Conduct an historical and stylistic analysis - Admission/Application Essay Example

Bowman. This paper will analyse both the historical and stylistic analysis of the old Greeley Court also called the Weld County Courthouse and Guggenheim Hall. The Weld County Courthouse was constructed by two general contractors known as Varnum of Denver and Seerie between 1915 and 1917. Bowman Creation (2) note that its construction occurred during the period when Weld County was the second wealthiest County in Colorado State. It has a rich history complimented by its remarkable, architectural style classified as Beaux-Arts style, widely used for public buildings and other outstanding structures in the 1900s (Munsterberg 2007).

Bowman, the designer, got his inspiration from the neo-classical style of architecture, which reflects the influence of the Palladian style, as well as the classical Roman and Greek architectural styles. For this reason, the Weld County Courthouse building looks quite similar to the Roman and Greek buildings from all sides. Moreover, Bowman chose the classical Revival style for Weld County Courthouse because he felt that its architectural elements reflected the simplicity, dignity of its purpose.

The exterior of the building shows three-storey columns that support the cornice of the building, dominated by limestone and granite walls. In the courthouse, there is a marble staircase that leads up to the main floor (Bowman Creation 2). Source: W.N. Bowman Creation. "Weld County’s Court House: a jewel on the Plains." Weld County Government (2007): 2. Additionally, the total cost of its construction, which included new wood furniture, was $414,302.05. The collection of the money was through taxes where for every $1,000 of taxable property that people owned, they were to pay tax of $5.25. After the collection of the money, the Weld County Courthouse was officially dedicated and paid for in cash on July 4th 1917.

The court is a four-storey building, with combined ideas and elements of the Gregorian, Early Classical Revival, Adam, and the Greek revival styles. It is mainly built of Gypsum, Granite, Indiana limestone, terra cotta, marble and bricks. According to Weld Bowman Creation, (3), these are characteristics of Classical Revival Architecture and Neo-classical. The contractors used large blocks of granite in the construction of the foundation and steel trusses and riveted steel girders to form the roof support and floor respectively.

In addition, the interior walls are four inches thick and built using hard-burned brick with partitions of gypsum tile. The doors at all entrances, as well as all the light fixtures and railings in the court, are bronze or solid brass. However, the contractors used quite little wood in the building of the courthouse except in the hand railings and furnishings as shown below. Source: W.N. Bowman Creation. "Weld County’s Court House: a jewel on the Plains." Weld County Government (2007): 3.

Each of the four floors portrays classical architectural elements that reflect certain influences from the Greek and Roman architecture. For instance, the ground floor consists of black and white handcrafted tile floors that have equilateral cross designs bordering the original walls. The floor has a crooked cross that dates as far as the Neolithic period, but it was a sign of success and excellent luck