architect analysis ec

8/3/2019 Architect Analysis EC

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/architect-analysis-ec 1/11

Todd 1

Andrew Todd

Comparison of the Weld County Courthouse Essay

Many public buildings have Roman and Greek architectur al influences. Classical

architecture has impressive and timeless qualities that are often used on the interior and

exterior of buildings, the Weld County Courthouse and Guggenheim Hall are no

exception to this trend. When breaking down architecture styles used on a building its

surprising how many classical techniques are still used today.

The Court House displays both Beaux-Arts architecture and Classical

architecture. Looking at the front entr ance, composite columns span across the entire

f açade (Fig. 1). The marble blocks and bricks comprise the building giving it that feeling

of timelessness and stoicism. W.N. Bowman was the architect for the courthouse; he

understood that Greek architecture was made to make the viewer stand in awe. Bowman

used this psychology to make the Weld County Courthouse be

autiful yet imposing. The

columns are slightly bowed which is typical in classical Greek architecture they called

this affect; entasis. The eye is dr awn to the wonderful cr aftsmanship on the scroll-like top

of the ca pital, giving the ca pital its ionic impression. The foliage at the base of the ca pital

gives away its Corinthian (350 BC) origins. The roof follows a more Beaux-Arts style of

architecture but with the addition of these Classical styles the two become visually

harmonic (Fig. 1). On the left and right ends of the building there is a tr aditional ionic

pediment. The interesting thing a bout the placement of the pediment is that in Greek and

Roman architecture the pediment, and enta blature, are usually resting on top of the

columns in the middle of the structure and not on either side of the building. An example



Todd 2

of regular pediment placement is the Pantheon (Fig 2) for the ancient Greeks (Gardner¶s

Art Through the Ages, Kleiner, 268)1. In Figure 3 there is some beautiful workmanship

with the Ionic order. There is some great stonework with the columns and the detail put

into the enta blature. There are quite a few different styles combined in the Weld County

Courthouse. Each of the Court House¶s outer walls is slightly different the north wall has

four engaged column2 (Fig 4) and vaulted windows with Roman arch designs (Fig 5).

The South wall has relieved rectangular columns stretching three stories and finally

ended with same kind of ca pital used throughout the rest of the building (Fig. 6). The

western wall is the back entr ance to the Weld County Court house. It shows little

architectur al features, unlike the outstanding composite columns at the front entr ance.

The interior of the courthouse is a beautiful display of classical architecture. The

Greeks excelled with esthetics on the outside of their buildings but usually the interior of

their structures were r ather plain. The Romans, on the other hand, were much better with

interior style and comfort. Their architects were masters of the arch and the dome, which

they showed off in most of the public buildings, the most astonishing and f amous

example of this is the Pantheon. Coming into the Weld County Court House through the

front entr ance there is a vibr ant hand cr afted mosaic of the State seal (Jewel on the Plain,

1). The br ass banisters boast excellent cr aftsmanship the ca pital is in a Doric style,

though with the other additions to the ca pital and the fluted shaft makes the banister first

1 Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's Art through the Ages: a Global History.

13th ed. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2009. Print. 2 Engage Column: Column that is built into a wall; free standing. Archaic Period (750-

500 BCE). "engaged column." E ncyclopædia Britannica. E ncyclopædia Britannica

Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/187438/engaged-column>.



Todd 3

or second century Roman (Fig 7). The second floor features a magnificent marble tiled

floors and columns that surrounds an atrium that goes to the fourth floor (Fig 8). The

extensive crown molding and ca pital reliefs seamlessly connect the extr avagant

decor ations to the ceiling. Figure 9 is the border around the atrium hole, which is

exquisite, it is an over-la pping pattern of discs with some kind of foliage design

encompassing the atrium. The next three Figures illustr ate the ionic order used within the

building. In Figure 10 there is a beautifully painting composite ca pital coming out of the

wall, it seems like a mesh of Greek and American architectur al style. The use of the

brightly colored paint is reminiscent of how archaic Greeks used to paint the friezes,

columns, and statues on their temples an example of this being the reconstruction

dr awing of the Siphnian Treasury, in Delphi (Kepner, 113). In Figure 11 it shows the

staff of Hermes which could have a number of meanings, it¶s interesting the symbolic

links used in the courthouse to root it back to the Greeks. On the landing of the gr and

staircase between the 2nd

and 3rd

floor there is a splendidly hand cr afted stain glass

window washing the landing in a warm glow. On the south end of the third floor is a

beautiful illustr ation of a barrel-vaulted ceiling this style of arch was used by the Romans

in the Coliseum. Engaged columns and arcades3

line the walls (Fig 8). The interior of the

Weld County Courthouse is a beautiful display Classical order.

The architecture used in Guggenheim Hall definitely has a strong Ionic overtone

that gives this building a powerful quality. The main entr ance has four Ionic columns that

supports a tr aditional enta blature and pediment that is indicative of a building built in the

3 Arcades: a series of arches carried by columns or piers, a passageway between arches

and a solid wall, or a covered walkway that provides access to adjacent shops



Todd 4

ionic order (Fig 15). A good example of the Ionic order is Erechtheion and K allikr ates on

the acropolis in Athens. (Figs 16 and 17) The edging around the pediment makes it more

ionic then any other type of Greek or Roman architecture. The Ionic order was used

frequently the Aegean islands, and the west coast of Asia Minor (Kleiner, 110). Also

similar to the Courthouse is the style of the columns; both buildings use non-fluted shafts.

The enta blature has the words ³ Simon Guggenheim Hall of Industrial Arts´ engr aved on

it instead of the Grecian frieze. One curious thing a bout the Front on the engr aving is the

use of ³V¶s´ instead of using ³U¶s´. The front arr angement leans more towards Roman

style than the Courthouse¶s entr ance because of the expansive porch that leads to the

front double doors of Guggenheim. The porch is r aised and there are walls on either side,

which is tr aditional in Roman architecture (Fig 18). To the Classical Greeks porches

wouldn¶t make sense because architecture was based on logic and proportion. On the

other hand the Romans cared more a bout esthetics than logic. The outside of the building

looks to be made mostly of brick and concrete, which was created by the Romans. The

first structure to be made of concrete was the Sanctuary of Fortuna in Palestrina around

the late second century (Kleiner, 240). The front double doors are set into a vaulted

archway made of brick. The back entr ance is bland by comparison; there is a stoop that

leads to two metal double doors (Fig 20) that completely clashes with the other styles

incorpor ated in the building. Underneath the stoop there are two stairways that leads to

the basement of the building through tunnel vaulted archways (Fig 20). The exterior of

Guggenheim Hall is beautiful display of Classical architecture, but in comparison to the

Courthouse, Guggenheim is r ather plain.

The interior of Guggenheim Hall continues to feature some Classical architecture.



Todd 5

The basement of Guggenheim lacks the same cr aftsmanship used in the courthouse. The

floors are tiled an off white which gives the basement a chea p feeling. Richly stained

wood trims all doorways and saves any esthetics the architects were trying to create. The

staircase leading to the first floor has wonderfully cr afted banisters. Upon reaching the

first floor an immaculately white archway leads towards a four-way hallway (Fig 21).

The pristine white crown molding compliments the molding around the archway and the

trim on the base of the walls. The doorfr ames are made in the same style as the fr ames

from the downstairs, the repetition of the rich stain in contr ast to the walls and molding

gives the first floor a more robust feeling. Underneath the stairway leading to the second

floor is a type of a roman composite ca pital (Fig 22). The rest of the building is filled

with classrooms and studios that maintain the same theme as the lower floors.

Guggenheims¶ interior is beautiful in it¶s own way but does not contain as many Classical

orders used at the Courthouse.

Both Guggenheim Hall and the Weld County Courthouse used Classical

architecture to give that impressive and timeless quality that is often used on the interior

and exterior of buildings. On the exterior of both buildings the architects built porches in

addition to large non-fluted columns. Both buildings also used similar styles with the

enta blature and the pediment. On the exterior and interior, arches were used to accentuate

entr anceways. The Weld County Courthouse had much finer cr aftsmanship then

Guggenheim Hall but each used a classical base for each building.



Todd 6

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

sacred-destinations.com

Fig. 3 Fig 4

Fig 5 Fig 6



Todd 7

Fig. 7 Fig. 8

Fig. 9 Fig. 10



Todd 8

Fig. 11 Fig. 12

Fig. 13 Fig. 14



Todd 9

Fig. 15 Fig. 16

http://www.mesogeia.net/athens/places/acropolis/erechtheion001.jpg

Fig 17 Fig 18



Todd 10

http://www.tr avelinstyle.com/greece/gener al_inf

o/The%20Acropolis%20of%20Athens_files/IMAGE005.JPG

Fig. 19 Fig. 20

Fig 21 Fig 22



Todd 11

Works Cited

"Engaged Column (architecture) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." E ncyclopedia -

Britannica Online E ncyclopedia. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/187438/engaged-column>.

Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's Art through the Ages: a Global History.

13th ed. Austr alia: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.

"Weld County's Court House - A Jewel on the Plains." Weld County 150 Year

Celebration. Weld County Courthouse, 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.<http://www.weldcounty150.org/JusticeinWeldCounty/WeldCounty'sCourtHouse-AJewelonthePlains.html>.

"arcade." E ncyclopædia Britannica. E ncyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia

Britannica Inc., 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/32431/arcade>.

architect analysis ec

Documents