An Introduction to the American Greek Revival, with architect Jacques Levet

Published 2021-04-22

Architect Jacques Levet presents an introductory course on the Greek Revival, an American design phenomenon that originated in the 19th-century and continues to influence our buildings today.

This course is presented by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, a national nonprofit promoting the practice, understanding, and appreciation of classical design. To watch more online classes like this one, or to become a member and support our educational mission, visit www.classicist.org/ .

About the Course:
In the 19th century, Grecian architecture was utilized to help develop what is often referred to as the country’s first national architecture. It led an aesthetic movement that crossed social boundaries and affected urban and rural landscapes of areas as different as Baltimore, Maryland and New Orleans, Louisiana. This course will examine the development of this Greek Revival movement in the United States by investigating its origins, discussing how this architectural language became prevalent in our country, and demonstrating through a Louisiana case study how it affected the architectural development of existing building traditions. It will additionally focus on a series of particular elements of interest to designers and builders and discuss references available for use and study. By examining the use of Grecian precedent as a source for modern design in the 19th century, the course will demonstrate how the Greek Revival language can continue to inspire design solutions today.

Learning Objectives
1. Understand the basics of the development of the Grecian movement in the United States
2. Become familiar with the various modes of transmission that allowed the Grecian movement to become prevalent across the country
3. Understand how precedent was utilized to adapt the language to existing traditions
4. Understand how the Grecian movement is an example of utilizing historic precedent towards new forms and building types
5. Identify various elements that can be utilized and adapted in modern designs
6. Be familiar with historical and modern resources to utilize as design references and further research

Course Navigation and Review Questions
As you watch the video, you can browse by subject using the course outline and timestamps below. As you progress through the video, you can follow along with optional (ungraded) review questions here to help assess your understanding of the material: www.classicist.org/introduction-to-the-american-gr…

00:00 Introduction to Course Goals; History and Transmission of Grecian Architecture
12:20 Historical Use of Precedent
16:35 Precedent for Modern Work
37:13 Effect on the Vernacular; Resources

Sponsors:
Thank You to our Lead Sponsor for Continuing Education, Uberto ConstructionA Special Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor of Online Education: Douglas C. Wright Architects

Receive credit for this course:
Viewers may receive 1.25 AIA CES Learning Units|Elective and 1.25 credits towards the Certificate in Classical Architecture (Elective) by watching this video course and subsequently scoring at least 70% on a summative assessment that tests your understanding of the material. Take the assessment by clicking here: www.classicist.org/jacques-levet-american-greek-re…

About the Instructor:
Jacques Levet, Jr., born and raised in Southeast Louisiana, began his professional education by studying biomedical engineering and medicine. During his medical training, he became involved in the preservation community of New Orleans and founded a youth-oriented organization, Louisiana Home, aimed at safeguarding the state’s cultural heritage. After two years of medical school and becoming increasingly more passionate about architecture, Jacques decided to change his career path and pursued a masters degree in Classical Architecture at Notre Dame.

While at Notre Dame, Jacques received the Acanthus Award for Classical and Vernacular design and a Travel Fellowship to study American Greek Revival architecture, traveling over 6000 miles around the country to study over 100 different sites. In 2016, Jacques was awarded the J. Neel Reid Prize by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, a travel fellowship that allowed him to examine Thomas Jefferson’s time in Paris and how Jefferson’s application of the ideas he saw in France advanced the built environment in America. In 2018, he received a Shutze Award for his design for a Center of Architecture in New Orleans as well as the Suzanne Kasler Paris Drawing Tour Scholarship. He currently works for D. Stanley Dixon Architect.

@artisanhome8980 11 months ago

Thanks for sharing!

@brookereinke807 1 year ago

Super concise and informative!

@CrankyHermit 3 years ago

Very fine and informative presentation, rich with contextual detail, succinctly and enjoyably delivered. I especially appreciate your obvious affection for many of the Louisiana buildings with which you're so familiar, most of which were new to me. I found myself equally charmed, I think, by those smaller works you featured -- clearly favorites of yours.

@TheCaffeinatedOrganist 3 years ago

Positively outstanding lecture. Haven’t heard a better presentation since I heard Robert Gamble as a kid in Montgomery. I hope to find more of your lectures online.

@sul6ans 3 years ago

Thank you so much. I enjoyed it a lot.

@ashlibiana1502 3 years ago

Thank you! Excellent and enjoyable.

@CheeseBae 2 years ago

I think the reason the Romans probably moved toward simple circular shapes is because it's much easier to recreate those profiles if you need to do repairs or do additional work. Once you get into ellipticals it would seem to me as if every carpenter's profiles would be different, and if you lost or broke the molding plane that exact shape may be lost forever. So moving to a circle just seems like an easier way to standardize shapes, and the Romans were very practical.