Girard Trust Company [now Ritz-Carlton Hotel]--page 1 (of two pages)

McKim, Mead and White
1905-8



Neoclassical Revival bank building

As explained by the authors of Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City, a revival of neoclassical architecture occurred in the United States after the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, with McKim, Mead and White as the architectural firm in the lead of this movement and with this building as the best example of the style in Philadelphia. They add," Most neoclassical buildings are based on the Greek orders, but they are larger than the Greek Revival buildings of the 19th century and less ornate than their Beaux-Arts predecessors. Stone or marble buildings are characterized by large, plain wall surfaces, flat pilasters, pedimented porticos and the use of single rather than double columns" (96).

 

The dome

The dome has a skylit oculus in the center. See page 2 with views of the interior.
 

The pedimented portico

 
 

The entrance portal

 


Continue to page 2.

Work Cited:
Foundation for Architecture. Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City. Second Edition. Philadelphia, Foundation for Architecture, 1994.

See other examples of works by McKim, Mead and White in artists' index on this site.


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© 2008 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site), scanned, and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.