BeauxArts

Beaux-Arts is an architectural style and design approach associated with the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. It became influential in Europe and North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, spreading through the training of architects in the Beaux-Arts tradition and through international exhibitions. The style is known for a synthesis of classical principles with contemporary construction techniques.

Key features include formal planning with axial symmetry and monumental entrances, grand staircases, and a rich program of sculpture and decoration. Exterior façades often employ stone, rustication, and classical details such as columns, pilasters, and pediments, while interiors emphasize large, open gallery spaces and ornate decoration. Although rooted in antiquity, Beaux-Arts frequently integrates modern materials and engineering, balancing tradition with contemporary building methods.

In the United States, Beaux-Arts was closely tied to the City Beautiful movement and the broader push to create monumental, aesthetically unified public spaces. It became a standard vocabulary for libraries, courthouses, galleries, and railway stations, shaping the streetscapes of many American cities and campuses at the turn of the century.

Notable examples include the Boston Public Library (1895–1899) by McKim, Mead & White; the New York Public Library Main Branch (1902–1911) by Carrère and Hastings; Grand Central Terminal in New York (1913–1914), designed by Reed & Stem in collaboration with Warren and Wetmore; and the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco (1915) for the Panama-Pacific Exposition.