My Big Fat Greek Revival

The Parthenon is in the upper echelon of ancient architectural structures. Its columns, pediment, and overall style has been mimicked for centuries. Buffalo is home to a multitude of examples of Greek Revival examples, from buildings that are almost exact interpretations of the Parthenon to some structures that have a vague trace of one of its details.

The Dr. E. J. Meyer Building at 135 Linwood Ave. in Buffalo is a pretty close rendition of the Parthenon's shape with a modern paint job.

Just about a block away from the Meyer building, you can find another close replica of the Parthenon at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural site. This building is located at 641 Delaware Ave., close to its intersection with North St. One major difference between this site and the Parthenon, however, is its flat columns compared to the fluted ones of the Parthenon.

The Albright-Knox Art Gallery on Elmwood Ave. near Delaware Park is another example of a pretty literal interpretation of the Parthenon style.

Just across the 198 from the art gallery is the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, which features a sculpture in the pediment, just like the Parthenon. Both also have Doric style columns, and, to me, this is the closest large-scale replication of the Parthenon in Buffalo.

A number of mausoleums in Forest Lawn Cemetery, also near Delaware Park, are miniature versions or variations of the Parthenon. Above are examples with Doric columns. The second-to-last of that set is the Birge Memorial, and the final one is the Letchworth-Skinner Memorial.

This mini-Parthenon is pretty close to the real thing, but its columns are Ionic style instead of Doric style.

This mausoleum has Corinthian style columns.

This is the Williams-Butler House, just across the street from the Theodore Roosevelt Inauguration Site at the intersection of Delaware Ave. & North St.

Though it may not look like the Greek style from far away, this mansion at 540 Delaware Ave. near Allen St. has Ionic style columns surrounding its center entrance.

This mansion, also on Delaware Ave., also has Greek style columns along its front entrance. This mansion is located where Delaware and Edward St. intersect, and is just another example of Greek Revival in the area, which includes the Dr. E. J. Meyer Building, the Theodore Roosevelt Inauguration Site, the Williams-Butler House, and the mansion at 540 Delaware Ave. I'd say there were a few instances of keeping up with the Joneses going on at the time of this revival in Buffalo.

While the Greater Buffalo Savings Bank hardly resembles the Parthenon, it does have examples of Corinthian style columns. This building, known affectionately in my family as the Gold Top Building, is located downtown at the intersection of Washington St., Genesee St., and East Huron St.

The Guaranty Building at Church St. & Pearl St. is one of Buffalo's greatest architectural gems. To me, the ornamentation along the top and the columns seem like the capital of a Corinthian style pillar.

This building at 110 Franklin St. downtown has a pediment just like the Parthenon. It also has modillions and dentils, which are decorative border features along the pediment.

Lastly, this home at 160 Windsor Ave. close to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery looks like a mix of the Greek Revival and Georgian styles. Its Ionic columns are definitely Greek-inspired, but the symmetric windows and the third-story attic windows are reminiscent of a number of pictures from Friday's class. Looks like the design plan was all Greek to the architect.