"A" - Arches - Needless to say, this may be one of the easiest letters to be able to identify and illustrate. I have picked two locations in the city which shows examples of arches in their architecture. An arch is a curved structure that spans an opening and supports weight above by deflecting it to the sides. The Romans have been given credit for this architectural design, but they really didn't invent it. Remember the famous aqueduct arcades that transported water long distances across varied terrain? The eight basic arch designs are: semicircular, segmental, lancet, jack, trefoil, elliptical, horseshoe and Tudor. Arches allow masonry to span great distances and are typically constructed with brick or cut stone.
The arch, made out of both brick and stone, is part of Lancaster's Police Station. |
Arches abound at my home church, St. James Episcopal. |
"R" - Roundel - The roundel describes a round window or small circular panel. The roundel can be found on walls, windows, dormers, doors, transoms and sidelights. Roundels are at times called bull's eye, oculus, oeil-de-boeuf, oxeye and circular. The roundel can also be an opaque disc or circular shape found on a building's facade. Both of the following photos show the round panels on the top of them. Both are multi-floor buildings that housed stores at one time.
"T" - Tympanum - This architectural word is pronounced "TIM-pe-nem" and is a rather unusual word for a common architectural and anatomical element. Tympanum is the decorative wall surface or "filler" found in the triangular or semicircular space above building entrances. They are mostly found in the pediments of Greek and Roman architecture and may include religious imagery that depicts a story or historic event.
Lancaster County Library on North Duke Street shows the Tympanum on the top of the building.
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Decorative filler is found above the front door of Franklin & Marshall's Shadek-Fackenthal Library.
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