Richardsonian Romanesque Architecture

Richardsonian Romanesque is an American style named for the architect Henry Hobson Richardson, developed in the Boston area and spreading westward across the United States mainly through the 1880s before declining in the early 20th century, with some later influence in Sweden and Finland. It draws on 11th and 12th century Romanesque building from southern France, Spain and Italy, expressed through strong, picturesque massing, round headed arches, clustered columns, deeply recessed entrances, varied stone rustication and cylindrical towers capped with cones. Trinity Church in Boston, completed in 1872, is Richardson's most celebrated design, and Albany City Hall, the Richardson Olmsted Complex in Buffalo and the Samuel Cupples House in St Louis extend the style into civic and institutional building. Richardsonian Romanesque strongly influenced the Chicago School and architects including Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright.