U.S. Treasury Building
The U.S. Treasury Building (1836-42), built by Robert Mills, an architect influenced by Benjamin Latrobe (a great proponent of neoclassical architecture) in Washington D.C. is an example worth mentioning because of its implementation of the Greek Revival style with grand proportions. “The initial east elevation incorporated 30 columns, each 36 feet tall and carved out of a single piece of granite” (Tyler 2014: 53). The treasury proved to be very influential on the designs of other government buildings and perhaps it’s not a coincidence that ancient Greek temples often served as treasuries and housed national riches, which our modern banks and treasuries reflect in their purpose and design (Tyler 2014: ibid.).
Also of note, in 1848, the Washington Monument, designed by Mills, “incorporated with proper ceremony one marble fragment taken from the ruins of the Parthenon” (Tyler 2014: 54). This symbolic act, physically connecting ancient Greece with the U.S. is of significance considering that the U.S. was a young nation in the process of constructing its identity. During the early 19th century the U.S. metaphorically leaned on Greece (ancient and modern) to drawing on its political and architectural methods and its independent spirit. The American government (as well the public architecture that represents it, including memorials) identified with Greece’s classical glory and valuing of freedom and placed physical remains from the Parthenon in a major, government funded monument in the nation’s capital, permanently tying the two nations together in a very symbolic way.
