New Formalism is an

architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...

that emerged in the United States during the mid-1950s and flowered in the 1960s. Buildings designed in that style exhibited many Classical elements including "strict symmetrical elevations"Wiffen, Marcus, American Architecture Since 1780: A Guide to the Styles, The M.I.T. Press, Cambridge Massachusetts, 1969 building proportion and scale, Classical columns, highly stylized

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

s and

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

s. The style was used primarily for high-profile cultural, institutional and civic buildings.

Edward Durrell Stone Edward Durell Stone (March 9, 1902 – August 6, 1978) was an American architect known for the formal, highly decorative buildings he designed in the 1950s and 1960s. His works include the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City, the Museo de A ...

's New Delhi American Embassy (1954), which blended the architecture of the east with modern western concepts, is considered to be the symbolic start of New Formalism architecture. Common features of the New Formalism style include: * Use of traditionally rich materials such as

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

, and

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

or man-made materials that mimic their luxurious qualities * Buildings usually set on a

podium A podium (plural podiums or podia) is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek ''πόδι'' (foot). In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podiums can also be used ...

* Designed to achieve modern monumentality * Embraces classical precedents, such as arches,

colonnades In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curve ...

, classical columns and

entablatures An entablature (; nativization of Italian language, Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of molding (decorative), moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capital (architecture), capitals. E ...

* Smooth wall surfaces * Delicacy of details * Formal landscape; use of pools, fountains, and a sculpture within a central plaza

Notable architects

Welton Becket Welton David Becket (August 8, 1902 – January 16, 1969) was an American modern architect who designed many buildings in Los Angeles, California. Biography Becket was born in Seattle, Washington and graduated from the University of Washingt ...

Philip Johnson Philip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an American architect best known for his works of modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the pos ...

Edward Durell Stone Edward Durell Stone (March 9, 1902 – August 6, 1978) was an American architect known for the formal, highly decorative buildings he designed in the 1950s and 1960s. His works include the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City, the Museo de A ...

Minoru Yamasaki was an American architect, best known for designing the original World Trade Center in New York City and several other large-scale projects. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century. He and fellow architect Edward D ...

Notable examples

McGregor Memorial Conference Center The McGregor Memorial Conference Center is an office building located at 495 Ferry Mall, on the campus of Wayne State University in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. Completed in 1958, the building was the first commission of the noted Japanese-Ameri ...

, Detroit, Michigan (1958) *

Pacific Science Center Pacific Science Center is an independent, non-profit science center in Seattle with a mission to ignite curiosity and fuel a passion for discovery, experimentation, and critical thinking. Pacific Science Center serves more than 1 million people e ...

, Seattle, Washington (1962) *

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

, New York City (1962/69) *

Memphis International Airport Memphis International Airport is a civil-military airport located southeast of Downtown Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. It is the primary international airport serving Memphis. It covers and has four runways., effective Au ...

, Memphis, Tennessee (1963) * Uptown Campus,

University at Albany, SUNY The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

, Albany, New York (1964) * 2 Columbus Circle, New York City (1964) *

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center, which is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt ...

, Los Angeles, California (1964) *

Cambridge Tower Cambridge Tower is a building in Austin, Texas, United States, that opened in 1965 as a luxury apartment tower. The building was designed by Dallas-based architect Thomas E. Stanley, and contains numerous New Formalism architectural elements inc ...

, Austin, Texas (1965) * Old

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

, Lower Manhattan, New York (1966) *

Ahmanson Theater The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that compose the Los Angeles Music Center. History The theatre was built as a result of a donation from Howard F. Ahmanson Sr, the founder of H.F. Ahmanson & Co., an insurance and savings and ...

, Los Angeles, California (1967) *

United States Confluence Theater United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

- now John H. Wood Federal Courthouse, San Antonio, Texas (1968) * The Forum, Inglewood, California (1967) *

Wilshire Colonnade Wilshire may refer to: People *Wilshire (surname) Places *Beaumont-Wilshire, Portland, Oregon, a neighborhood in that city * Stonybrook-Wilshire, Pennsylvania, a community in that state *Mid-Wilshire, a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles *Wilshi ...

, Los Angeles, California (1970) *

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, Washington, D.C. (1971) * Teacher Retirement System of Texas Headquarters, Austin, Texas (1973) * Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, Indonesia (1978) * Weber County Main Library, Ogden, Utah (1968)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:New Formalism architecture 20th-century architectural styles Architectural styles American architectural styles * * Architectural history