It was an ordinary day. Driving through the quaint, little city known as Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I know that to many, Lancaster is no longer quaint or little, but to me, a life-long citizen of the city of Lancaster, it will never be anything but both of those adjectives. I recently read a full-page story in Lancaster's newspaper titled "Our Gilded Age" which recalled the downtown Beaux Arts era with included beautiful white facades, strong symmetry, decorative and textured walls and sculptured stonework. Easy to identify all the photographs that were taken by the author of the story, Interior Designer Gregory Scott. I had a few hours to kill so I hopped in my car and headed downtown to take a few more photos to further illustrate what Mr. Scott had written about in the Lancaster Newspaper. Beaux Arts is characterized by order, symmetry, formal design, grandiosity, and elaborate ornamentation. Architectural characteristics include balustrades, balconies, columns, cornices, pilasters, and triangular pediments. Interiors are typically polished and lavishly decorated with sculptures, swags, medallions, flowers, and shields. Interiors will often have a grand stairway and opulent ballroom. Large arches rival the ancient Roman arches. It is the showy, almost operatic, manner in which these elements are composed that gives the style its characteristic flavor. Because of the size and grandiosity of the buildings, the Beaux-Arts style is most commonly used for public buildings like museums, railway stations, libraries, banks, courthouses, and government buildings. So, take a look at a few of the buildings that call the city of Lancaster home and also illustrate the Beaux Arts era of architecture.
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The Kirk Johnson Building on West King Street.
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The Harolds Building on West King Street
The Hagar Building on West King Street
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| A department store at 50 N. Queen Street dated 1911 |
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| Kirk Johnson Building on West King Street |
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The old Watt & Shand Building that sits at the intersection of Queen and King Streets.
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