Editing Romanesque Revival Architecture (section)

== Characteristics ==

Romanesque Revival architecture emphasizes mass and weight, with heavy stone walls, round-arched openings, and minimal applied ornament that allows materials and proportions to create visual impact. Walls appear thick and fortress-like, their rough-faced stone expressing structural honesty. Round arches span windows, doors, and arcades, sometimes arranged in rhythmic sequences that create powerful horizontal emphasis. Towers and turrets, when present, rise from corners with the solid geometry of medieval fortifications rather than Gothic's aspiring verticality.<ref name="tatum">{{cite book |last=Tatum |first=George B. |title=Penn's Great Town: 250 Years of Philadelphia Architecture |year=1961 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

Materials in Romanesque Revival buildings receive careful treatment: rough-faced ashlar contrasts with smooth-cut stone at arches and trim; different colored stones create banding and decorative patterns; brick appears in combination with stone, often in contrasting colors. Carved ornament, when used, features stylized foliage, geometric patterns, and robust figural sculpture compatible with the style's overall heaviness. The aesthetic values weight, texture, and the natural qualities of materials over applied decoration.<ref name="ochsner"/>