Mediterranean Revival Style architecture

Mediterranean Revival Style Architecture is an eclectic design style that was first introduced in the United States around the turn of the nineteenth century, and came into prominence in the 1920s and 1930s. The style evolved from "rekindled interest in Italian Renaissance palaces" and seaside villas dating from the sixteenth century, and can be found predominantly in California and Florida due to the popular association of these coastal regions with Mediterranean resorts.

Architects August Geiger and Addison Mizner did much to popularize this style in Florida; Sumner Spaulding and Paul Williams (Architect) did likewise on the West Coast. Structures are typically multi-story and based on a rectangular floor plan, and feature massive, symmetrical primary façades. Mediterranean Revival is generally characterized by stuccoed wall surfaces, flat or low-pitched terra cotta and tile roofs, arches, scrolled or tile-capped parapet walls and articulated door surrounds. Feature detailing is occasionally executed in keystone.

Balconies and window grilles are common, and are generally fabricated out of wrought iron or wood. Ornamentation can range from simple to dramatic, and may draw from a number of Mediterranean references. Classical, Spanish, or Beaux-Arts architecture details are often incorporated into the design, as are lush gardens.

The style was most commonly applied to hotels, apartment buildings, commercial structures, and even modest residences. Mediterranean Revival was one of several architectural styles utilized extensively by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Railroads when designing their depots in California.

List of example structures

* [http://www.casacasuarina.com Casa Casuarina] (Versace Mansion) in Miami Beach, Florida, 1903
*Hayes Mansion in San Jose, California, completed 1905
*Villa Vizcaya in Miami, Florida, completed in 1914
* [http://www.nps.gov/prsf/prsfphot/architec/mediter.htm Presidio Building 35] in San Francisco, California, completed in 1912
*The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, 1921 (demolished)
* [http://members.trainorders.com/howard%20maculsay/trains2see/glendale_station.htm (Former) Southern Pacific Railroad Depot] in Glendale, California, completed in 1923
*Freedom Tower in Miami, Florida, completed in 1925
*Miami-Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida, completed in 1926
*Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida, completed in 1926
*Ca d'Zan, former John Ringling estate in Sarasota, Florida, completed in 1926
*Francis Marion Stokes Fourplex in Portland, Oregon, completed in 1926
*Pasadena City Hall in Pasadena, California, 1927
*Greenacres (Former Harold Lloyd Estate) in Los Angeles, California, completed in 1928
*Santa Fe Railway (now Amtrak and Metrolink) depot in Fullerton, California, completed 1930
*Beverly Hills City Hall in Beverly Hills, California, 1932
* [http://www.laokay.com/lathumb/laphoto/IrvingGill9.jpgCabrillo Beach Bath House] in San Pedro, California, completed in 1932
*, completed in 1938

ee also

*Mission Revival Style architecture
*Spanish Colonial style architecture
*Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture

References

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