ARCH162

Newgate Prison, George Dance, (London, UK); 1782-1904 ; Neoclassicism and the Enlightenment If in 1982 an observer had taken for a stroll in the London’s streets, and had reached the corner where Newgate Street and Old Bailey meet, one would have instantaneously noticed the austere building that stood and loomed in the desert plaza. Just by looking at its exterior walls any observer would have realized the nature of the building. Though its façade was impressive like a bank, no person would have mistaken the sight of hung chains for a welcome sign. The original prison at Newgate was built in 1188 but was rebuilt in 1770 by George Dance, though the completion date had to be delayed by two years due to being badly damaged during the Gordon Riots in 1780.  The Architect   George Dance, the Younger, (1741-1825), was a British architect who was responsible for extensive urban redevelopment in London and was a founding member of Great Britain’s Royal Academ...

Belvedere Castle Belvedere Castle is located in Central Park, NYC. Belvedere means “beautiful view” in Italian; the castle sits on Vista Rock and is the second highest elevation in Central Park, providing great views of other parts in the park.  Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1865, the castle was completed in 1869. Belvedere Castle was meant to be a Victorian Folly. A folly is a structure whose main function is to be ornamental, a place of “playfulness a fantasy building” that serves no practical use. It’s architectural style is Romanesque and Gothic. Romanesque architecture comes from a combination of Roman and Gothic styles which can be characterized by round arches, vaults, and large columns. Gothic architecture style contains stone structures, clustered columns, pointed spires, complex sculptures, vaults, and flying buttresses. One of their main characteristics is the pointed arch. Belvedere Castle struggled with deterioration and vandalism. It ...

Deutsche Oper Berlin  The Deutsche Oper Berlin was first built by The Prussian king Frederick the second , along with his chief architect George Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff shortly after his accession to the throne in 1740. The opera house was one of many buildings King Frederick built during his reign. The opera house was not built as planned due to money problems and  was built at a reduced size. After finishing construction Royal attention shifted to the construction of the palace of Sanssouci in the nearby city of Potsdam.  The opera house was opened on December seventh 1742 after King  Frederick demanded perfection from his architect. The architect designed the monumental portico resembling a temple for civic purposes. The architect took inspiration from eighteenth century english country estates. The opera house allowed King Frederick to look generous towards the arts. The Prussian monarch had intended to transform Berlin ,The Opera house was th...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi Giovanni Battista Piranesi, born in 1720, was truly inspired by Ancient Roman architecture. Giovanni moved from Venice to Rome to continue his work in etchings, at the age of 20. Piranesi studied architecture, engineering and stage design. He was the son of a stonemason and builder, and first studied drawing with his uncle who was an engineer. Piranesi found in it an outlet for all his interests, from designing fantastic complexes of buildings that could exist only in dreams. Giovanni was considered one of the greatest printmakers of the eighteenth century. Piranesi also received a thorough background in perspective construction and stage design, he considered himself as an architect.The Round Tower from 'Carceri D'invenzione' (Imaginary Prisons), 1749–1750 captured Giovanni’s eye. These etchings were issued as a collection of fourteen, but he reworked the series significantly as a set of sixteen in 1761. The fourteen plates ...

Winter Palace is a landmark of St. Petersburg, Russia, was founded in 1721-1762, and is a Baroque architecture. From the beginning to the end of the Romanov Dynasty in 1917, it was the palace of the Russian monarchs. The Winter Palace also has the duality of being the property of the royal museum as early as during the reign of Peter the Great, Queen Elizabeth Petrovna, the earliest restoration of the Queen Elizabeth, and the largest Queen of Hermitage. The Hermitage Museum was opened to the public in 1852. And it finished its’ historical mission of residence of the Russian monarchs in when Nicolas II resigned in 1917. The first imperial palace of the Winter Palace was built for Peter the Great and his family. The first style of the place is Dutch-style wooden house. Then it was replaced by a stone building (the basis of the Hermitage Theater) in 1711. Empress Anna Johnnafnah is the first one of Peter's family to rebuild and redesign the palace. She entrusted the a...

School of Surgery (Ecole de Chirurgie), (Paris, France); 1769-1774; NeoCalssicism and the Enlightenment School of Surgery School of Surgery was built in the 1770s in Paris, France by Jacques Gondoin. Gondoin was a French architect who was the son of the gardener of French King, Louis XV.  Gondion studied architecture at the school of Blondel. He had an opportunity to study there as Louis XV and his father had a good relationship. In 1759 Gondion won third place in Prix de Rome competition drawing a ground plan and front elevation of famous Ecole des Beaux-Arts . After Gondoin was sent to Rome for four years studying at one of the Academy there and he met many architects and designers while studying in Rome. After he came back from Rome, the king asked him to design the School of Surgery in order to improve the surgery schools in Paris. School of surgery is the only famous building that Gondoin built. Giovanni Battista Piranesi influenced Gondo...