Maya Revival is a modern architectural style popular in the Americas during the 1920s and 1930s[1] that drew inspiration from the architecture and iconography of pre-ColumbianMesoamerican cultures.
Detail of the intricate pattern work characteristic of classic Maya art, 450 Sutter Street.Kukulkanob public pavilion in Mérida, Mexico.
Though the name of the style refers specifically to the Maya civilization of southern Mexico and Central America, in practice, this revivalist style frequently blends Maya architectural and artistic motifs "playful pilferings of the architectural and decorative elements"[2] with those of other Mesoamerican cultures, particularly the Central Mexican Aztec architecture styling from the pre-contact period as exhibited by the Mexica and other Nahua groups. Although there were mutual influences between these original and otherwise distinct and richly varied pre-Columbian artistic traditions, the syncretism of these modern reproductions is often an ahistorical one.
Historian Marjorie Ingle traces the history of this style to the Pan American Union Building by Paul Philippe Cret which incorporates numerous motifs drawn from the indigenous traditions of the Americas.[3] Maya and Mexica elements in the Pan American Union Building include the floor mosaics surrounding a central fountain (most of the motifs are copied directly from sculpture at Copan) and figures on lights flanking the entrance to the building. The building's Art Museum of the Americas contains numerous stoneware architectural details that are copied from Maya and Mexica art.
Wright's son, landscape architect and architect Lloyd Wright, served as construction manager for three of his father's four textile block houses. He independently designed the Henry Bollman house in 1922 in the Sunset Square neighborhood in Hollywood and the iconic Mayan-modernist John Sowden House in 1926 in the Los Feliz District of Hollywood.
Wright's disciple Arata Endo constructed the Kōshien Hotel in the 1930s, heavily influenced by the architecture of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
Commissioned in 1953, the massive pyramid of the Beth Sholom Synagogue with its geometric roof detailing is perhaps the most direct Wright evocation of Maya form.
Stacy-Judd was directly influenced by John Lloyd Stephens writings, and perhaps even more so by the illustrations by Frederick Catherwood as presented in their book Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan,[4] a work that introduced many to the wondrous ruins of Central America. In it Stacy-Judd explains the choice of the name of the hotel: "When the hotel project was first announced, the word Maya was unknown to the layman. The subject of Maya culture was only of archaeological importance, a, at that, concerned but a few exponents. As a word Aztec was fairly well known, I baptized the hotel with that name, although all the decorative motifs are Maya."[5] Although the buildings use of reinforced concrete to create the intricate designs on the exterior one opinionated observer wrote: "The bizarre Aztec forms may create the atmosphere desired, and will serve the legitimate publicity interests of the establishment, but it would be deplorable if an 'Aztec Movement' set in and the style copyists were diverted from noble examples to the forms of a semi-barbaric people."[6]
Other prominent buildings in this style include:
the Henry Bollman House in Los Angeles by Lloyd Wright, 1922[7]
Mayan Revival entrance to the Southwest Museum (a primarily Mission Revival complex) in Los Angeles, United States, incorporating elements from Chenes and Puuc architecture.
^Ingle, Marjorie, Maya Revival Style: Art Deco Maya Fantasy, Peregrine Smith Books, Salt Lake City 1984 p. v
^Ingle, Marjorie, Mayan Revival Style: Art Deco Mayan Fantasy, Peregrine Smith Books, Salt Lake City 1984 p. 1
^Ingle, Marjorie I. The Mayan Revival Style: Art Deco Mayan Fantasy. University of New Mexico Press. 1989
^Gebhard, David, photos by Anthony Peres, Robert Stacy-Judd: Maya Architecture-The Creation of a New Style, Capra Press, Santa Barbara 1993 p. 39
^Gebhard, David, photos by Anthony Peres, Robert Stacy-Judd: Maya Architecture-The Creation of a New Style, Capra Press, Santa Barbara 1993 p. 41
^Onderdonk, Francis S., The Ferro-Concrete Style:Reinforced Concrete in Modern Architecture, Architectural Book Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1928 PP. 121-122
^"Los Angeles Department of City Planning RECOMMENDATION REPORT" (PDF).
^Gebhard, David and Anthony Peres. Robert Stacy-Judd: Maya Architecture and the Creation of a New Style. Capra Press. 1993
Bibliographyedit
Barrett, John. "The Pan American Union: Peace, Friendship, Commerce." Washington, D.C.: Pan American Union. 1911
Braun, Barbara. Pre-Columbian Art and the Post-Columbian World: Ancient American Sources of Modern Art. New York. Harry N. Abrams. 1993.
Gebhard, David and Peres, Anthony. Robert Stacy-Judd: Maya Architecture and the Creation of a New Style.Capra Press. 1993.
Lerner, Jesse. The Maya of Modernism: Art, Architecture, and Film. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2011.
Phillips, Ruth Anne. Pre-Columbian Revival': Defining and Exploring a U.S. Architectural Style, 1910-1940. Ph.D. diss. (New York: City University of New York, 2007).
Stacy-Judd, Robert B. Atlantis: Mother of Empires. Los Angeles. De Vorse & Co. 1939
Stacy-Judd, Robert B. The Ancient Mayas, Adventures In the Jungles of Yucatan. Los Angeles. Haskell-Travers, Inc. 1934
Willard, T. A., The City of the Sacred Well, Being a Narrative of the Discoveries and Excavations of Edward Herbert Thompson in the Ancient City of Chi-chen Itza With Some Discourse on the Culture and Development of the Mayan Civilization as Revealed by Their Art and Architecture, Here Set Down and Illustrated From Photographs. New York. Century Co. 1926
External linksedit
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April 14, 2024
mayan, revival, architecture, maya, revival, modern, architectural, style, popular, americas, during, 1920s, 1930s, that, drew, inspiration, from, architecture, iconography, columbian, mesoamerican, cultures, mayan, theater, angeles, contents, history, origins. Maya Revival is a modern architectural style popular in the Americas during the 1920s and 1930s 1 that drew inspiration from the architecture and iconography of pre Columbian Mesoamerican cultures Mayan Theater Los Angeles Contents 1 History 1 1 Origins 1 2 In the Art Deco period 2 Prominent examples 3 See also 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 External linksHistory editOrigins edit nbsp Detail of the intricate pattern work characteristic of classic Maya art 450 Sutter Street nbsp Kukulkanob public pavilion in Merida Mexico Though the name of the style refers specifically to the Maya civilization of southern Mexico and Central America in practice this revivalist style frequently blends Maya architectural and artistic motifs playful pilferings of the architectural and decorative elements 2 with those of other Mesoamerican cultures particularly the Central Mexican Aztec architecture styling from the pre contact period as exhibited by the Mexica and other Nahua groups Although there were mutual influences between these original and otherwise distinct and richly varied pre Columbian artistic traditions the syncretism of these modern reproductions is often an ahistorical one Historian Marjorie Ingle traces the history of this style to the Pan American Union Building by Paul Philippe Cret which incorporates numerous motifs drawn from the indigenous traditions of the Americas 3 Maya and Mexica elements in the Pan American Union Building include the floor mosaics surrounding a central fountain most of the motifs are copied directly from sculpture at Copan and figures on lights flanking the entrance to the building The building s Art Museum of the Americas contains numerous stoneware architectural details that are copied from Maya and Mexica art In the Art Deco period edit nbsp An example of Mayan decorative paneling 450 Sutter Street Several prominent architects worked in this style including Frank Lloyd Wright Wright s Hollyhock House on Olive Hill in Los Angeles copied the shape of temples from Palenque and the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo was in the shape of a Mesoamerican pyramid His Ennis House Millard House La Miniatura Storer House and Freeman House in Los Angeles are built in his concrete textile block system with bas reliefs and modular unit construction evoking the geometric patterning on the facades of Uxmal buildings nbsp The Fisher Building in DetroitWright s son landscape architect and architect Lloyd Wright served as construction manager for three of his father s four textile block houses He independently designed the Henry Bollman house in 1922 in the Sunset Square neighborhood in Hollywood and the iconic Mayan modernist John Sowden House in 1926 in the Los Feliz District of Hollywood Wright s disciple Arata Endo constructed the Kōshien Hotel in the 1930s heavily influenced by the architecture of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo Commissioned in 1953 the massive pyramid of the Beth Sholom Synagogue with its geometric roof detailing is perhaps the most direct Wright evocation of Maya form Prominent examples editLikely the most publicized example of Mayan Revival was Robert Stacy Judd s Aztec Hotel of 1924 1925 Its facade interiors and furniture incorporated abstract patterns inspired by the Maya script with Art Deco influences and it was built on the original U S Route 66 in Monrovia California Stacy Judd was directly influenced by John Lloyd Stephens writings and perhaps even more so by the illustrations by Frederick Catherwood as presented in their book Incidents of Travel in Central America Chiapas and Yucatan 4 a work that introduced many to the wondrous ruins of Central America In it Stacy Judd explains the choice of the name of the hotel When the hotel project was first announced the word Maya was unknown to the layman The subject of Maya culture was only of archaeological importance a at that concerned but a few exponents As a word Aztec was fairly well known I baptized the hotel with that name although all the decorative motifs are Maya 5 Although the buildings use of reinforced concrete to create the intricate designs on the exterior one opinionated observer wrote The bizarre Aztec forms may create the atmosphere desired and will serve the legitimate publicity interests of the establishment but it would be deplorable if an Aztec Movement set in and the style copyists were diverted from noble examples to the forms of a semi barbaric people 6 Other prominent buildings in this style include the Henry Bollman House in Los Angeles by Lloyd Wright 1922 7 the Aurora Elks Lodge in Aurora Illinois 1926 the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles by Stiles O Clements 1927 the Petroleum Building Houston by the Anglo American architect Alfred Bossom a notable proponent of Mayan Revival 1927 the Casino Club building in San Antonio Texas 1927 and the Fisher Theater by Albert Kahn in Detroit where the great scholar of the Maya Sylvanus G Morley was involved in the design 8 1928 the Guardian Building by Wirt C Rowland of Smith Hinchman amp Grylls 1928 1929 450 Sutter Street in San Francisco by Timothy L Pflueger 1929 United Office Building in Niagara Falls New York by James A Johnson of Esenwein amp Johnson 1929 the Mayan Theater in Denver by Montana Fallis 1929 1930 the Lincoln Theater in Marion Virginia 1929 the Berkeley Public Library 1934 the Hall of Waters in Excelsior Springs Missouri 1937 National Register of Historic Places Art and History Museums Maitland Art Center Maitland FL 1938 Winter artist colony designed by J Andre Smith National Historic LandmarkFrank Lloyd Wright structures nbsp Imperial Hotel Tokyo Japan nbsp Millard House in Pasadena United States nbsp Ennis House in Los Angeles United States nbsp Storer House in Los Angeles United StatesStructures by other architects nbsp Entrance of 450 Sutter Street San Francisco United States nbsp Mayan Revival entrance to the Southwest Museum a primarily Mission Revival complex in Los Angeles United States incorporating elements from Chenes and Puuc architecture nbsp A pillar featuring the Maya rain god Chaac in the Art Deco interior of the Palacio de Bellas Artes Mexico City nbsp The Guardian building in Detroit United States nbsp The Mayan Theatre in Denver Colorado United States dates from the 1930s nbsp The Berkeley Public Library on Shattuck Ave in Berkeley United StatesSee also editArt Deco of the 20s and 30s Art Deco Architecture Design Decoration and Detail from the Twenties and Thirties Mesoamerican architecture Maya art Mexico City Mexico TempleReferences edit Ingle Marjorie Maya Revival Style Art Deco Maya Fantasy Peregrine Smith Books Salt Lake City 1984 p v Ingle Marjorie Mayan Revival Style Art Deco Mayan Fantasy Peregrine Smith Books Salt Lake City 1984 p 1 Ingle Marjorie I The Mayan Revival Style Art Deco Mayan Fantasy University of New Mexico Press 1989 Gebhard David photos by Anthony Peres Robert Stacy Judd Maya Architecture The Creation of a New Style Capra Press Santa Barbara 1993 p 39 Gebhard David photos by Anthony Peres Robert Stacy Judd Maya Architecture The Creation of a New Style Capra Press Santa Barbara 1993 p 41 Onderdonk Francis S The Ferro Concrete Style Reinforced Concrete in Modern Architecture Architectural Book Publishing Co Inc New York 1928 PP 121 122 Los Angeles Department of City Planning RECOMMENDATION REPORT PDF Gebhard David and Anthony Peres Robert Stacy Judd Maya Architecture and the Creation of a New Style Capra Press 1993Bibliography editBarrett John The Pan American Union Peace Friendship Commerce Washington D C Pan American Union 1911 Braun Barbara Pre Columbian Art and the Post Columbian World Ancient American Sources of Modern Art New York Harry N Abrams 1993 Gebhard David and Peres Anthony Robert Stacy Judd Maya Architecture and the Creation of a New Style Capra Press 1993 Ingle Marjorie I The Mayan Revival Style Art Deco Mayan Fantasy University of New Mexico Press 1989 Lerner Jesse The Maya of Modernism Art Architecture and Film Albuquerque University of New Mexico Press 2011 Phillips Ruth Anne Pre Columbian Revival Defining and Exploring a U S Architectural Style 1910 1940 Ph D diss New York City University of New York 2007 Stacy Judd Robert B Atlantis Mother of Empires Los Angeles De Vorse amp Co 1939 Stacy Judd Robert B The Ancient Mayas Adventures In the Jungles of Yucatan Los Angeles Haskell Travers Inc 1934 Stacy Judd Robert B A Maya Manuscript Los Angeles Philosophical Research Society 1940 Willard T A The City of the Sacred Well Being a Narrative of the Discoveries and Excavations of Edward Herbert Thompson in the Ancient City of Chi chen Itza With Some Discourse on the Culture and Development of the Mayan Civilization as Revealed by Their Art and Architecture Here Set Down and Illustrated From Photographs New York Century Co 1926External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mayan Revival architecture Route 66 org the Aztec Hotel Monrovia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mayan Revival architecture amp oldid 1213463150, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
