Classical Revival (1900-1930)
History
The classical tradition re-emerged as an important force in Canadian architecture at the turn of the century as a reaction to the picturesque styles of the 19th century. While the revival was based upon the classical forms of ancient Greece and Rome, the intermediate sources and shades of the style were mixed. In its simplest form it is referred to as Neo-Classical and usually follows simple Greek architecture. Beaux-Arts Classicism is named after the Parisian architecture school Ecole des beaux-arts and was very popular in the United States. The Ecole encouraged designs of a grand nature with a formal and clearly structured arrangement of parts. Edwardian or English Baroque was very popular in Great Britain and was a freer, more inventive reworking of the architecture of the 16th century Renaissance and 17th century Baroque Italy, both of which borrowed heavily from classical Greek and Roman architecture. In many buildings these three influences were merged.
