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- Based on the pre-Gothic architecture of Europe, the Romanesque Style came to America in the 1840s and 1850s and was largely used for city halls, courthouses, and other public buildings.
- Though the style was short-lived, there are over 2,000 buildings and properties categorized as Romanesque in the National Register of Historic Places as of October 2024.
- The style’s legacy is most apparent in major population centers of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as New York, Chicago, and Detroit.
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Rooted in the pre-Gothic architecture of medieval Europe, the Romanesque Style first came to America in the 1840s and 1850s. Romanesque buildings emphasized rough stone, dramatic arches, and towered facades, conveying a sense of weightiness and solidity.
While the Romanesque Style was more suited to city halls, courthouses, libraries, train stations, and other public buildings, the architectural trend found its expression in residential buildings through the work of Henry Hobson Richardson in the late 19th century. Through Richardson’s interpretation, builders constructed Romanesque homes featuring robust columns, round arches and cavernous door openings, and bold towers, exuding mass and permanence.
Though the style was short-lived, there are over 2,000 buildings and properties categorized as Romanesque in the National Register of Historic Places as of October 2024. The style’s legacy is on display in major population hubs of the 19th and 20th century, such as New York, Chicago, and Detroit, as well as smaller cities like Pueblo, Colorado, Sioux City, Iowa, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Of the 25 cities with the most listed Romanesque buildings, seven are in Massachusetts.
To determine the best cities for Romanesque 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 Romanesque 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. Springfield, MA
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 8 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 94 properties
- Median home age: 73 years
- City incorporated: 1852
- Notable Romanesque listings: Court Square Historic District, Walker Building, St. Joseph’s Church, Smith’s Building, Fuller Block
24. Kansas City, MO
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 8 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 361 properties
- Median home age: 56 years
- City incorporated: 1850
- Notable Romanesque listings: Temple Block Building, Walnut Street Warehouse and Commercial Historic District, Imperial Brewing Company Brewery, Albert Marty Building, C.A. Murdock Manufacturing Company Building
23. Waltham, MA
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 9 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 109 properties
- Median home age: 63 years
- City incorporated: 1884
- Notable Romanesque listings: Moody Street Fire Station, Beth Eden Baptist Church, Waltham High School, Mount Feake Cemetery, American Waltham Watch Company Historic District
22. Fall River, MA
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 9 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 110 properties
- Median home age: 80 years
- City incorporated: 1854
- Notable Romanesque listings: Davol School, Coughlin School, William M. Connell School, Osborn Street School, Bristol County Superior Court
21. Fort Wayne, IN
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 9 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 68 properties
- Median home age: 53 years
- City incorporated: 1840
- Notable Romanesque listings: Fort Wayne City Hall, Lindenwood Cemetery, Engine House No. 3, John H. Bass Mansion, Harry A. Keplinger House
20. Sioux City, IA
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 10 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 56 properties
- Median home age: 69 years
- City incorporated: 1857
- Notable Romanesque listings: Sioux City Central High School, John Peirce House, Charles City College Hall, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Evans Block
19. Pueblo, CO
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 10 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 64 properties
- Median home age: 58 years
- City incorporated: 1885
- Notable Romanesque listings: Union Depot, Orman-Adams House, Bowen Mansion, Pitkin Place Historic District, First Methodist Episcopal Church
18. Dubuque, IA
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 11 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 74 properties
- Median home age: 62 years
- City incorporated: 1857
- Notable Romanesque listings: Dubuque County Courthouse, Redstone, Bishop’s Block, St. Luke’s Methodist Episcopal Church, Dubuque YMCA Building
17. Syracuse, NY
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 11 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 126 properties
- Median home age: 77 years
- City incorporated: 1825
- Notable Romanesque listings: Crouse College, Syracuse University, Hanover Square Historic District, Syracuse City Hall, Amos Block, Syracuse University-Comstock Tract Buildings
16. St. Paul, MN
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 11 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 111 properties
- Median home age: 73 years
- City incorporated: 1854
- Notable Romanesque listings: Old Federal Courts Building, Pioneer and Endicott Buildings, Frank B. Kellogg House, Merchants National Bank, Church of the Assumption (Catholic)
15. Cambridge, MA
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 12 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 212 properties
- Median home age: 78 years
- City incorporated: 1846
- Notable Romanesque listings: Sever Hall, Harvard University, Austin Hall, Edwin Abbot House, City Hall Historic District, Odd Fellows Hall
14. Omaha, NE
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 12 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 187 properties
- Median home age: 52 years
- City incorporated: 1857
- Notable Romanesque listings: St. Matthias’ Episcopal Church, Garneau-Kilpatrick House, Center School, Saunders School, Mason School
13. Atlanta, GA
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 12 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 241 properties
- Median home age: 39 years
- City incorporated: 1845
- Notable Romanesque listings: Rhodes Memorial Hall, Cabbagetown District, Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, DeGive’s Grand Opera House, Georgia Institute of Technology Historic District
12. Davenport, IA
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 13 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 256 properties
- Median home age: 58 years
- City incorporated: 1881
- Notable Romanesque listings: Davenport City Hall, Davenport Crematorium, Schmidt Block, J.H.C. Petersen’s Sons Store, Hibernia Hall
11. Hartford, CT
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 13 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 150 properties
- Median home age: 72 years
- City incorporated: 1784
- Notable Romanesque listings: Goodwin Block, Washington Street School, Apartment at 49-51 Spring Street, Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church, Ann Street Historic District
10. Rochester, NY
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 13 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 156 properties
- Median home age: 85 years
- City incorporated: 1817
- Notable Romanesque listings: Federal Building, Cox Building, St. Paul-North Water Streets Historic District, Bridge Square Historic District, Wilder Building
9. Buffalo, NY
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 13 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 193 properties
- Median home age: 85 years
- City incorporated: 1813
- Notable Romanesque listings: St. Andrew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Complex, Corpus Christi R.C. Church Complex, St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Parish Complex, Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, The Kamman Building
8. Minneapolis, MN
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 19 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 152 properties
- Median home age: 74 years
- City incorporated: 1866
- Notable Romanesque listings: Minneapolis City Hall-Hennepin County Courthouse, Masonic Temple, Fowler Methodist Episcopal Church, H. Alden Smith House, George R. Newell House
7. Worcester, MA
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 21 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 289 properties
- Median home age: 73 years
- City incorporated: 1848
- Notable Romanesque listings: Day Building, Woodland Street Firehouse, Quinsigamond Firehouse, Brightside Apartments, Pilgrim Congregational Church
6. Boston, MA
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 25 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 318 properties
- Median home age: 79 years
- City incorporated: 1822
- Notable Romanesque listings: Trinity Church, First Baptist Church, Trinity Rectory, Crowninshield House, Ames Building
5. Detroit, MI
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 27 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 291 properties
- Median home age: 77 years
- City incorporated: 1802
- Notable Romanesque listings: David Whitney House, First Congregational Church, Dunbar Hospital, First Presbyterian Church, Woodbridge Neighborhood Historic District
4. Chicago, IL
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 30 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 411 properties
- Median home age: 72 years
- City incorporated: 1835
- Notable Romanesque listings: John J. Glessner House, Prairie Avenue District, Studebaker Building, Dearborn Station, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church
3. Washington, D.C.
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 32 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 663 properties
- Median home age: 68 years
- City incorporated: N/A
- Notable Romanesque listings: Riggs National Bank, Washington Loan and Trust Company Branch, Healy Building, Georgetown University, Warder-Totten House, Logan Circle Historic District, Old Post Office and Clock Tower
2. Denver, CO
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 32 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 321 properties
- Median home age: 52 years
- City incorporated: 1861
- Notable Romanesque listings: Union Station, Central Presbyterian Church, Fitzroy Place, Loretto Heights Academy, Owen E. LeFevre House
1. New York, NY
- NRHP listings in Romanesque style: 87 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 809 properties
- Median home age: 73 years
- City incorporated: 1652
- Notable Romanesque listings: Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters, Mount Morris Park Historic District, Jumel Terrace Historic District, Fulton Ferry District, Federal Office Building
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