The campanile spire, round-arched windows, and arcaded trim of Wickford's little church are typical of Thomas Tefft's use of the round-arched forms of northern Italian architecture, probably by way of German sources, whence the style was self-consciously reintroduced in the early nineteenth century as the Rundbogenstil. Tefft was among the first American architects to employ the style, which became widespread in this country from the 1850s into the 1870s. The thinness of the framed detail and the flushboard siding (to simulate the flat planes of masonry or stucco) invoke American carpentry more than masonry. Tan paint for the siding would better suggest the original intended effect rather than the white main body of the church. The sanctuary contains fine examples of Victorian ecclesiastical brass fittings.
You are here
St. Paul's Church
If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.
SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.