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| The Roman Revival-style Lancaster County Courthouse, built in 1852. | Image Source: lancasteronline.com |
The entablature is the impressive horizontal band that sits on top of architectural columns. It’s composed of three elements: the architrave, the frieze and the cornice. What we see today is a stylized version of what ancient Greeks and Romans developed to construct their temples and other important civic structures — stylized, because the earliest temples were constructed of wood, not stone.
The 9/11 memorial in London is an example of those early timber techniques used to build temples. The transition from wood to stone construction is known as “petrification.”
The lowest band on the entablature is the architrave; it’s the beam resting at the top of the columns. It supports the weight from above and distributes it evenly across the supports. The frieze is the middle band. Its purpose is to protect the wooden rafters from exposure to the elements. The frieze is often carved with decoration when it’s made of stone. The cornice is the top band, and serves as the cap or crown that protects the two bands below.
Lancaster has several entablature examples to explore. One, the 1852 Greek Revival-style Lancaster County Courthouse on East King Street, has an unadorned frieze, but an impressive pediment. Another, the 1846 Classical Revival-style Lancaster Museum of Art on North Lime Street has a portico with a a classic entablature, but no pediment.
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| Image Source: lancasteronline.com |
- What makes the entablature unique? The entablature is the three-part structural support system positioned above architectural columns in classical architectural.
- What materials are used to construct an entablature? Originally wood posts, beams and rafters were used in the construction of the entablature followed by stone for greater endurance and permanence.
- Where are they found? Entablatures can be found on Greek Revival, Beaux Arts, Classical Revival, Georgian Revival, Federal, Second Empire and Renaissance Revival styles of architecture.
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