Eclecticism in architecture

The Basilica of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudí is a notable example of eclecticism. Elements of the Gothic style were merged with Oriental motifs and forms found in the natural world, resulting in a structure that was distinctive and original.[1] Although it was designed during the peak of the eclectic period (1883–1926), it remains under construction today.
Eclectic building. Street Alfonso VIII. Burgos, Spain (1922). Note the mix of neogothic with art nouveau and neoclassical styles

Eclecticism is a 19th and 20th century architectural style in which a single piece of work incorporates a mixture of elements from previous historical styles to create something that is new and original. In architecture and interior design, these elements may include structural features, furniture, decorative motives, distinct historical ornament, traditional cultural motifs or styles from other countries, with the mixture usually chosen based on its suitability to the project and overall aesthetic value.

The term is also used of the many architects of the 19th and early 20th centuries who designed buildings in a variety of styles according to the wishes of their clients, or their own. The styles were typically revivalist, and each building might be mostly or entirely consistent within the style selected, or itself an eclectic mixture. Gothic Revival architecture, especially in churches, was most likely to strive for a relatively "pure" revival style from a particular medieval period and region, while other revived styles such as Neoclassical, Baroque, Palazzo style, Jacobethan, Romanesque and many others were likely to be treated more freely.

Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans, by Josef Hlávka, 1882, Chernivtsi, Ukraine, with a basis in Brick Gothic.
The Aston Webb building at the University of Birmingham (1900–12), UK, in a quasi-Byzantine style.
  1. ^ Whittick, A, 1974. European Architecture in the Twentieth Century. 1st ed. New York: Leonard Hill Books. pp. 17–27.

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