While researching historical architectural events on May 27th, I came across a few famous birthdays and landmarks (Mies van der Rohe, Chrysler Building, and the Golden Gate Bridge).
However, it was a building that I'm sure very few of us have seen that caught my attention: the Majestic Building in Detroit. It had been torn down the year I was born, but seeing an old photo, its Beaux-Arts style captivated me.
So I wondered, what is Beaux-Arts, and how do I do it?
I’ve come to the conclusion that although we have some excellent examples in America, I will probably never design a Beaux-Arts-style home.
Meander with me as I break down the key characteristics of the style and how I came to my conclusion.
But first, let me tell you about the Majestic Building and its architect.
This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID det.4a03649.
The Majestic Building was a high-rise at 1001 Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, only a half-dozen blocks from the only place where you can enter Canada from the USA when heading south. But that's not really relevant. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The building was constructed in 1896 for the Mabley and Company department store chain and stood 223 ft tall.
Unfortunately, C. R. Mabley died before the building's completion, and it was purportedly renamed the Majestic building by its new owners to conform with the letter "M" (for Mabley) carved in numerous places in its façade.
This building was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by Daniel H. Burnham & Company and was Detroit's tallest building from its completion in 1896 until 1909, when it was overtaken by the Ford Building (also designed by Burnham).
Burnham became one of the country's most prominent advocates for the Beaux-Arts movement and the revival of Neoclassical architecture, a movement that began with the World's Columbian Exposition.
In his 1924 autobiography, Louis Sullivan, who had a difficult relationship with Burnham, criticized him for what he viewed as a lack of original expression and a dependence on classicism.
Sullivan went on to claim that "the damage wrought by the World's Fair will last for half a century from its date, if not longer" – allegedly, a sentiment edged with bitterness, as corporate America of the early 20th century had demonstrated a strong preference for Burnham's architectural style over Sullivan's.
A couple of the many other buildings designed by Burnham are Washington's Union Station and the Flatiron Building in New York.
I only found a handful of homes he designed:
None of which were Beaux-Arts style.
If you're like me, you might be wondering, why did a prominent advocate for Beaux-Arts not use the style in housing? I think the answer is pretty simple, the style was expensive as... well, it looks very costly.
Beaux-Arts was traditionally reserved for grand public buildings—and the ultra-rich who liked to show off. Which brings us to the famous 'cottages' of Newport, Rhode Island.
The Marble House:
Rosecliff:
The Breakers:
Characteristic Beaux-Arts features
Beaux-Arts architecture is a grand classical style that emerged from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris during the late 19th century and flourished in the United States from approximately 1885 to 1930. The style blends ancient Greek and Roman principles with French and Italian Renaissance and Baroque ornamentation, creating monumental, highly decorative buildings that emphasize symmetry, hierarchy of spaces, and classical details.
These mansions of Newport demonstrate classic Beaux-Arts residential architecture:
- Symmetrical composition with a central entrance pavilion and balanced wings
- Monumental scale—built specifically for grand entertaining with lavish ballrooms, dramatic staircases, and spacious terraces
- Classical French vocabulary including colonnaded loggias, arched openings, roofline balustrades, and formal articulation
- Formal gardens and axial planning with the mansion oriented toward formal landscape and ocean views
- Opulent interiors with European tapestries, ornate plasterwork, rich wood paneling, and carefully composed sight lines through multiple rooms
- White exterior executed in terra cotta and glazed white brick to mimic stone construction
The mansions were designed explicitly "for receptions, dinners and dances"—social display and entertainment on a palatial scale, which was the entire purpose of Gilded Age Beaux-Arts "summer cottages."
These homes were built a hundred years ago. Building a true Beaux-Arts today would be extraordinarily challenging. The practical realities almost guarantee it remains largely a historical phenomenon rather than a viable residential style.
I said almost. I found one, outside of Atlanta.
Harrison Design, which has six offices nationwide, designed a Beaux-Arts home about 15 years ago, and it's NOT one of the primary images on their website landing page (what?!?!).
It's listed on their "Residential" page, along with twenty other styles, but it's on the last row. Don't they know how special this is? They must, the page even says, "...a grandeur uncommon to residential design."
While I know some AIBD members who might one day have the opportunity to design a Beaux-Arts home, I don't foresee myself doing so. I try never to say "never," but it would be difficult to incorporate all the characteristics of that style into mainstream American housing, which is where the lion's share of my work lies.
If you find yourself in the same niche, there's a direction most have gone since the Gilded Age that shares some similarities: Georgian Colonial.
One neighborhood I've toured that has prominent examples of Georgian Colonial is the planned community of New Albany, a suburb outside of Columbus, Ohio.
AIBD Fellow, James Wright, founder of Residential Design Solutions, is a master of Georgian-Style (IMHO), among other styles, and is responsible for many homes found in New Albany.
Despite their shared classical foundation, Georgian Colonial is notably more restrained compared to styles like Beaux-Arts.
Georgian architecture relies on careful proportions and quality materials rather than elaborate ornamentation, while Beaux-Arts is characterized by grandeur, monumentality, and opulent decorative excess.
Additionally, Georgian was designed for residential living at a human scale, whereas Beaux-Arts was primarily conceived for monumental public buildings and only occasionally adapted for the grandest private residences.
Speaking of Ohio, monumental public buildings, AND Beaux-Arts, the AIBD Conference Committee has finalized the two architectural tour options at this year's AIBD Annual Conference.
This year, you have the choice of two tour options, the morning before the Awards Gala on August 1, 2026. Then, the opportunity to come together as one at lunchtime.
- OPTION #1 – Tour of the beautifully restored Victorian-era home of President and Mrs. James A. Garfield (Transportation from the host hotel provided).
- OPTION #2 – Explore (in the form of a scavenger hunt) Cleveland, Ohio’s, architectural legacy, tracing the city’s evolution through Civil War–era buildings to its Beaux-Arts grandeur (This tour is on foot).
- At the end, both tours have the opportunity to learn about the $70 million renovation project at the historic West Side Market and stay to explore, dine, or return to the hotel.
For more information on the tours, event schedule, featured speakers, and to register for the AIBD Annual Conference, please visit AIBD.org/AnnualConference.
Meanwhile, to help "know it when you see it," I've compiled a brief table of some of the key Beaux-Arts elements: