24/7 Wall St. Insights
- Renaissance Revival architecture spread throughout America in the mid-19th century.
- There are over 1,200 listings categorized as Renaissance in the National Register of Historic Places.
- Many of the cities with the most historic Renaissance buildings are older, wealthy cities on the East Coast.
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The revival of the architectural style of Renaissance Rome and Florence came to England in the early 19th century. Renaissance Revival was introduced to America in 1845 with the construction of the Athenaeum in Philadelphia, and became a popular style for federal buildings and large commercial structures. Renaissance Revival buildings were formal and cubic in shape and made to contain closely spaced, symmetrical windows on each side of a central door. Employing finely cut stone and rough-cut corner quoins, the Renaissance Revival style proved unpopular for homes relative to the fast-growing Victorian style of the day, and was mostly used for large public buildings.
Today, there are over 1,200 listings categorized as Renaissance in the National Register of Historic Places. And while thousands more Renaissance buildings exist throughout the country without formal historic status, a look at NRHP listings by address reveals the best cities for seeing Renaissance architecture in America.
Many of the Renaissance capitals have nicer, older housing stock. In 21 of the 25 cities with the most Renaissance style properties, the median home age is older than the 45-year national median. In 18 of the 25 top cities, the median value for homes built in 1939 or earlier is greater than the median value for all homes.
To determine the best cities for Renaissance architecture, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on historic properties from the National Register of Historic Places of the U.S. National Park Service. Cities, towns, and villages were ranked based on the number of listings in the NRHP that are designated as Renaissance architecture style as of October 2024. Supplemental data on median home age is from the 2022 American Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau.
25. Worcester, MA
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 289 properties
- Median home age: 73 years
- City incorporated: 1848
- Notable Renaissance listings: Mechanics Hall, Oxford-Crown Historic District, Waldo Street Police Station, Beacon Street Firehouse, Mechanics’ Hall District
24. Lincoln, NE
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 103 properties
- Median home age: 44 years
- City incorporated: 1869
- Notable Renaissance listings: Rock Island Depot, William H. Ferguson House, Nebraska Telephone Company Building, Barr Terrace, Jasper Newton Bell House
23. Greensboro, NC
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 62 properties
- Median home age: 40 years
- City incorporated: 1808
- Notable Renaissance listings: Blandwood, Guilford County Courthouse, Central Fire Station, Kimrey-Haworth House, Sigmund Sternberger House
22. St. Paul, MN
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 111 properties
- Median home age: 73 years
- City incorporated: 1854
- Notable Renaissance listings: Old Federal Courts Building, Pioneer and Endicott Buildings, St. Paul Public/James J. Hill Reference Library, Pierce and Walter Butler House, Walsh Building
21. Tampa, FL
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 82 properties
- Median home age: 41 years
- City incorporated: 1855
- Notable Renaissance listings: El Pasaje, Federal Building, U.S. Courthouse, Downtown Postal Station, Tampa City Hall, S.H. Kress & Co. Building, West Tampa Historic District
20. Miami, FL
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 79 properties
- Median home age: 48 years
- City incorporated: 1986
- Notable Renaissance listings: Vizcaya, Ingraham Building, Central Baptist Church, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Flori-Coral Apartments
19. Hartford, CT
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 7 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 150 properties
- Median home age: 72 years
- City incorporated: 1784
- Notable Renaissance listings: Washington Street School, Elm Street Historic District, Engine Company 2 Fire Station, Department Store Historic District, Capewell Horse Nail Company
18. Syracuse, NY
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 7 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 126 properties
- Median home age: 77 years
- City incorporated: 1825
- Notable Renaissance listings: Montgomery Street-Columbus Circle Historic District, Syracuse University-Comstock Tract Buildings, White House, Hotel Syracuse, South Salina Street Downtown Historic District
17. New Orleans, LA
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 7 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 204 properties
- Median home age: 66 years
- City incorporated: 1805
- Notable Renaissance listings: St. Alphonsus Church, U.S. Court of Appeals-Fifth Circuit, Tulane University of Louisiana, Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery, Esplanade Ridge Historic District
16. Idaho Falls, ID
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 8 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 28 properties
- Median home age: 47 years
- City incorporated: 1890
- Notable Renaissance listings: Underwood Hotel, Shane Building, Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Company Building, Montgomery Ward Building, Kress Building
15. Kansas City, MO
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 8 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 361 properties
- Median home age: 56 years
- City incorporated: 1850
- Notable Renaissance listings: Old New England Building, Uptown Building and Theatre, R.A. Long Building, Villa Serena Apartment Hotel, Switzer School Buildings
14. Phoenix, AZ
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 9 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 245 properties
- Median home age: 40 years
- City incorporated: 1881
- Notable Renaissance listings: Phoenix Union High School Historic District, San Carlos Hotel, Immaculate Heart of Mary, John G. Whittier School, Franklin School
13. Rochester, NY
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 10 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 156 properties
- Median home age: 85 years
- City incorporated: 1817
- Notable Renaissance listings: City Hall Historic District, Eastman Dental Dispensary, Granite Building, Edwards Building, Chester Dewey School No. 14
12. San Francisco, CA
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 10 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 201 properties
- Median home age: 79 years
- City incorporated: 1850
- Notable Renaissance listings: Bank of Italy, Lower Nob Hill Apartment Hotel District, Folger Coffee Company Building, Woman’s Athletic Club of San Francisco, Rialto Building
11. Buffalo, NY
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 11 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 193 properties
- Median home age: 85 years
- City incorporated: 1813
- Notable Renaissance listings: Delaware Avenue Historic District, William Dorsheimer House, YMCA Central Building, Parke Apartments, Hotel Lafayette
10. Newark, NJ
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 11 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 76 properties
- Median home age: 58 years
- City incorporated: 1836
- Notable Renaissance listings: Essex County Courthouse, Essex County Park Commission Administration Building, Newark Broad Street Station, Hahne and Company, North Broad Street Historic District
9. Boston, MA
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 14 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 318 properties
- Median home age: 79 years
- City incorporated: 1822
- Notable Renaissance listings: Fulton-Commercial Streets District, New England Conservatory of Music, Metropolitan Theatre, West Street District, Roughan Hall
8. Omaha, NE
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 15 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 187 properties
- Median home age: 52 years
- City incorporated: 1857
- Notable Renaissance listings: Aquila Court Building, Christian Specht Building, First National Bank Building, Nash Block, Prague Hotel
7. Chicago, IL
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 17 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 411 properties
- Median home age: 72 years
- City incorporated: 1835
- Notable Renaissance listings: Prairie Avenue District, Ida B. Wells-Barnett House, Theurer-Wrigley House, St. Luke’s Hospital Complex, Building at 257 East Delaware
6. Minneapolis, MN
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 19 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 152 properties
- Median home age: 74 years
- City incorporated: 1866
- Notable Renaissance listings: Swan Turnblad House, Harry W. Jones House, Washburn-Fair Oaks Mansion District, Charles J. Martin House, Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul and Pacific Depot, Freight House and Train Shed
5. Denver, CO
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 22 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 321 properties
- Median home age: 52 years
- City incorporated: 1861
- Notable Renaissance listings: Tramway Building, Equitable Building, Boston Building, U.S. Customhouse, Littleton Creamery-Beatrice Foods Cold Storage Warehouse
4. Detroit, MI
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 23 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 291 properties
- Median home age: 77 years
- City incorporated: 1802
- Notable Renaissance listings: Orchestra Hall, Hunter House, Scarab Club, Perry McAdow House, Arden Park-East Boston Historic District
3. Los Angeles, CA
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 28 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 252 properties
- Median home age: 60 years
- City incorporated: 1850
- Notable Renaissance listings: Engine Company No. 28, Friday Morning Club, Frederick Hastings Rindge House, San Fernando Building, Ebell of Los Angeles
2. Washington, D.C.
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 36 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 663 properties
- Median home age: 68 years
- City incorporated: N/A
- Notable Renaissance listings: Pension Building, Larz Anderson House, Customhouse and Post Office, Warder-Totten House, St. Aloysius Catholic Church
1. New York, NY
- NRHP listings in Renaissance style: 70 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 809 properties
- Median home age: 73 years
- City incorporated: 1652
- Notable Renaissance listings: Pierpont Morgan Library, New York Botanical Gardens, William H. Moore House, Dakota Apartments, Municipal Building
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