8 of the Best Beaux Arts Buildings in NYC
After the Baroque era, a spin on classical architecture known as Beaux Arts emerged from Paris in the 1800s. While staying true to the tenets of classicism—symmetry, articulated form, and a common vocabulary—Beaux Arts builders were more interested in decorative flair and monumental grandeur than the perfection of scale and proportion. They often dipped into other past styles to accomplish their goals. The Beaux Arts style took firm root in the United States during the Gilded Age, particularly after the success of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, in which an entire neoclassical city was showcased. For those with means, Beaux Arts represented stately European sophistication. The style was hugely popular for many decades, even as modernism spread, and New York was a hotbed for Beaux Arts buildings: Here are eight of the city's best.