Richardsonian Romanesque Blocks (1880s-1890s)
During the 1880s, the Italianate commercial block was still being constructed, but new architectural trends were also emerging. The Romanesque style, more specifically Richardsonian Romanesque, was popularized during the late 19th century. These commercial blocks of brick or stone feature heavy, round or segmented, rusticated, stone arch windows and doors. Occasionally a tower, also popular with the Queen Anne style of the 1880s and 1890s, rose from one or more corners.
Heavy, round arch windows typically frame windows and doors. Many of these arches are large, having more than one window bay within the arch. Rough-cut stone embellishes the arches.
Richardsonian Romanesque: Image courtesy of Elizabeth André
Richardsonian Romanesque: Image courtesy of Elizabeth André. Image courtesy of the University of Vermont Landscape Change Program and the Vermont Historical Society.
Segmented-arch windows are also common, having rusticated, stone, splayed lintels.
Richardsonian Romanesque: Image courtesy the University of Vermont Landscape Change Program and the University of Vermont Special Collections. Image courtesy of Elizabeth André.
Many Romanesque structures feature prominent towers, as seen in the images below. Also note the rusticated stone of the tower in the image on the left and the rusticated, splayed stone lintels in over the windows in the image on the right.
Richardsonian Romanesque: Image courtesy of Elizabeth André
The end of the Romanesque period transitioned into the Colonial Revival period. In the image below, the upper story boasts heavy round arches of the Romanesque, while the second story boasts the windows with oversized, splayed, brick lintels that were heavily used during the Colonial Revival period. The structure, with its transitioning features, likely around 1900.
Richardsonian Romanesque with Colonial Revival Details: Image courtesy of Elizabeth André
