Classical Architecture Critique

Brittanay Miller

Humanities 101

Professor Bomboy

February 10, 2015

Classical Greek Architecture in Franklin County

            Most of today’s architecture is clearly an indication of just how much the Greek classical period made an impact so many years ago.  The Franklin County Courthouse in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania is a great example of a classical Greek building. It is a place to hold trail cases and bring justice to victims.  The Classical Order for the courthouse is mostly related to the Ionic order.  I think the architectures who built the courthouse decided to use the order of Ionic because the columns are more delicate and ornamental (Fiero 124).  When you look at the front of this courthouse, it is pretty obvious that it is an important building.

            I believe power, freedom and justice is what message the building conveys.  Clearly for it being a court house, it needs to show some type of empowerment.   Not just when I look at it, but when anyone else looks upon this tall building, there is some type of empowerment emotion that comes over you.  Without knowing that it is a courthouse, you would know that it is a very important building because of the very large, slender columns with the volutes, echinus, and abacus detailing each column.  I personally think that this building being Classical Greek architecture is perfect for the use of the building.  In Neoclassical Architecture, they decided to make a classical style for human society.  Their outside architectures were ornamental free and the insides were covered with rectilinear walls and columns inside. (Fiero, Book 4, 150).  The Classical Greek style was the best looking and well thought out style out of all three styles.  It seems the Greeks were the ones with architectures who were copied more than the architectures from the Rome Age and Neoclassical Age.  The Classical Order of the Franklin County Courthouse being Ionic was a good decision, but I think even if they would have decided to use the Corinthian order that it would have been almost a better choice.  The Doric order is very plain, but does include triglyph and metope in the frieze.  The Ionic order, which is what the Courthouse’s columns are, includes a more slender cornice, the volutes and echinus in its capital and also a base, where the Doric order did not have one.  The Corinthian order consists of a more edgy cornice, a larger frieze and capital, and more of its base.  The Ionic order is definitely fancy and important, but Corinthian is beyond the fanciest.  I personally think the Ionic order was perfect for the Franklin County Courthouse because it shows how important the architecture is to everyone who drives by or actually walks into the building.

            The fact when you look at the Courthouse and your eyes are focused on the columns and the front entrance, that is because of the points of emphasis.  The point of emphasis is where your eyes are directly focused on.  If they are in one spot, such as a square and you are looking at just what is in the square that was developed in the Greek Age called stable.  If you would be looking all over the front of the building and not directly at the columns or front entrance, then that would be called dynamic.  The Hellenistic Age came upon this shift in the architectural area.  It’s a good thing that the Courthouse was designed from the Classical Greek architecture because it would not mean as much as it currently does if it was dynamic instead of stable. 

            The architect that that mostly influenced the design of the Franklin County Courthouse was Thomas Jefferson.  Not only was he an architect, he was also the third president of the United States.  Thomas Jefferson designed quite a few architectures in his time and most of them are or were located in Virginia and Kentucky.  According to the Robinson Library’s article on the architecture of Thomas Jefferson, “the single building that most influenced his ideas about architecture was the Maison Carrée, a Roman ruin in Nimes, France, which Jefferson considered the finest remaining example of classical design.” (Thomas Jefferson, Architect).  All of Thomas Jefferson’s building designs have the large columns with the Ionic or Corinthian orders including stylish bases, capitals, friezes and cornices.  The other architects such as Brunelleschi and Palladio had a different style of architecture that is more suitable for large churches and capital buildings, such as the capital in Washington, DC.  Thomas Jefferson’s choice of style and order was very consistent for what the Courthouse was supposed to interpret.  As I said in the beginning, when you look at the Franklin County Courthouse you know that it is a very important building due to the fact of the large columns at the entrance.  Jefferson’s architectures interpretations were to show importance, just as he designed the Charlotte County Courthouse in Virginia.  All of his influences were from buildings in the Rome Age, but the Romans got the ideas based off of architectures from the Classical Greek period.  The Franklin County Courthouse in Chambersburg is no doubt an architecture designed from the Classical Greek period. 

Works Cited

Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. Vol. 1. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011.  

Print.

"Thomas Jefferson, Architect." Thomas Jefferson, Architect. Robinson Library, n.d.  

Web. 10 Feb.  2015.

Waterproofing, Keystone. Franklin County Courthouse. 2010. Courthouse,  Chambersburg. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.