Oak Alley
From Archiplanet
 | Oak Alley |
| Designer | unknown |
| Location | Vacherie, Louisiana, USA |
| Date | 1836 to 1839 |
| Building Type | house |
| Climate | hot, humid |
| Context | rural |
| Architectural Style | Greek Revival |
| Street Address | 3645 Hwy 18 Walk Score |
| Notes | Louisiana plantation house, home of the planter Alexander Roman. |
| At Great Buildings | http://www.GreatBuildings.com/buildings/Oak_Alley.html |
Contents |
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[edit] Discussion
Commentary
"Functionalism is not usually associated with Greek Revival architecture, but here in the Louisiana delta it is eminently expressed. A great square parasol of a hip roof, 70 feet on each side, shelters the two-story square house beneath. The roof is upheld by a periphery of twenty-eight Tuscan columns, matching in number the marvelous oak trees in front (the Mississippi River just beyond). The house itself is set back from the columns to create a circumferential double gallery. The galleries are so wide that burning sun and even lashing rains are under control, and the doors and windows can be left open for ventilation. House and columns are of brick (to protect against termites), painted pink as a foil to the fern-draped trees (Polypodium incanum)."
— G. E. Kidder Smith. Looking at Architecture. p124.
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[edit] References
G. E. Kidder Smith. Looking at Architecture. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, 1990. ISBN 0-8109-3556-2. LC 90-30728. NA200.S57 1990. discussion, p124. exterior photo of house through trees, p125.
Leland M. Roth. A Concise History of American Architecture. New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1979. ISBN 0-06-430086-2. NA705.R67 1979. discussion, p100. exterior photo of facade through trees, p101.— Available at Amazon.com
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