Gothic Revival

The Gothic Revival was an architectural movement which originated in mid-18th century England. The movement had significant influence throughout the United Kingdom as well as in Europe and North America, and perhaps more Gothic architecture was built in nineteenth and twentieth centuries than had originally ever been built. The Gothic Revival style was used for everything from picturesque timber cottages to stone castles. Characteristics of the Gothic cottage and villa are steeply pitched roofs, wall dormers, polygonal chimney pots, hood molds over the windows and a curvilinear gingerbread trim along the eaves and gables edges.

Venetian Gothic is a term given to a style of architecture combining use of the Gothic lancet arch with Byzantine and Arab influences. The style originates in 14th century Venice where the confluence of Byzantine style from Constantinople met Arab influence from Moorish Spain. Chief examples of the style are the Doge's Palace and the Ca' d'Oro in Venice. The style was revived in the 19th century, largely through the influence of British architectural critic John Ruskin and his treatise The Stones of Venice.

Old South Church, Boston, Massachusetts Circa 1872-1875. Also called the New Old South Church was built between 1872-1875, on newly filled land in Boston's Back Bay. The church building was designed in 1872 by the Boston architectural firm of Cummings and Sears in the Venetian Gothic style. The exterior of the church is primarily built of Roxbury puddingstone. Many arches, and several walls of stone are striped with alternating courses of Roxbury pudding stone and a deep rose sandstone. Delicate stone tracery decorates the porticos and large open arches in the campanile. Screens of ornate ironwork fill the upper arches of the porticos, and ornamental iron cresting caps the roofline. The roof is covered in alternating bands of red and dark gray slate.