The Romanesque style was revived in America during the mid- to late 19th century.
The American Romanesque revival architectural style was based on architects' desire to resuscitate the Romanesque style made popular in Europe during the sixth to 10th centuries. This revival began in the early 1800s and was a frequent style for churches and public buildings. One of the most famous examples of Romanesque revival style is the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., which uses the irregular outlines and smooth ashlar walls typical of the Romanesque style.
Romanesque Revival Characteristics
The feature that defines the Romanesque revival style of American architecture is the semicircular arch used for almost all door openings and windows. The facade of Romanesque revival buildings will usually have gabled roofs flanked by towers of asymmetrical heights. The roofs are usually conical and the towers pyramidal. The standard floor plan --- called basilica style --- contains a nave, vestibule and tower.
Romanesque Revival Houses, 1840-1850
In America, homebuilders copied the Romanesque style by building three- or four-story houses to mimic the style's multistory towers. Arched openings over the windows and doorways were popular, as was the low roof with a wide overhang. Romanesque revival houses were expensive, and popular in New England and other prosperous areas. Interest in the style was high in the 1840s and 1850s, but had died off tremendously by the 1890s.
Victorian Romanesque, 1870-1890
After the boom years of Romanesque revival in the 1840s and 1850s, the succeeding decades brought about the Victorian Romanesque revival era. Victorian Romanesque style, too, was characterized by the semicircular arch. Victorian Romanesque buildings had different-colored stone or brick around the windows, many arches, terra-cotta tiles and different-size windows. The use of grotesque and arabesque statues typifies this style of architecture. The Victorian Romanesque revival style, rarely used on houses, was popular on larger buildings, since they provided enough space for the heavy stonework.
Richardsonian Romanesque, 1870-1900
H.H. Richardson was a distinguished architect whose accomplishments were unique enough to have a style of architecture named after him. He maintained the typical arches around the windows and doors, but removed the extensive smooth stonework on the exterior. Richardson's exterior stonework was heavy and rough. He frequently used bands of windows and openings elaborated by contrasting texture and color of stone. Courthouses, railroad stations, churches and universities typified the structures built in Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style.
