ANCA Leo Sarkisian Interns Hagop Housbian, Shant Anmahouni Eulmessekian and Leonardo Torosian during a weekend outing at the National Gallery of Arts.
BY LEONARDO G. TOROSIAN
McGill University, Class of 2018
ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship 2017
When I saw Washington for the first time last month, the first thing that struck me was the omnipresent Neo-Classical architecture superimposed on the Cartesian layout of the city.
It was during the late 18th and 19th century that many of the foundational buildings were built in Washington. To reflect the bond between the newly formed United States and Athenian Democracy, the founding fathers of this country tried to imitate Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman architectural styles and elements.
In some cases, like the U.S. Supreme Court building, which resembles a monumental marble temple, the result is quite pleasant to the eye. In other cases, only the building’s first floor facade has a colonnade supporting the entablature, reminding the spectator of its Roman influence. The upper stories and the sides are comparatively neglected, presenting only plain brick, which leads to an overall eclectic result. But as a whole the overly symmetrical and blatantly orderly city of Washington, with its enormous columns and oversized entrances, makes me feel as though I am walking in downtown Rome at the times of Jesus’ preachings in Galilee.
Realizing the extent of the Washingtonian street grid system (called “centuriation”
