The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art - Essay Example The building rises to a height of about 70 feet, and the whole structure is made of iron, stones, brick, with no wood being used anywhere in its construction. (Fairman Rogers, published in ‘The Philadelphia Inquirer’, on April 24, 1876) In keeping with the high Victorian Gothic style, the building is made of richly colored materials, the faà §ade being made of green and red sandstone along with purplish Bluestone. The architectural style is an eclectic mix of Gothic and Classical architecture, and it is revolutionary in the context that, until then, there was no other building that could boast of a â€Å"13th century Gothic arch on a 17th-century mansarded pavilion.† The building opens onto Broad Street, with the faà §ade 65 inches high. The North is flanked by Cherry Street, Burnt Street on to the east and Apple tree Street towards the South. The building is planned with a central corridor which is about 15 feet wide, with rooms on either side. The first floor of the building, houses the library, art studios and offices, while a mezzanine floor has a conservation laboratory, the boardroom and the plumbing. The museum’s collection or the artworks are housed on the second floor, called the Gallery, where the corridor is intersected by a Rotunda which is about 52'6" x 38'2". Pennsylvania, being an industrial city, Frank Furness could freely use â€Å"riveted iron truss that held aloft the great weight of the blind wall of the north faà §ade.† (Lewis)Above the Gallery is the attic made up of iron trusses.