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European medieval architecture in North America

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The ruins of the Hvalsey Church in Greenland.

Medieval architecture in North America is an anachronism. Some structures in North America can however be classified as medieval, either by age or origin. In rare cases these structures are seen as evidence of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact. Although much of this is pseudoscience, these buildings are of interest to American scholars of medieval architecture.

Pre-Columbian buildings

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Transported buildings

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Medieval building that have been transported to North America in modern times.

Other later period buildings were also transported like the Cotswold Cottage, built in the early 17th century in Chedworth, Gloucestershire, England, now in The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan.[15] The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, London, which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1677 is now the National Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri. It includes a spiral staircase which probably dates to the 12th century.[16]

Gothic Revival

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In the 19th Century a movement to recreate medieval architecture reached the Americas, the Gothic Revival. Neo-Gothic styles buildings were erected bringing more medieval architecture into the United States. Not all architects were true to the original design and style. The traditional Lancet arch and triforium found in medieval churches was combined, in some instances, with modern technology to create buildings like the Tribune Tower, a skyscraper in Chicago.[17]

Notes

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  1. ^ "L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site". Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Hvalsey Church ruin". Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  3. ^ "The Cloisters" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. March 19, 1974. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  4. ^ "npgallery.nps.gov". Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Cloister with Elements from the Abbey of Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines". Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Cloister Section Romanesque". Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  7. ^ "A history of St. Joan of Arc Chapel". Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  9. ^ Bunderson, Carl (January 10, 2013). "California monks build new chapel with medieval stones". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  10. ^ "French Chapel". dia.org. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Cloister". nelson-atkins.org. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  12. ^ "npgallery.nps.gov". Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Hammond Castle Museum". Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  14. ^ "Chapter House". Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  15. ^ "Cotswold Cottage". Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  16. ^ Sheila M. Hannah (October 1970). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Winston Churchill Memorial" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Gothic Revival".