Mediterranean Revival architecture: how to identify it

what it is

Mediterranean Revival buildings draw on the traditional architecture of Spain, Italy, southern France and Greece. They are usually one or two stories on a rectangular plan, with stuccoed walls, red tile roofs, arched or circular windows, and wood or wrought iron balconies. Courtyards, patios and open-air doorways link the rooms to gardens. Larger hotels and civic buildings add towers or domes.

Examples include Addison Mizner's Boca Raton Resort in Boca Raton, Florida (opened 1926), the Miami Biltmore in Coral Gables (1926), whose tower is inspired by the Giralda, the bell tower of Seville Cathedral, Pasadena City Hall in California (1927), and Vizcaya in Miami (1914-1923). Spanish Colonial Revival takes its models from Spanish and Spanish colonial buildings. Mediterranean Revival adds Italian, southern French and Greek sources, as at Vizcaya, which combines Italian Renaissance and Baroque elements.

how to spot one

Red tile roof A roof covered in overlapping rows of half-round clay tiles, called barrel tiles, usually orange-red in color. It is used on Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Mediterranean Revival buildings. Stucco wall A wall coated with stucco, a plaster of cement or lime, sand and water, finished smooth or textured. It is common on Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival and Mediterranean Revival buildings. 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. Bell tower A tall tower that holds bells or a clock, rising from or beside a church or public building. The open stage near the top where the bells hang is the belfry, and a freestanding bell tower is called a campanile.

Also look for

Courtyard Wrought-iron balcony Arcade Dome

history

Mediterranean Revival emerged in North America in the early 20th century, drawing on Spanish, Italian, southern French and Greek models rather than on one person or building. In Florida, Addison Mizner (1872-1933) built the Everglades Club on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach in 1918-1919, and it is widely credited with helping establish a new architectural style for the state. In California the leading architects included Bertram Goodhue, Sumner Spaulding and Paul Williams.

The style flourished in the 1920s and 1930s, especially in the expanding cities and coastal resorts of Florida and California. Mizner launched his Boca Raton development in 1925, and the Cloister Inn opened there on February 6, 1926. The Miami Biltmore opened in January 1926 and was Florida's tallest building until 1928. The Mizner Development Corporation went into receivership in May 1926 and bankruptcy that September. Pasadena City Hall (1927) and the Don CeSar in St. Pete Beach (1928) followed. The style also spread to Cuba and Canada, often through American architects.

where to find it

Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Coral Gables and Miami in Florida, and Pasadena in California: the Boca Raton Resort, the Miami Biltmore, Vizcaya and Pasadena City Hall.

easy to confuse with

Santa Barbara County Courthouse, an example of Spanish Colonial Revival

Spanish Colonial Revival Romantic white stucco under red clay tile: arcades, patios, carved doorways, and wrought iron balconies.

Mission Inn, an example of Mission Revival

Mission Revival Curved gable-top walls, white stucco, arcades, and red tile roofs borrowed from Spanish missions.

Boston Public Library, McKim Building, an example of Renaissance Revival

Renaissance Revival The Italian palazzo reborn as banks, clubs, and brownstones: rough stone bases, orderly window rows, and a heavy top cornice.