The Gothic style marked a turning point in European cultural history. Emerging from the vision first realized at St. Denis in Paris during the 12th century, it sparked a creative burst of unprecedented energy and originality in the arts and architecture. It launched the first great flowering of European culture since antiquity, spreading quickly from its origins in northern France throughout the continent.
The style is identified by its exalting spaces, inspiring verticality and dramatic use of light. It is well known and easily identified by its unique characteristics; the pointed arch, flying buttress, ribbed vault and large expanses of rich stained glass. At the heart of the Gothic style is a highly refined fusion of art and technology.
Tagged with its spurious name during the Renaissance, it was for many years considered an inferior style. With its rebirth in the 18th century, the Gothic Revival style opened up exciting opportunities to create innovative forms and spaces with the latest emerging materials and technologies. Its principles of structural expression and the honest use of materials, acceptance of asymmetry (when called for) and its flexible proportional systems strongly influenced the early thinking of the Modern Movement.
American Collegiate Gothic is part of this long, often re-interpreted heritage. The Gothic style was chosen for college campuses as early as 1878, largely because of its associative value. The style became synonymous with an authentic -even hallowed- academic setting, evoking the respected models of Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The Gothic style is an important symbol of learning and academic greatness. It can be a powerful force in representing the identity of a university campus, establishing a sense of place for students and faculty. As such, I welcome the opportunity to work with clients whose mission and organizational culture is deeply entrenched in the Gothic tradition.