Beaux-Arts Architecture in California and The École des Beaux-Arts (Part 1 of 3)
The City Beautiful movement had a profound influence on American architecture during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Originating with the work of Daniel Burnham on the World’s Columbian Exhibition held in Chicago, IL in 1893, the City Beautiful movement echoed the tenets of the Haussmannization of Paris, and adopted Beaux-Arts style architecture as its primary design language. Originating from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the Beaux-Arts architectural style was grounded in Renaissance era expressions of classical architecture, emphasizing symmetry, proportion, monumental scale, formal planning, and elaborate ornamentation. Although the style originated in France, it became particularly influential in the United States in this era.
Americans in Paris
The quality of American architectural education lagged significantly behind the continental academy. Therefore, the foremost American architects willingly traveled abroad to study. The École des Beaux-Arts was particularly attractive to American students because of its international prestige and rigorous approach to architectural education. Where apprenticeship was the predominant mode of design education stateside, the École was based around the atelier, or studio, where students worked under established architects and participated in design competitions. Students were trained in architectural history, classical forms, drawing, composition, proportion, and formal planning. This system prepared students to design the large and complicated buildings that were increasingly being commissioned back home as the United States became wealthier and more industrialized. The first American architect to attend the École's architecture section was Richard Morris Hunt, who entered in 1846. He was followed by generations of American students, including Charles Follen McKim, John Galen Howard, and many others.
American students were also attracted to Paris because of the city's cultural importance. Paris was an international center for art, architecture, and education, and studying there allowed American architects to experience European architecture firsthand. The École's influence was particularly powerful because its graduates went on to achieve significant professional success in the United States. Their careers demonstrated that a Beaux-Arts education could provide architects with both prestige and practical skills. As American architecture programs developed, many also adopted aspects of the École's educational model, allowing its influence to spread even further throughout the country.
The influence of the École was also transmitted directly through its French professors. Victor Laloux was one of the most important teachers for American architecture students. After taking over Louis-Jules André's atelier, Laloux eventually trained approximately 600 students, including 132 Americans, making his atelier particularly influential among American architects. John Galen Howard studied under Laloux in Paris from 1891 to 1893, while Arthur Brown Jr. later studied in Laloux's atelier. Brown arrived in Paris in 1896, entered the École in 1897, graduated in 1901, and continued working in Laloux's atelier afterward. Brown’s subsequent and highly visible success in San Francisco created a direct connection between French architectural education and California.
