The Second Empire style quickly spread throughout Europe and evolved as a loose form of
Baroque Revival architecture, where its suitability for super-scaling allowed it to be widely used in the design of municipal and corporate buildings The style is particularly prominent in Paris and Vienna, both of which were heavily redeveloped in the late 19th century. Rome also saw a huge expansion after the
Risorgimento, where the
Bank of Italy designed by
Gaetano Koch is a notable example. Second Empire became popular in Britain at the end of the nineteenth century, where it emerged as a fusion of the architecture of the classical Renaissance exemplified by
Christopher Wren and the solid mass Baroque of
John Vanbrugh, decorated with some of the more ornate Baroque motifs previously found only on mainland Europe. It often featured a low dome, a once complex architectural feat rendered less difficult through the use of iron and reinforced concrete. In London, the style is exemplified by
Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, designed by
Edwin Alfred Rickards of the firm
Lanchester, Stewart and Rickards. It is an early example of the use of a reinforced concrete frame for a building in Britain. The interior was similarly planned on a
Piranesian scale, although the execution was rather more economical. File:Monte Carlo Monaco February 2013 - panoramio.jpg|
Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo,
Monaco, completed in 1868 File:Front of Brussels Stock Exchange 2023 cropped.jpg|
Bourse Palace, Brussels, designed by
Léon Suys and built between 1868–73 File:Burgtheater Weitwinkel.jpg|
Burgtheater, Vienna, designed by
Gottfried Semper and
Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer and completed in 1888 File:Methodist Central Hall.JPG|
Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, completed in 1911 == See also ==