Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.” —Marshall Cohen, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association
ECLECTIC ARCHITECTURE
ECLECTIC ARCHITECTURE. An architectural approach that combining elements from many historical styles within a single building or architectural composition, Eclectic architecture began in Europe and spread to the United States from 1830 to 1930. Across Europe and North America, architects had been studying and revived earlier traditions with great enthusiasm. Neo-Gothic Architecture looked to the Middle Ages. Neo-Renaissance Architecture revived the forms of Renaissance palaces. Romanesque Revival Architecture returned to the architectural language of the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
The success of these revival movements gradually revealed their limitations. Architects increasingly encountered commissions that demanded more than a single style could offer. Governments wanted buildings associated with authority and national identity. Aristocrats wanted residences suggesting lineage and prestige. Cultural institutions sought architecture appearing both historic and modern. A single historical style failed to satisfy all these ambitions at once.
Rather than choosing between competing traditions, architects began selecting elements from several styles of architecture. A building might include Renaissance symmetry, Gothic towers, Baroque ornamentation, and Classical planning. This approach marked a significant departure from earlier revival movements. The goal was architectural synthesis. (1)
Looking closely at the chimney, passersby will see a DECORATIVE WINDOW in the chimney flue. This same unique architectural feature was used in [FANNIE STOUT HOUSE]] and the STOUT HOUSE, on Locust Street across the street from the CARNEGIE-STOUT PUBLIC LIBRARY, owned by Frank D. STOUT, Fannie's father.