationalism Italian Rationalism c. 1926–1943 White or stone-clad geometric blocks with regular grids of square windows, sometimes with plain repeated arches. Masó House, Girona, Spain: an example of Noucentisme Noucentisme c. 1906–1931 White stuccoed or brick facades in calm classical proportion, with glazed tile accents and sgraffito, on schools and houses. 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. Wieskirche, Steingaden, Germany: an example of Rococo Rococo c. 1720–1780 Baroque gone lightweight: pastel walls, gilded curling stucco, mirrors, and playful shell-like ornament. Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C., United States: an example of Stripped Classicism Stripped Classicism c. 1925–1950 Symmetrical stone buildings with flat pilasters or piers without capitals, tall windows in a regular grid, and low-relief sculpture. Secession Building, Vienna, Austria: an example of Vienna Secession Vienna Secession c. 1897–1910 Art Nouveau squared off: geometric gold ornament, laurel and rosette motifs, and crisp white facades.

also seen on

Ancient GreekCape CodChurrigueresqueDeveloper ModernDravidianDutch ColonialEmpireGreek RevivalHaussmannianModern FarmhouseMughalNeoclassicalPennsylvania German Stone HousePostmodernismRegencySocialist Panel HousingStalinist ClassicismTimurid

often seen with

Pediment A low triangle over columns, a door or a window, framed by a projecting ledge called a cornice. Carved stone relief Figures or patterns carved into stone so they project from a flat background, called low relief when shallow… Round arch An arch shaped as a half circle, often built from wedge-shaped blocks called voussoirs. Sash window A window made of one or more glass-filled frames, called sashes, that slide up and down in grooves. Cornice A deep, overhanging ledge that caps the top of a facade. Pilaster A flat column projecting slightly from a wall, with the same base, shaft and capital (decorated top) as a… Colonnade A row of evenly spaced columns carrying a horizontal beam, called an entablature, or a roof. Dome A rounded roof shaped as half a sphere, often raised on a drum (a circular wall).