Greek Revival
"20,000
American buildings bear the indelible imprint of the form of a Greek temple," claims Roger Kennedy, director emeritus of the National Museum of American History,
in his monumental book entitled Greek Revival America. About 80 of those
buildings, including the Hightstown Baptist church (left) are New Jersey
churches. Several hundred more in the state are private residences, banks,
colleges, or other public
structures,
most
built
between
1820 and
1860, but many as late as the 1930s. It is no wonder that Greek Revival was
once called this country's "National Style." The lavishly-illustrated book is at least as much about culture and connections
as it is about architectural styles, but it's a good excuse to review (again,
see the 2001 and 2005 features) the importance
of the debt we owe the Parthenon and other ancient Greek temples.
Kennedy emphasizes the idea that there was a political dimension to the Greek Revival, which became popular about the time when Greeks were asserting their independence from their Turkish rulers (1820s). This country identified strongly with that independence movement (the birthplace of democracy and all), although we did nothing to aid it, which is not entirely surprising since President Monroe's emaciated navy was scarcely able to defend American shipping beyond the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Patriotic addresses of the time were replete with assertions of our republic simplicity, and James Fenimore Cooper even wrote of the "Doric" virtues of Washington and Jackson—meaning austere and heroic. Architect Robert Mills, working for Jackson, developed a ceremonious Greek style for the nation's capital, which persisted well into the twentieth century.
The Greek Revival style was readily adapted to domestic architecture. Thousands of frame buildings were erected with a front gable roof of low pitch and a wide cornice; many have entry porches, although those may be modest or full-width with a row of columns, and many frame houses have square pilasters at the corners. This was the dominant style from about 1820 to 1860, so much so it was called the National Style. Residents living in Madison will certainly think of Drew University's Mead Hall, built for Thomas Gibbons in 1832-36, and now the university's administration building. Princeton probably has several dozen Greek Revival residences, and Flemington has several. Although one often thinks of southern palatial mansions, with their two-story columns as the archetype of the style, in fact ,New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois probably have more Greek Revival dwellings than all the other states combined—it was a style that moved west with the frontier.
The earliest Greek Revival church in New Jersey is probably the Miller
Chapel at the Princeton Theological Seminary. It was built in 1833, very
likely from plans drawn up by Philadelphia architect Thomas Ustick Walter.
The Greek Revival façade of this building is classicism at its purest, including
the steps and the base of the Doric columns. It has been attributed to a
local architect-builder, Charles Steadman, but that is doubtful, in my
opinion; Steadman worked on the First Presbyterian church in town, where
he was responsible
for finishing the interior and exterior, and had purchased a design for the
building from Walter. It is likely that Steadman served
as a general contractor, and Walter, who was known for his classical designs,
was responsible for the plan. It has a full portico and is certainly modeled
on the Parthenon.
The exceptional First Presbyterian churches in Princeton and Trenton have been discussed here before, so I'll skip over them to call attention to several other notable Greek Revival churches in the state that are less well known.
The Presbyterian church in Fairton (Cumberland County) is a large
meetinghouse-style building with several Greek Revival elements—particularly
the shallow-pitched roof, pediment, and dentils. The porch is probably a
later
addition. The
original church was built in Fairfield, about a mile south, in 1780, but
when the population shifted decidedly to the town of Fairton, the congregation
erected this church on Main Street near the center of town in 1837. The form
is so familiar that it is easy to overlook the Greek revival elements, but
it is clearly in that idiom. First the symmetrical arrangement and the gable-front
with a shallow-pitched roof; the entry porchand rectangular windows are
features seen on residential buildings, of course, but the accentuated pediment
with the row of dentils along the raking cornice is definitely Greek in its
antecedents. Even the absence of a steeple or belfry shows the architect
kept true to the roots of this style.
Charles Steadman was very likely the architect/builder for the early
Greek Revival building erected in 1838 in Cranbury (Middlesex County). It
is similarly proportioned to the Presbyterian church in Princeton, (although
with a wider recess for the entry and windows flanking the main entrance)
which was built two years earlier. The multi-tiered belfry and cupola harkens
back to a different style (Georgian), and may be a later addition. Note the
Doric columns; most of the Greek Revival churches in the state employ Ionic
columns (ones with the scroll-like capitols, called volutes), although all
those pictured here have Doric capitols.
The Presbyterian church in Sykesville (Burlington County) is a small
building, but nicely proportioned and selected by the Historic American Buildings
Survey for the full measured drawings treatment. The 11 HABS drawings of the church are fascinating in their detail. Built in 1839, this
might be considered a scaled-down copy of the Presbyterian church in Trenton.
It
was
constructed
of brick and covered
with stucco.
Somerset County has a number of fine Greek Revival churches, mostly Reformed, and built, it appears, from a set of plans that are very similar (but not identical) to the Presbyterian churches in Cranbury, Trenton, Sykesville, and Mount Holly. Griggstown Reformed, erected in 183_ is a fine example, but there are others in Raritan, Pluckemin, South Bound Brook and South Branch.
The Old Bergen Reformed church in Jersey City was erected in 1839 by architect William Kirk. It was founded in 1660, which makes it the oldest congregation in the state, although the original Reformed congregation merged with a Presbyterian congregation. Cornerstones of the earlier churches, one of which resembles the Reformed church in Wycoff, are embedded in the front wall of the church. William H. Kirk & Company of Newark is listed as the builder, as he is on the Presbyterian church in Basking Ridge, erected about the same time as this building. By 1848 Kirk will be listed as "architect" for at least three Reformed churches in Newark. National Register, of course. HABS drawings available.
In Beverly, the First Baptist church, built in 1867 is a large brick
building on a substantial stone foundation. Like many churches erected immediately
before and after the Civil War, the auditorium is on the second floor, with
a basement or ground floor dedicated to Sunday school and other activities.
There are a couple of interesting features here, particularly the combination
of stone foundation, red brick and the wooden white columns, pediment, and
the recessed entry. The
in antis plan (a
recessed
entry) seems to have been more commonly employed in New Jersey than in other
states I am familiar with. The raised
sanctuary, which provided ample space for a Sunday school and other meeting
rooms, which are lighted by window-openings above ground on the sides of
the building. Compare this to the very similar church in Mount Holly (below).
Baptist
congregations in the mid-nineteenth century often preferred Neoclassical
styles, and so in Mount Holly we find one of the few surviving temple-fronted
Greek Revival churches in the southern part of the state. It was erected
in 1843 and enlarged in 1866. It was sold to the Presbyterian church,
who restored it and used it for church-related activities until recently
when
it was sold again to an independent congregation. The Baptists came to
Mount Holly relatively late (about 1800), and this was their second church.
As a result
of a big revival in 1866, the church was enlarged by extending it to
the rear so it could seat 700, and include lecture and Bible-class rooms.
Carpeting
and upholstering of the pews was accomplished and “an excellent pipe-organ”
installed. This is an example of the refinement of the country’s churches
that started to be seen about the 1820s and continued through the end
of the century. As congregations became more affluent,
they desired
in their
churches
many
of the comforts
and
style
they enjoyed in their homes—rather adramatic
shift in attitude from the earlier Calvinistic insistence on simplicity
and the avoidance of worldly trappings that was dominant in most Baptist
and Methodist congregations.
The Bridgeton Trinity Methodist church (Cumberland County) is a variation on
the basic in
antis plan that is common in the state. The building is a fascinating
one in its combination of elements from different architectural traditions,
particularly the combination of Greek Revival and Neoclassical
elements, in addition to the twin lancet Gothic windows that are slightly
recessed. Notice the widely-spaced sets of four guttae (square “pegs”) in
the soffit of the pediment—an unusually variation in place of the dentils
commonly found on Greek revival buildings. It clearly was influenced by Philadelphia
architectural traditions, and most likely is the product of a Philadelphia
architect. The prominent location, across from the county courthouse, and
the size and style of the church indicates how far the Methodist church had
come in a generation; in the early decades of the century,
when they were little more than a recently-formed counter-cultural sect,
they would have built a small wooden-frame church on the outskirts of town.
Hightstown's First Baptist church (top of the page) is the product of a very early congregation, organized in 1745, most likely a daughter congregation of the Old School Baptist church in Hopewell. Although the tower and steeple are the features that immediately catch the eye, a closer look reveals a basic Greek Revival façade, with its shallow-pitched roof, wide cornice, accentuated pediment, and corner pilasters. The round-arch windows are borrowed from the Romanesque, so we have an eclectic style. The church was built in 1857, just as the popularity for Greek Revival had largely faded in favor of the Gothic and the Romanesque. The belfry-clock-steeple are not original, but replace ones damaged by lightning some years ago.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Centreville (Mercer County) is a
beautifully-maintained vernacular church, erected in 1865, that combines
several Greek Revival elements—the shallow-pitched roof, accentuated pediment
and wide cornice. By the 1860s, architects and builders decided the pronounced
pediment and the substantial entablature over the entrance was ceremonially
imposing, so we see that feature rather commonly throughout the state, but
especially south of Trenton. The church is strikingly similar to the Methodist
church in Allentown, which is not far away—almost certainly by the same builders,
Elias and Benjamin Rogers, brothers from Allentown who also built the Baptist
church there.
This large, exceptionally-well maintained Greek Revival building in Hamilton
Square 
(Mercer County), is the Presbyterian congregation’s third church,
erected in 1867 across the street from the previous building.
It
is a stuccoed brick building, 40'x 76', and at one time had a 120 ft. steeple,
but that was destroyed in a hurricane in 1877 and was replaced by the shorter
belfry seen today. The congregation’s first church was a frame building,
replaced by a brick one in 1837. It
was heated and had carpeting by 1862. The congregation shared ministers
with
Allentown and Dutch Neck for years, but large revivals in the 1850s brought
in additional members. The church has two stories and a basement. The front
elevation is defined by several Greek Revival elements—the shallow-pitched
roof, pediment, cornice
and pilasters. The new belfry, however, draws from the Queen Anne idiom,
a
late Victorian style popular in the 1870s, and the elongated round arch windows
were a convention of the times. Major additions on the north and east sides
were completed in 1929, 1954, 1967, and 2004. The structure has also been
renovated approximately every 20 years since it was built. The pews, heating
system,
lighting, stained-glass windows, organ, and carpeting in the sanctuary were
all added or replaced at some point. Both the pulpit and the carved arch
over the chancel area were carried across the street from the 1837 sanctuary,
and
both survive to this day. The original finish is said to have been brownstone,
which was common at the time.
Cedarville's Methodist church (Cumberland) is a large meetinghouse
with a Greek Revival look because of the prominent pediment and pilasters,
but the double brackets are an Italianate influence common throughout the
state just after the Civil War. It was built in 1868 and sits across the
street from the Presbyterian church. It owes something to the "mother" church
of the Methodists—old St. George's Church in Philadelphia, which apart from
the architectural details is very similar in its massing. Cedarville is not
a large town, but there are also Baptist and Episcopal churches in
town.
It
is one
of relatively
few old Methodist churches in the southern part of the state that have retained
the original wooden clapboards. The congregation is to be commended for the
excellent condition of the building. HABS
This large brick Methodist church in Florence (Burlington County)
is a nice late-century variation on the Methodist tradition of following
the basic plan of their "mother" church, although by this time (the 1880s) many later elements have been adapted
and integrated into the form. There are more than a dozen examples in the
state, all a little different but generally
very
recognizable.
Some are brick, some wood. All are characterized by a shallow-pitched roof,
an accentuated pediment, pilasters at the corners, and tall rectangular windows.
There is often a wide cornice, frequently with a row of dentils, 
but occasionally
with spaced brackets. Most have a single entrance with a Neoclassical door
surround, but some have three doors. The buildings are invariably symmetrical.
Architectural elements that reveal its late-century design include the broken
return on
the pediment, the round arch windows with drip molds, a tripartite
central window, and the large oculus with six-petal mullions high in the gable
end. Notice that the arches on the second story are different from those on
the ground floor. The brickwork on the front of the building is tighter and
more even than on the sides, which was typical of the period. It would be hard
to call this a Greek Revival building in the presence of so many other elements
from later styles, but one can see a more-or-less steady progression from
the earliest forms to this.
Reviewing these churches we can see the accuracy of Kennedy's statement
that "the Greek Revival in America was seldom very Greek and almost never scrupulously
exact in its use of antique models."
Last month's feature article was adapted from the initial chapter of my forthcoming book on the churches and meetinghouses of Mercer County, titled Asserting Legitimacy, Maintaining Identity: the religious architecture of Mercer County, New Jersey in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The book will be published this month by the Wooden Nail Press.
The 302 page book includes more than 200 photographs, tables and drawings, an outline of architectural styles, a summary of the religious denominations operating in the state during the early centuries, a glossary of architectural terms, an extensive bibliography, and index. The book will be available from Amazon.com, and the publisher's website, http://woodennailpress.com.