Sticks and Stones · Chapter
The Heritage of the Renaissance explained
This chapter examines the transformation of American architecture from the medieval village community to the influence of the Renaissance.
What happens
This chapter examines the transformation of American architecture from the medieval village community to the influence of the Renaissance. It describes how economic shifts from farming to maritime trade broke up village unity, created class divisions, and introduced professional architects who supplanted the carpenter-builder. The chapter traces the spread of classical motifs through pattern books and the works of figures like Palladio and Lord Burlington, culminating in the Georgian style. It also critiques the later colonial revival as a superficial imitation lacking living architectural tradition.
Themes in this chapter
Community vs. Individualism
The chapter describes how maritime trade broke up the internal unity of the village community, creating individual wealth and class divisions.
Craftsmanship vs. Mechanization
The carpenter-builder's independent craftsmanship was undermined by the professional architect and the influence of pattern books, leading to a loss of local diversity.
Economic and Social Foundations of Art
Economic shifts from farming to trade and the rise of a merchant class directly affected architectural practice and the decline of the guild system.
Human Scale and Organic Urban Planning
The chapter contrasts the organic, locally adapted vernacular architecture with the imposition of a single canon of taste from the Renaissance.
Characters to notice
- Thomas Jefferson
Designed a Chinese-style pavilion for Monticello before the Revolution, illustrating the eclectic Oriental influence of the eighteenth century.
- Alexander Pope
Summed up the situation with classic precision to Lord Burlington, warning that imitation of Palladian rules would lead to many blunders.
- Lord Burlington
Published Palladio's Antiquities of Rome; Pope addressed his warning to him about the dangers of architectural imitation.
- Andrea Palladio
His works, along with Vignola's, became the basis for architectural pattern books that guided builders in the Georgian style.
- Charles Dickens
Mentioned as being dazzled by the whiteness of colonial architecture on his first visit to America, thinking all houses were built only yesterday.
- Robert Adam
Listed among the architects whose works (the brothers Adam) influenced architecture after the mid-eighteenth century.
Key passages
“With the end of the seventeenth century the economic basis of provincial life shifted from the farm to the sea.”
By the late 1600s, the economy of the colonies moved from agriculture to maritime commerce.
This shift initiated the breakup of village unity and the rise of class distinctions.
“Under competition with architects and amateurs of taste, the carpenter-builder lost his position as an independent craftsman, building intelligently for his equals.”
The carpenter-builder, once an independent craftsman, was displaced by professional architects and taste-makers.
This marks the decline of vernacular craftsmanship in favor of imported styles.
“You show us Rome was glorious, not profuse, And pompous buildings once were things of use. Yet shall, my lord, your just and noble rules Fill half the land with imitation fools.”
Pope warns Lord Burlington that his architectural rules, though noble, will lead to widespread imitation and blunders.
This quote encapsulates the tension between classical ideals and their mechanical application.
