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Academic or
High Style Architecture
Martinsville's historic buildings
represent two strains of design and construction: academic or high style and
folk and
vernacular. Imagine a line—a continuum—on which the two
classifications are at either end. At one end is folk and vernacular
architcture, which is discussed at length on another page, is largely
traditional. A homeowner asks the local builder to build a house like
the kind that has been built and lived in by members of a culture groups for
many generations. In this case, knowledge comes in the form of cultural
tradition, a kind of pattern or imprint on the collective consciousness.
On the other end of the continuum is
academic or high style architecture. This is building design and
construction that is a product of historical study, cross cultural
comparison, and the philosophy and inventive artistry of individuals. For
example, Robert Mills (1781-1855), the first architect trained in America,
drew inspiration from the discovery of archaeological remains of ancient
Greece. The public buildings Mills designed had a classical influence, which
carried through to American domestic architecture as the Greek ideal spread
throughout the country. See the page on
Greek Revival architecture to
learn more.The effect of personal philosophy on
architecture is well represented by Andrew Jackson Downing (1815-1852), a
horticulturist who became an architectural critic. Jackson believed that
buildings—particularly houses—should be harmonious with their landscape. In
A Treatise of the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening (1841),
Downing presented plans for gardens and complementary houses, interiors, and
suggestions for furnishings. His ideas were so popular that his book went
through eight printings. Some 60 years later, the most famous of American
architects, Frank Lloyd Wright, championed a similar "organic" theory of
architecture. Wright insisted that buildings be one with their surroundings.
Like a timeline, Martinsville's historic
architecture represents the shifts in ideology, popularity, and evolving
technology. Buildings can be dated with a reasonable degree of
accuracy—within a decade or two—based on their plan, stylistic details, and
materials. The classic American
Ranch house, for example, is as much
a product of the mid-twentieth-century as a
Greek Revival house is a
product of the mid-nineteenth.
Click on the links at top to explore a
chronology of academic or high style historic architecture found in
Martinsville. Then, take a look at the
folk and
vernacular page to see what kinds of buildings comprise the
other end of the continuum.
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