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Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of
Romanesque Revival architecture Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...
named after the American
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque characteristics. Richardson first used elements of the style in his
Richardson Olmsted Complex The Richardson Olmsted Campus in Buffalo, New York, United States, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986. ''Note:'' This includes , , an''Accompanying three photographs''/ref> The site was designed by the American architect Henry Ho ...
in
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
, designed in 1870. Multiple architects followed in this style in the late 19th century; Richardsonian Romanesque later influenced modern styles of architecture as well.


History and development

This very free revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish and Italian Romanesque characteristics. It emphasizes clear, strong picturesque massing, round-headed "Romanesque" arches, often springing from clusters of short squat columns, recessed entrances, richly varied rustication, blank stretches of walling contrasting with bands of windows, and cylindrical towers with conical caps embedded in the walling.


Architects working in the style

The style includes work by the generation of architects practicing in the 1880s before the influence of the
Beaux-Arts style Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorporat ...
s. It is epitomised by the
American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 int ...
's original 77th Street building by J. Cleaveland Cady of Cady, Berg and See in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. It was seen in smaller communities in this time period such as in St. Thomas, Ontario's city hall and Menomonie, Wisconsin's Mabel Tainter Memorial Building, 1890. Some of the practitioners who most faithfully followed Richardson's proportion, massing and detailing had worked in his office. These include: * Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow and Frank Alden ( Longfellow, Alden & Harlow of Boston & Pittsburgh); *George Shepley and Charles Coolidge (Richardson's former employees, and his successor firm, Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge of Boston); * Herbert C Burdett (Marling & Burdett of Buffalo). Other architects who employed Richardson Romanesque elements in their designs include: * Spier and Rohns and George D. Mason, both firms from
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
; * Edward J. Lennox and John Wellborn Root, Toronto-based architects who derived many of their designs from the Richardson Style; * Harvey Ellis designed in this style in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...
. *Fenimore C. Bate designed the Grays Armory in this style in
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...
. *
Theodore Link Theodore C. Link, FAIA, (March 17, 1850 – November 12, 1923) was a German-born American architect and newspaper publisher. He designed buildings for the 1904 World's Fair, Louisiana State University, and the Mississippi State Capitol. Early ...
designed in this style in St. Louis, Missouri and surrounding area. The style also influenced the Chicago school of architecture and architects Louis Sullivan and
Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
. Overseas,
Folke Zettervall Folke Zettervall (21 October 1862 – 12 March 1955) was a Swedish architect and head architect with the Swedish State Railways (''Statens Järnvägar'') between 1895 and 1930. Biography Zettervall was born at Lund, Sweden. He was the son of ...
was influenced by the Richardson style when he designed several railway stations in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
during this period. In Finland, Eliel Saarinen was influenced by Richardson.


Dispersion

Research is underway to try to document the westward movement of the artisans and craftsmen, many of whom were immigrant
Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...
and Irish, who built in the Richardsonian Romanesque tradition. The style began in the East, in and around Boston, where Richardson built the influential Trinity Church on
Copley Square Copley Square , named for painter John Singleton Copley, is a public square in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, bounded by Boylston Street, Clarendon Street, St. James Avenue, and Dartmouth Street. Prior to 1883 it was known as Art Square due to i ...
. As the style was losing favor in the East, it was gaining popularity further west. Stone carvers and masons trained in the Richardsonian manner appear to have taken the style west, until it died out in the early decades of the 20th century. As an example, four small bank buildings were built in Richardsonian Romanesque style in Osage County, Oklahoma, during 1904–1911.


Gallery

: ''For pictures of H. H. Richardson’s own designs and some of the details, see Henry Hobson Richardson.'' With the exception of the Richardson Olmsted Complex, none of the following structures were designed by Richardson. They illustrate the strength of his architectural personality on progressive North American architecture from 1885 to 1905. They are divided into categories denoting the various different uses of the buildings. File:Minneapolis City Hall-Hennepin County Courthouse.jpg, Minneapolis City Hall, Franklin Bidwell Long and Frederick G. Kees, architects, finished 1906 File:CincinnatiCityHall.jpg, Cincinnati City Hall, Samuel Hannaford, architect, completed 1893 File:Allegheny County Courthouse in 2016.jpg, Allegheny County Courthouse,
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, completed 1888 File:Ontario Legislative Assembly, Toronto, May 2006.jpg, Ontario Legislative Building,
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, opened 1893 File:Salt lake city county bldg.jpg,
Salt Lake City and County Building The Salt Lake City and County Building, usually called the "City-County Building", is the seat of government for Salt Lake City, Utah. The historic landmark formerly housed offices for Salt Lake County government as well, hence the name. History ...
,
Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, t ...
, Monheim, Bird, and Proudfoot architects, 1894 File:Brooklyn Post Office 0321071421a.jpg, Brooklyn General Post Office, Cadman Plaza. Mifflin E. Bell, 1885–91 File:Old Post Office Pavilion, Washington DC.jpg, Old Post Office Building in Washington, D.C. , designed by Willoughby J. Edbrooke, completed in 1899 File:Landmark Center.jpg, Old Federal Courts Building, St. Paul MN (now Landmark Center), ( Willoughby J. Edbrooke, designed 1892, completed 1901) File:Milwaukee Federal Courthouse, Post Office, 1882-99.jpg, Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, Milwaukee, WI, designed by Willoughby J. Edbrooke and built 1892–99 File:BarbourCountyCourthouse.jpg, The Barbour County Courthouse in Philippi, West Virginia, completed 1905 File:City Hall Ft W IN 1.jpg, Old City Hall in Fort Wayne, Indiana, completed in 1893 File:Dallas - Old Red Museum 01.jpg, Dallas County Courthouse, now Old Red Museum, designed & constructed by architect and contractor Max A. Orlopp Jr. in 1891 File:Mcculloch county courthouse 2010.jpg,
McCulloch County Courthouse The McCulloch County Courthouse is located in Brady, McCulloch County, in the U.S. state of Texas. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in McCulloch County, Texas in 1977, and became a Recorded Texas Historic Landm ...
(Texas) in Brady, Texas, built by Martin & Moodie, completed in 1900 File:Salem Superior Court.JPG, Salem Superior Court, Salem, Massachusetts. Constructed in 1864 as an Italianate design, it was remodeled in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by 1889 File:FederalBuildingRochesterNewYorkFrontView.JPG, Rochester City Hall, NY Harvey Ellis and Mifflin E. Bell, completed in 1889
File:Science Hall, University of Wisconsin Madison.JPG, Science Hall at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
in
Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th ...
, designed by
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...
architect Henry C. Koch and completed in 1887 File:CentralHighPostcard.jpg,
Central High School (Springfield, Missouri) Central High School is a high school located in uptown Springfield, Missouri. The school, a part of Springfield Public Schools, was Springfield's first high school to be built. Construction of the building was completed in 1893. The first graduat ...
,
Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an esti ...
, built in 1894 File:Lincoln School RI IL.jpg, Lincoln School, Rock Island, Illinois, built 1893 by E.S. Hammatt, landmarked in 1984 and demolished in 2012 File:Victoria College.jpg, Old Vic, the main building of Victoria College, Toronto, built in 1892 by
W. G. Storm William George Storm (1826–1892) was a Canadian architect who designed a number of prominent monuments in Toronto, Ontario. He was born in England and immigrated to Canada while still a child and was raised in Cobourg, Ontario. His father was ...
File:Altgeld Hall - UIUC - DSC09097.JPG,
Altgeld Hall Altgeld Hall, located at 1409 West Green Street in Urbana, Illinois on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus, was built in 1896–97 and was designed by Nathan Ricker and James M. White of the University's architecture depa ...
at the
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Un ...
; Nathan Ricker and James McLaren White, architects, 1896-7 File:Pillsbury Hall.jpg, Pillsbury Hall, on the
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...
campus; LeRoy Buffington, architect, Harvey Ellis, designer, 1887 File:Rutlo 3772831372 Southwestern.jpg, The Hugh Roy and Lillie Cullen Building on the campus of
Southwestern University Southwestern University (Southwestern or SU) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Georgetown, Texas. Formed in 1873 from a revival of collegiate charters granted in 1840, Southwestern ...
, built in 1898 File:Italian Renaissance Princeton, NJ.JPG, Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
;
Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of w ...
; William A. Potter, architect, 1894 File:Crouse College, Syracuse University.jpg,
Crouse College Crouse College, also known as Crouse Memorial College and historically as John Crouse Memorial College for Women, is a building on the Syracuse University campus. It was funded by John R. Crouse, a wealthy Syracuse merchant (principal donation) w ...
built on the campus of Syracuse University in 1881 File:OrtonHall.JPG, Orton Hall, The Ohio State University, completed 1893 File:Durand Art Institute.jpg, Durand Art Institute,
Lake Forest College Lake Forest College is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Lind University by a group of Presbyterian ministers, the college has been coeducational since 1876 and an undergraduate-focused liberal arts in ...
, Lake Forest, Illinois. Henry Ives Cobb architect, completed 1891 File:Williams Free Library front.jpg, Williams Free Library, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Opened 1891. Architect Walter Holbrook File:ActonMemorialLibrary2.jpg, Acton Memorial Library, Acton, Massachusetts,
Hartwell and Richardson Hartwell and Richardson was a Boston, Massachusetts architectural firm established in 1881, by Henry Walker Hartwell (1833–1919) and William Cummings Richardson (1854–1935). The firm contributed significantly to the current building stock and ...
, architects, completed 1891 File:Westminster Castle in Colorado.JPG, The Westminster Castle in Westminster, Colorado as it appeared on 29 May 2008 File:Thompson Hall, UNH Sunset.jpg, Thompson Hall at The University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH File:LadiesLiteraryClubGrandRapidsMI.jpg,
Ladies' Literary Club The Ladies' Literary Club also known as Wednesday Literary Club was built as a social club building located at 61 Sheldon Street SE in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. As of 2019, the bui ...
,
Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is th ...
, Architect W.G. Robinson, Completed 1887 File:NewberryHall.jpg,
Newberry Hall The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology is a museum of archaeology located on the University of Michigan central campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the United States. The museum is a unit of the University of Michigan's University of Michigan College of Lit ...
at the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
,
Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all ...
, Architects Spier and Rohns, Completed 1888
File:Union Depot, Pueblo, CO.jpg,
Pueblo Union Depot Pueblo Union Depot is the historic railroad station in Pueblo, Colorado. It was built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style in 1889–1890 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It is located within the Union Avenue Histor ...
in
Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 111,876 at the 2020 United States Census, making Pueblo the ninth most popu ...
, James A. McGonigle of Leavenworth, Kansas and Sprague and Newall of
Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, architects, 1889–90 File:High Service Pumping Station, Chestnut Hill, Sudbury Aqueduct.jpg, The High Service Building at Chestnut Hill Water Works,
Beacon Street Beacon Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts and its western suburbs Brookline and Newton. It passes through many of Boston's central and western neighborhoods, including Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Fenway–Kenmore, the Boston Uni ...
, Boston, Massachusetts; Arthur H. Vinal, architect, 1887 File:CRRNJ Terminal, Liberty State Park, Jersey City NJ.jpg,
Communipaw Terminal The Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, also known as Communipaw Terminal and Jersey City Terminal, was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's waterfront passenger terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey. The terminal was built in 1889, replacing ...
,
Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Peabody & Stearns, architects, 1889 File:The Professional Building.jpg, The City Bank Building (now The Professional Building) in Wheeling, West Virginia, in the Wheeling Historic District, completed in 1892, Edward Bates Franzheim, architect File:Picture of old Ann Arbor train station.jpeg, Former
Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all ...
train station, Spier & Rohns, architects, 1886 File:Starkweather Chapel.jpg, Starkweather Chapel,
Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, an ...
; George D. Mason, 1888 File:United Methodist Church, Washington, NJ - south view.jpg, First Methodist Episcopal Church, Washington, New Jersey, Samuel A. Brouse, 1895 File:Christ Church - Andover, MA - DSC03498.JPG, Christ Church, Andover, MA,
Hartwell and Richardson Hartwell and Richardson was a Boston, Massachusetts architectural firm established in 1881, by Henry Walker Hartwell (1833–1919) and William Cummings Richardson (1854–1935). The firm contributed significantly to the current building stock and ...
, 1882 File:Rollins-Chapel-Dartmouth-College-College-Street-Hanover-New-Hampshire-05-2018 (cropped).jpg, Rollins Chapel,
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
, John Lyman Faxon, 1884-85 File:OakwoodChapel.jpg, Gardner Earl Memorial Chapel, Fuller & Wheeler, 1887–89 File:Shadyside Presbyterian Church.jpg, Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, 1890
File:K.W. Smith Residence.jpg, K.W. Smith House
Mason Maury Johnson Mason Maury (May 1, 1847 – January 2, 1919) was an American architect and inventor who designed and built over 700 residential and commercial structures, mostly in Louisville, Kentucky where he pioneered Richardsonian Romanesque and Pr ...
, Architect, Louisville, Kentucky, 1886 File:Cupples house 1890.jpg,
Cupples House The Samuel Cupples House is a historic mansion in St. Louis, Missouri, constructed from 1888 to 1890 by Samuel Cupples. It is now a museum on the campus of Saint Louis University. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 19 ...
on the campus of Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, 1888–1890 File:Frank House (Kearney, Nebraska) from NE 1.JPG, George W. Frank House, Kearney, NE, designed by Frank, Bailey and Farmer, completed in 1889 File:Oland House, Halifax, Nova Scotia.jpg, Oland House, 1890,
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. Th ...
File:James J. Hill House.jpg,
James J. Hill House The James J. Hill House in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, was built by railroad magnate James J. Hill. The house, completed in 1891, is near the eastern end of Summit Avenue near the Cathedral of Saint Paul. The house, for its time, was ...
, 240 Summit Avenue,
St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...
. Peabody & Stearns; Mark Fitzpatrick, architects, completed 1891 File:JohnUriLloydHouse.jpg, John Uri Lloyd House near the campus of the University of Cincinnati was built for a Cincinnati pharmacist by James W. McLaughlin File:Buhl Mansion (14748028152).jpg, Buhl Mansion in
Sharon, Pennsylvania Sharon is a city in western Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city, located along the banks of the Shenango River on the state border with Ohio, is about northeast of Youngstown, about southeast of Cleveland and about northwe ...
, designed by Charles Henry Owsley, completed in 1891.


See also

* H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton


References

Notes Bibliography *Kelsey, Mavis P. and Donald H. Dyal, ''The Courthouses of Texas: A Guide'', Texas A&M University Press, College Station Texas 1993 *Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, ''Architectural Sculpture in America'' unpublished manuscript *Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, ''Starkweather Memorial Chapel, Highland Cemetery, Ypsilanti, Michigan'', Unpublished paper 1983 *Larson, Paul C., Editor, with Susan Brown, ''The Spirit of H. H. Richardson on the Midwest Prairies'', University Art Museum, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and Iowa State University Press, Ames 1988 *Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ''H. H. Richardson: Complete Architectural Works'', MIT Press, Cambridge MA 1984 *Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, and Andersen, Dennis Alan, ''Distant Corner: Seattle Architects and the Legacy of H. H. Richardson'', University of Washington Press, Seattle WA 2003 *Van Rensselaer, Mariana Griswold, ''Henry Hobson Richardson and His Works'', Dover Publications, Inc. NY 1959 (Reprint of 1888 edition)


External links


Digital archive of American architecture:
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque described and illustrated by buildings in Buffalo, New York
{{Architecture in the United States * * Architectural styles Revival architectural styles American architectural styles Victorian architectural styles House styles 19th-century architectural styles