When thinking of similar buildings, does the US Capitol Building and the Texas State Capitol Building come to mind? If, not they should. Finished almost 88 years apart, it is easy to see that the architects of from Texas were definitely inspired by the neoclassicism that inspired those that created and designed the US Capitol Building. Following in the design of the United States capitol building in Washington D.C., the capitol building of Texas in Austin, brings together balance, symmetry, and scale into awe inspiring buildings.
The US Capitol Building, and city design, was tasked to Charles Pierre L’Enfant, who, in Italian style, chose to place buildings in conjoining squares. These conjoined squares had streets the originated at the center, …show more content…
Once designs were in place and construction finally began in 1793, several architect became involved because of the sheer complexity of the design. As per Thornton’s plan, an impressive rotunda acts as a museum, being sprinkled with statues of great war heroes, while the outside has eight great columns with large porches standing on each side. Finally, with a lot of work done, construction on the dome began, which was rebuilt, and reinforced in 1855, making the dome a massive, almost looming, part of the building, which the book suggests “keeps the building from looking like a cathedral. The Texas Capitol design resulted from a contest, similar to the one the went over for the US Capitol, and was won by a man from Detroit by the name of E.E. Myers. Originally supposed to be made of limestone, the quick discoloration of it led to need for something else. Luckily, a business near by donated most of the sunset colored granite to do the work, leaving the …show more content…
First, the most obvious of the elements used is the balance and symmetry of the buildings. Both use bilateral symmetry to achieve a beautiful look that is aesthetically pleasing, and because the buildings are so massive, gives the eye something to follow, and familiarity, as it looks across the building. Next, scale and proportion is used to create a large awe inspiring building. The most obvious of this is the massive domes that tower over the land surrounding and the building itself, creating something of power and prestige. This is further emulated when stepping inside of the building into the grand rotundas of both building. It is hard to not look up and reveal at the sheer size and impressiveness of both places. Once the eye has wondered up, it is hard to miss the detail that has gone into the design of the domes, making it hard to look away. These designs alone are works of art, but when placed into buildings of such power, really give off how much time and effort was placed into making these building not only functional, but incredibly elegant, because the design and beauty seem to never end, as one walks through the halls. With all of these elements coming together to create such unity, it seems that to even truly understand all that has been put into them, one would have to spend
The US Capitol Building, and city design, was tasked to Charles Pierre L’Enfant, who, in Italian style, chose to place buildings in conjoining squares. These conjoined squares had streets the originated at the center, …show more content…
Once designs were in place and construction finally began in 1793, several architect became involved because of the sheer complexity of the design. As per Thornton’s plan, an impressive rotunda acts as a museum, being sprinkled with statues of great war heroes, while the outside has eight great columns with large porches standing on each side. Finally, with a lot of work done, construction on the dome began, which was rebuilt, and reinforced in 1855, making the dome a massive, almost looming, part of the building, which the book suggests “keeps the building from looking like a cathedral. The Texas Capitol design resulted from a contest, similar to the one the went over for the US Capitol, and was won by a man from Detroit by the name of E.E. Myers. Originally supposed to be made of limestone, the quick discoloration of it led to need for something else. Luckily, a business near by donated most of the sunset colored granite to do the work, leaving the …show more content…
First, the most obvious of the elements used is the balance and symmetry of the buildings. Both use bilateral symmetry to achieve a beautiful look that is aesthetically pleasing, and because the buildings are so massive, gives the eye something to follow, and familiarity, as it looks across the building. Next, scale and proportion is used to create a large awe inspiring building. The most obvious of this is the massive domes that tower over the land surrounding and the building itself, creating something of power and prestige. This is further emulated when stepping inside of the building into the grand rotundas of both building. It is hard to not look up and reveal at the sheer size and impressiveness of both places. Once the eye has wondered up, it is hard to miss the detail that has gone into the design of the domes, making it hard to look away. These designs alone are works of art, but when placed into buildings of such power, really give off how much time and effort was placed into making these building not only functional, but incredibly elegant, because the design and beauty seem to never end, as one walks through the halls. With all of these elements coming together to create such unity, it seems that to even truly understand all that has been put into them, one would have to spend