The "Design Elements According To The Architect's Alphabet" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading the second letter of the Architects' Alphabet which is being written by local architect Gregory Scott for the Lancaster Newspaper.  If you can remember, I included a few stories in the past about the architect's alphabet when Greg published his first alphabet based on design elements in Lancaster County architecture.  Seems that it was so popular that he decided to go back through the alphabet one more time and give Lancaster residents a chance to view more architectural words.  Lancaster County is rich in architecture and can handle just about any letter of the alphabet many times over.  I too enjoy reading about architectural alphabet letters and will add a few of my own additions for you to read in the near future.  Greg has added his first architectural letter this time with the letter "A" for Acanthus.  The word  has been associated with architecture for ages.  It refers to a hardy plant which is native to the eastern Mediterranean region and capable of enduring severe weather and harsh climates.  The leaf of the plant is used as a design motif in Ancient Greek temples and dates back to 450 B.C.  The leaf has a thick serrated edge and is symbolic of long life.  

The acanthus leaves surround the bottom of the column

In today's architecture, acanthus leaves are used to decorate columns.  The Greeks had three separate designs that they used on columns which were Corinthian, Doric and Iconic.  The Corinthian columns employ acanthus leaves to decorate the column and is the most elaborate of the three styles.  Mr. Scott wrote that Lancaster's well known architect, C. Emlem Urban was a "classicist architect" and used this style quite a bit.  Acanthus leaves are also used as rooftop ornamentation as seen in Lancaster's Hager building and City Hall.  As architectural styles evolved, the Greek and Italian architectural designs gave way to styles that were less ornate.  Check out some of the designs in downtown Lancaster to see if you can fine acanthus leaves on Lancaster's buildings.  Walk around town and you might also be able to see the same type of architecture on homes in and around the city.  The leaf is usually associated with civic, religious and public buildings, but can be found at times on private residences.  Walk around downtown Lancaster and look up at the designs on the buildings and see if you can find some samples of acanthus architecture.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.