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Seely Mudd Hall Romanesque Architecture Essay

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Seely Mudd Memorial Hall of Philosophy, built in 1929, is one of the oldest buildings on the University of Southern California’s campus. The Romanesque Revival style of architecture used to build Mudd Hall was similar fashion to other buildings on campus at the time including the Bovard Administration Building (1921) and the Gwynn Wilson Student Union (1927). Key features of Romanesque style architecture include thick walls, round arches, decorative arcading, sturdy pillars, vaulted ceilings and large towers. Sitting on the corner of Trousdale Parkway and Exposition Blvd., the predominately red brick building faces east to capture the morning sun. At first glance, the building looks like it could be a church or other religious type building such as a monastery or convent because of its open-layout plan and decoration. The three main focal points include a clock tower, a cloister-style courtyard, and a two-story structure on the north side of the building. The 15-story brick tower has a round, white clock face on the east wall and is located on the northwest corner of the building. The steeple or belfry is arcaded with cast stone arched openings and topped with an octagonal spire. The opening conveys the look of a …show more content…

Bernard of Clairvaux, if he was alive, would have shuddered at the embellishments used in the building of Mudd Hall. Bernard had very strong beliefs regarding how abbeys should be built. He held that religious buildings were meant solely for meditation and the study of the word of God. Lavish surroundings would only distract the common person from that intended purpose. They would easily become distracted by the decorations themselves and what those decorations might be trying to convey versus the real focus which was the word of

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