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Sai Davuluri
Professor Serpa
Art History
14 July 2016

Most architecture in America nowadays draws its roots from early Europe movements
like the Renaissance, Baroque, Gothic, and Neoclassicism. The European influence can be seen
everywhere from the columns of the White House to the dome on Jeffersons Monticello. This is
due to the fact that America was once ruled by the English. Two particular buildings that show
European influence are the Merced County Courthouse and the Palace of Fine Arts in San
Francisco.
The Merced County Courthouse is very reminiscent of architecture from the Italian
Renaissance, specifically Bramantes Tempietto. It is dressed in a very plain white similar to the
style of the Tempietto in Rome, Italy. Color-wise, both buildings are very bland in the sense that
they are not ornate or over-the-top. Also, both buildings have a balcony; however, the Tempietto
balcony wraps around, while the Courthouse balcony sits on the front-facing facade. Both
buildings have domes with a decoration on top. The Courthouse dome is small and has a statue
that seems to be holding a spear at the top. On the other hand, the Tempietto dome is much
larger compared to the rest of its architecture and has a statue of what seems to be St. Peters face
on top. On the topic of columns, Bramantes Tempietto utilizes Doric columns, where the
capital is very simple, while the Courthouse uses the much more ornate Corinthian columns.
Similar to the columns, both buildings are decorated with pilasters, a Doric style for the
Tempietto, and a Corinthian style for the Courthouse. As of windows, the Courthouse contains
circular pediments above each window while the Tempietto lacks any pediments above its
windows. The comparisons between the two buildings stop there as the purpose of each building
couldnt be more different. The Merced County Courthouse served as a place where justice was
carried out and now serves as a museum. The Tempietto was built by Donato Bramante to mark
the sight of the crucifixion of St. Peter and now is a tourist attraction. Other architectural parts of
the Courthouse that are reminiscent of historical buildings not on Bramantes Tempietto are the
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cornice and the statues around the top of the courthouse. The cornice is very reminiscent of the
cornice of the Palazzo Rucellai which was designed by Leon Battista Alberti and Bernardo
Rossellino. Both cornices are decorated in the same manner, only differing in their color. The
statues around the top of the courthouse recall back to the statues on the Villa Rotunda designed
by Andrea Palladio. Both statues represent certain people; however, the statues that are a part of
the Villa Rotunda sit on a triangular pediment while the statues on the Courthouse sit on a
curved, roman pediment.
The architect of the Merced County Courthouse was Albert A. Bennett. While originally
from New York, he later moved to Connecticut to take on carpentry, then returned home two
years later to study architecture. After his studies, he moved to Alabama where he designed the
Alabama State Capitol, then he made his way to Sacramento. His many designs include the
courthouses of Yolo, Stanislaus, Fresno, Kern, and Tulare, and the Mechanics Art College at
Berkeley. He designed the Merced County Courthouse very much like all his other courthouses
with an Italian Renaissance feel.
When looking at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, the gigantic columns and
massive dome just scream Renaissance. It could be compared to a much larger version of
Giovanni Pisanos pulpit of the baptistery in Pistoia, Italy. The first similarity that pops out
when looking at the two feats of architecture are the relief panels. Both have relief panels that do
not stay in their own rectangular box, rather they break the boundaries. A difference can be seen
in the content of those panels as the pulpit of the baptistery panels portray the Annunciation,
Nativity, and Adoration of the Shepherds, while the Palace of Fine Arts panels contain primarily
ancient Greek images. For both designs, the relief panels sit directly on top of columns with
Corinthian capitals. Although the material differs, both columns are decorated in a tone of red
and neither directly touch the ground, as Pisanos columns rest on statues of lions and those of
the Palace of Fine Arts sit on a stone. Also, the Palace of Fine Arts columns have grooves in
them while Pisanos columns are smooth marble. Another difference between these two
constructions is that the Palace of Fine Arts incorporates Roman arches between each of the pairs
of columns while the pulpit of the baptistery consists of taller, pointed arches of the French
gothic style. The Palace of Fine Arts served the purpose of an art gallery, but now is just a
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monumental structure that draws many tourists, while the pulpit of the baptistery was sculpted
for use in a church. One architectural structure of the Palace of Fine Arts which cannot be found
on the Pisanos pulpit is the mountainous dome. This dome is quite similar to that of Thomas
Jeffersons Rotunda. Both are solid white, massive, and drew inspiration from the same
building, the famous Pantheon of ancient Rome.
The architect of the Palace of Fine Arts was Bernard Maybeck. Like Albert A. Bennett,
Maybeck was born in New York, but studied architecture at Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
Upon his return to America, he moved to San Francisco and taught drawing at UC Berkeley.
After teaching, Maybeck went on to design his own work, drawing on influences from Spanish
missions, gothic France, and the Japanese. In addition to the Palace of Fine Arts, which he
designed as an art gallery, Maybeck created famous works such as the First Church of Christ and
Scientist.
As clearly evident, many buildings are impacted by certain European styles and
architectural motifs. The Merced County Courthouse, designed by Bennett, was heavily
influenced by the Italian Renaissance, owing its dome, pediments, and columns to that
movement. The Palace of Fine Arts, designed by Maybeck, shows signs of both late medieval
Italy and Greco-Roman influence through its massive dome, Greek relief panels, and enormous
Corinthian columns.
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Works Cited
Costello, Cassandra. "Palace of Fine Arts." San Francisco Recreation & Parks. SF Rec & Park,
n.d. Web. 11 July 2016.
Harris, Beth, and Steven Zucker. "Bramante, Tempietto." Khan Academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 11
July 2016.
Maybeck Foundation. "Maybeck and His Work." Maybeck Foundation: Celebrating the Work of
Bernard Maybeck. UC Berkeley, n.d. Web. 11 July 2016.
Powell, John Edward. "A Guide to Historic Architecture in Fresno, California." Albert A.
Bennett. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 July 2016.