World War II and Post-War Building Styles
New Formalism, c. 1955-c.1975
By the 1950s, the International Style had become a mature ideology in architectural design, and architects were beginning to want more freedom in expression from the stringent principles of the style as practiced in the United States. The concepts of classicism began to creep into architectural vocabulary as the building structure, classical order, geometry in form, and a uniform grid were emphasized. Architects embraced classical standards in developing building proportions and establishing symbolic meaning in their new designs, which incorporated stylized classical columns and entablature, raised podiums as a building platform, and the colonnade as a guide in composition.
Besides the theoretical aspects, architects implemented the traditional materials associated with classicism, including marble, granite, and travertine, as well as man-made materials that imitated their qualities of luxury. The design concepts of New Formalism were also applied to urban planning in the use of grand axes and symmetry to achieve monumentality.
Traditional modernist architects most associated with developing the style are Howard Johnson, Edward Durrell Stone, and Minoru Yamasaki. In Utah the New Formalist style is limited to a few buildings in the state’s largest urban areas.
Characteristics:
--typically more monumental in size
--implied Classical architectural elements (columns, colonnades, podiums)
--geometrical order and symmetry
--expensive materials, particularly stone and stone veneers
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