Architecture
This historic theme is
concerned with the development and expression of building design within
the present territory of the United States. It deals with the careers
and works of leading architects, structures of outstanding value in
design, the evolution of significant architectural styles, and
structures richly representative of particular types or geographical
regions. Also included is the field of urban design. Subthemes have
approximate dates:
A. Colonial (1600-1730)
B. Georgian (1730-1780)
C. Federal (1780-1820)
D. Greek Revival (1820-1840)
E. Gothic Revival (1830-1915)
F. Romanesque Revival (1840-1900)
G. Renaissance Revival (1810-1920)
H. Exotic Revivals (1830-1860)
I. Second Empire (1850-1890)
J. Stick Style (1860-1890)
K. Queen Anne-Eastlake (1880-1900)
L. Shingle Style
|
M. Period Revivals (1870-1940)
N. Commercial (1890-1915)
O. Sullivanesque (1890-1915)
P. Prairie (1890-1915)
Q. Bungalow (1890-1940)
R. Craftsman (1890-1915)
S. Wrightian (1887-present)
T. Moderne-Art Deco (1920-1945)
U. International (1915-1945)
V. Historic District (multiple styles and dates)
W. Regional and Urban Planning
X. Vernacular Architecture
Y. Rustic Architecture
|
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial: Gateway Arch
|
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is an example of a
National Park Service unit that is representative of the
Architecture historical theme. In 1947 the Jefferson National
Expansion Memorial Association, a group of public-spirited citizens,
held a nationwide competition to obtain an appropriate design for the
Memorial. The winner in the competition was the late Eero Saarinen,
whose design was dominated by the now famous Gateway Arch.
Eero
Saarinen, in designing the Arch, conceived of it in stainless steel, and
asked Fred Severud to study its feasibility from the structural
engineering point of view, again demonstrating the need for joining the
skills of more than one discipline in order to create a project of this
magnitude.
The
stainless-steel-faced Arch spans 630 ft. between the outer faces of its
triangular legs at ground level, and its top soars 630 ft. into the sky.
It takes the shape of an inverted catenary curve, a shape such as would
be formed by a heavy chain hanging freely between two
supports.
Each
leg is an equilateral triangle with sides 54 ft. long at ground level,
tapering to 17 ft. at the top. The legs have double walls of steel 3 ft.
apart at ground level and 7-3/4 in. apart above the 400-foot level. Up
to the 300-foot mark the space between the walls is filled with
reinforced concrete. Beyond that point steel stiffeners are
used.
The
double-walled, triangular sections were placed one on top of another and
then welded inside and out to build the legs of the Arch. Sections
ranged in height from 12 ft. at the base to 8 ft. for the two keystone
sections. The complex engineering design and construction is completely
hidden from view. All that can be seen is its sparkling stainless steel
outside skin and inner skin of carbon steel, which combine to carry the
gravity and wind loads to the ground. The Arch has no real structural
skeleton. Its inner and outer steel skins, joined to form a composite
structure, give it its strength and permanence.
The links below will take you to other NPS units
which contain additional information regarding this historical theme.
Following that are links to related materials, which will provide more
detailed Web sites that discuss selected aspects of this historical
theme.
National Park Service units
Related Links
|