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The Greek Revival dominated American architecture during the period
1818-1850. It was the first truly national style in the United States,
found in all regions of the country. The popularity of the style was due
to strong associations with classical tradition and democracy. The Greek
Revival was very adapatable, and permeated all levels of building, from
high to low.
The product of both political and aesthetic
interests. The Greek Revolution made Greece independent of the Turks
(the Ottoman Empire) in the 1820s. The newly won independence recalled,
to fascinated American intellectuals, the patrician democracy of ancient
Greece and its elegant architecture, created more than 400 years before
the birth of Christ. In America, classical columns and orders were used
mostly for decoration, often at entrance doorways in otherwise simply
designed row houses. Whole buildings, however, are sometimes recalled:
Sailor’s Snuh Harbor in Staten Island and Federal Hall National Memorial
on Wall Street are reincarnations of great Greek temples.
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