Unit summary 3 - REFLECTIONS

Crystal Palace, London ca 1851

The Reflections unit covers a period in Architectural history which I feel can be classified by two major influential elements: technology, and the pursuit of self-identification of cultures through design. At the beginning of the unit, we discussed the Architecture Parlent which involved the “re-writing down of the rules” in France during the 18th and 19th centuries. Coming out of this was the design and construction of palace like town homes with open space courtyards in front of them in an effort to resemble the wealth of royalty and establish themselves as significant in society. This spurred on the trend of the desire of people to desire a sense of belonging by looking like your neighbor is the sense that if you had a home that looked like a palace, you are of a higher status in society.
England at the time was interested in diving back into the classical Roman influences which was marked by the Classical Revival. As I mentioned previously, this was heavily influenced by technological advances. This is obvious in the steel and glass structures such as the Crystal Palace that was built in London in 1851. The components of the building were fabricated in a factory and then assembled on site. Across the Atlantic Ocean, in colonial America, log homes were being constructed during the late 1600’s and well into the 1700’s. “Georgian” style houses such as the ones by Samuel McIntire were very popular for this period in colonial America.
During the early 1800’s, the eastern influence of began to work its way into western society via the use of trade routes between China and England. The Royal Pavilion by John Nash in Brighton built sometime between 1815 and 1826 is perhaps one of the best examples of the use of worldly influences in Architecture and interior decoration in and English building.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the emergence of the “Arts and Crafts” movement gained popularity in America. Following the Revolutionary War, American designers wanted to find and establish their own voice in design, setting themselves apart from the traditional styles embodied by England. The Arts and Crafts style uses a lot of simple lines and much less flamboyant in nature when compared to the Classical Romanesque style. Typically most structures and furniture were hand made out of wood that was abundant and readily available in America.
At the same time and moving out of the Arts and Crafts movement was the rise of urban design, as more Americans moved into cities. This is hugely characterized in Chicago during the late 1800’s. Following the great fire of 1871 in Chicago where most of the city burned, a huge void had to be filled architecturally. Many designers came to the city and contributed to the recreation of its buildings. Sullivan’s early skyscrapers were mostly un-precedented at the time and started the “race for height” in buildings between Chicago and New York. Again, these buildings would not have been made possible without the development of new technologies such as the elevator and the use of iron skeletal construction.
Looking back and forward, it is apparent at this time in architectural history that America as a country is searching for its voice in design and did so with the Arts and Crafts movement. The work of Frank Lloyd Wright began in this era and was exemplified in his early “bootleg” houses, but his work transcended the Arts and Crafts style over time. The Reflections Unit was characterized by a rush of technological advances and stylistic advances as well.