The Beautiful Jefferson Building - The Library of Congress
In the late 19th century the architectural style of the Jefferson Building was said to be "Italian Renaissance." Today, it is recognized as a premier example of the Beaux Arts style, which is theatrical, heavily ornamented and kinetic. It is a style perfectly suited to a young, wealthy, and imperialistic nation in its Gilded Age. The materials — marble (15 varieties), granite (400,000 cubic feet), bronze, gold, mahogany — were expensive but would last a thousand years. A monumental split stair rises in multiple flights to the main entrance, with three pairs of sculpted bronze doors. The granite exterior is heavily rusticated and vermiculated at the lowest level but grows finer and smoother as the walls rise. Paired Corinthian columns were employed at the central portico, which also has portrait busts of famous writers framed by circular windows
The Beautiful Jefferson Building - The Library of Congress
In the late 19th century the architectural style of the Jefferson Building was said to be "Italian Renaissance." Today, it is recognized as a premier example of the Beaux Arts style, which is theatrical, heavily ornamented and kinetic. It is a style perfectly suited to a young, wealthy, and imperialistic nation in its Gilded Age. The materials — marble (15 varieties), granite (400,000 cubic feet), bronze, gold, mahogany — were expensive but would last a thousand years. A monumental split stair rises in multiple flights to the main entrance, with three pairs of sculpted bronze doors. The granite exterior is heavily rusticated and vermiculated at the lowest level but grows finer and smoother as the walls rise. Paired Corinthian columns were employed at the central portico, which also has portrait busts of famous writers framed by circular windows