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Gothic Revival
domestic use c.1840-1860
religious use c.1840-1930
Even
more romantic than Greek Revival is the Gothic Revival style. It was
popular in Indiana domestic architecture from the 1840s through the 1860s
and in ecclesiastical architecture from the 1840s well into the twentieth
century.
Industrialization, political corruption and
other anxiety-producing factors of the mid-nineteenth century inspired a
yearning for a simpler and more pure way of life. This was reflected in all
areas of expressive culture, including painting, music and literature. For
example, the writings of Walter Scott, which portrayed the Medieval era in
glowing terms, were enormously popular among Americans. Architecture, too,
responded to these romantic yearnings, and Gothic forms and ornament based
on English Medieval models were incorporated into building designs.
The Gothic style is most commonly regarded
as ecclesiastical in nature. It is an emotional, upward-soaring style
usually associated with the great stone cathedrals of western Europe.
American builders, using native materials such as wood and brick--stone was
reserved for the costliest buildings--translated elements of the Gothic
style into a purely American expression that was at its most charming in
domestic architecture.
The most characteristic element of the
Gothic style is the
pointed arch. Used by Medieval builders to span
widths and scale heights of ever greater dimensions, the pointed arch in the
hands of American builders became a primarily decorative device, faintly
echoing its structural origins. Another converted component of the Gothic
style is the ornate
tracery which American builders executed in wood
with the newly invented steam-powered scroll saw. This tracery was applied
to the
eaves at gable ends and appeared in ornate porches.
Steep-pitched gable roofs, often with finials at the apex, expressed the
style's verticality and caused the Gothic Revival to be dubbed the "pointed
style" in the nineteenth century.
Hood moldings were commonly placed
above doors and windows. Some Gothic Revival buildings have Medieval
parapets, resembling not cathedrals so much as fortresses, and corner and
wall
buttresses. The preferred facade material was
board-and-batten siding which reinforced the verticality of expression.
Brick and clapboard were also used.
The inherently
religious Gothic Revival style remained popular in ecclesiastical and
funereal structures until approximately 1930. Gothic churches, tombstones,
and mausolea displaying varying degrees of sophistication were common.
Saint Martin's Catholic Church in
Martinsville is one of the finest examples of the Gothic Revival style in
Morgan County. The steeply-pitched roof, tall, soaring steeple and
pointed-arch windows and entry illustrates the verticality of the style.
The Gothic Revival style in a residential
context is well-represented by the house at 40 East Walnut Street in
Martinsville. The house exhibits the steeply pitched roof, and elaborate
vergeboard indicative of the style.
Gothic Revival: St.
Martin's Catholic Church (1888), Martinsville
Gothic Revival: Crone House (c.1865), 40 East Walnut Street, Martinsville
This house was moved to this location from Main Street.
Gothic Revival: House
(c.1870), 210 South Marion Street
The steeply pitched
cross gables are influenced by the Gothic Revival style. The house itself is
a vernacular
central-passage form.
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