Examining the Battle House: the greek revival, religion, race relations, and slavery justifications

Reasons for the fervor in the United States for the Greek Revival style in architecture in the nineteenth century have been revived in recent years by Barksdale Maynard’s challenge of Talbot Hamlin’s widely accepted 1944 argument about the popularity of this architecture. However, little has been discussed regarding the genesis of the style beyond the basic arguments of fashion and democratic sentiment, especially regarding the heightened interest in the Greek Revival style among the Southern planter elite. I seek to reveal one more reason considering why those in the South, particularly in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, chose to use the Greek Revival style in the construction of their homes, and the effects it had on the builder and the community. Through study of Alfred Battle’s 1844 Greek Revival renovation to his Tuscaloosa townhouse I have identified a correlation in Southern domestic architecture between classical motifs and concepts of control and hierarchy. Applying a social history approach I demonstrate how the Battle estate acting as a program serves as one unique example of architecture’s regulative rule over slavery and race relations during the Antebellum period in Alabama. I demonstrate how Battle’s comprehensive plan acts as a visual symbol for concepts of race and morality as well as a hierarchical tool meant to dictate a more rigid sense of morality for the community, separate whites and blacks, and cement the patron as a commanding presence in Tuscaloosa society.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Alabama Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Huber, Caitlin Aubrey

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Stephens, Rachel E.

Contributors dc:contributor

• McPherson, Heather
• Jones, Tanja

• Art history

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US, English

Dc Identifier Other

u0015_0000001_0001980
Huber_alatus_0004M_12408

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ir.ua.edu:123456789/3002