Neoclassicism: A Lens for the Interpretation and Creation of Nationalistic Architecture and the Built Environment

Robert Pinkston, Interior Design, William Amos Hough High School

Final Unit(pdf)   Implementing Teaching Standards(pdf)

Synopsis:

Architecture and the built environment are powerful tools in the hands of those who are skillful at wielding them to their purpose. Architecture conveys ideals and philosophies and when used effectively, dialogs with those that interact with it. The early Greeks and Romans successfully synthesized their quest for world domination, power and strength into their architectural form which was revitalized by Palladio and spread throughout Europe. It was recognized as Neoclassicism and became the model for government buildings throughout Europe and the United States. This unit explores the neoclassic architectural form and its connections to nationalism and national identity by tracing it back to its source and examining the expressions of it in the United States and later in Nazi Germany.