Federal architecture

In the early United States, the founding generation consciously chose to associate the nation with the ancient democracies of Greece and the republican values of Rome.

American Federal architecture typically uses plain surfaces with attenuated detail, usually isolated in panels, tablets, and friezes.

The bald eagle was a common symbol used in this style, with the ellipse a frequent architectural motif.

The classicizing style of Federal architecture can especially be seen in the quintessential New England meeting house, with their lofty and complex towers by architects such as Lavius Fillmore and Asher Benjamin.

[4] This American neoclassical high style was the idiom of America's first professional architects, such as Charles Bulfinch and Minard Lafever.