CLASSICAL STYLES, 1847-90 The stylistic history of Utah architecture during much of the nineteenth century is largely the demonstration of the enduring effects of eighteenth-century American Classicism. By the time of the Revolution, Renaissance-derived ideas had penetrated the colonial world and were working to transform a collection of essentially local building traditions into a single national style based on a revival of Classical principles. Geometrical composition and symmetrical balance were the hallmarks of Classical design; everywhere were to be found buildings with rectangular facades, centrally placed doors, and smooth, regularly punctuated elevations. Exterior appointments would eventually change, and several important, related styles would emerge during the century, yet the overriding concern for symmetrical design and Classical decorative features would remain a consistently powerful force in American architecture. These Classical styles were prevalent in the Midwest during the 1830s and '40s, and it was this tradition that was carried to the Great Basin by the early Mormon settlers. From small, symmetrically pierced log and adobe cabins in the outlying regions to the large Greek Revival mansions of Salt Lake City, Classicism dominated Utah architecture from the pioneer period until well into the 1880s. The important styles of this period are the Georgian, Federal, and Greek Revival. The Georgian style is primarily associated with the introduction and subsequent popularity of the Georgian house, a large, central-passage, two-room-deep structure with smooth exterior wall surfaces, heavy, flat-arched window heads, and a low-pitched gable roof. These houses were found during the eighteenth century from Maine to Georgia and were conspicuous symbols of economic achievement and social standing. The Federal style, so called because it rose to prominence along the East Coast during the early national or Federalist period between 1790 and 1820, continued many of the basic Georgian features. It is dis-
Fig. 145: Shadrach Jones house, 1872, Willard, Box Elder County. Jones was a Welsh stonemason who designed and built many of the stone houses in Willard. His own house, a compact symmetrical block, is a prototypical statement of Classical ideals. tinguished from the Georgian by the use of elliptical and round-arched windows and doors and by carved decorative ornament, elements that were played off against the rigid symmetry of the overall design. The Greek Revival style, popular in America from about 1820 to 1870, also used the symmetrical format, but featured such Hellenic elements as full entablature, pedimented window heads, pedimented cornice returns below low-pitched gable roofs, and elaborate Classical porticos. The Greek Revival is often interpreted as sign and symbol of the flowering of American democracy during the early nineteenth century, and while there may be some truth to this assertion, the Greek Revival must also be viewed as part of the larger rational, symmetrical movement in American architecture that occurred thoughout the previous century. 95
