Dr. D. T. Porter Building, Memphis

Creators

Preview

Source Collection

Alan Karchmer collection, Special Collections Department, University of Memphis Libraries

Identifier

10_18.A

Description

Dr. D. T. Porter Building, Main at Court Square, Memphis, Tennessee. Built in 1895. Romanesque Revival Style. Photographer: Alan Karchmer. © Alan Karchmer.

Memphis' first steel skeleton skyscraper, this asymmetrical structure appears whimsical in its naively composed facade. The confusion resulting from multiple focal points in its composition is tempered by consistency of ornament, endearing this lovingly homemade building to its public.

beginning in the late 1880s two forms of Romanesque architecture appear in Memphis; the more academically correct Romanesque Revival and the distinctly American style Richardsonian Romanesque (named for the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson). While both spring from the round-arched Romanesque, the Richardsonian uses more rough-faced masonry which arches, lintels, and other structural features emphasized by being of stone or finish contrasting that of the well. Deeply set windows and generally large, simple forms reinforce the sense of weight and massiveness.

Date Created

2021

Date

undated

Recommended Citation

"Dr. D. T. Porter Building, Memphis" (2021). Images. 101.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/speccoll-mss-karchmera2/101